Central African Republic
5 cities
Climate overview
The Central African Republic spans 2°13′–11°00′N landlocked at the geographic heart of the African continent, mostly rolling plateau sloping south to the Ubangi-Congo basin, with the Bongos massif rising to approximately 1,400 m in the northeast. The climate transitions from tropical savanna (Köppen Aw) across most of the country to wetter tropical monsoon (Am) pockets in the south, and a Sudano-Sahelian (BSh) hot semi-arid edge in the far north toward the Aouk plain.
Bangui has highs of 30–35°C and nights of 18–23°C year-round with 1,500 mm rainfall, experiencing a distinct wet season from April through October peaking in July and August, and a dry season from November to February. The southern forested fringe is wetter with shorter dry seasons, while the north is drier, with a sharply pronounced dry season from November to March under the harmattan.
ITCZ migration controls the rain band, and daily maxima peak in the late dry season, from February to April. Floods occur along the Ubangi and other rivers, and deforestation in the southwest, plus expanding agricultural pressure across the savanna belt, raise vulnerability to longer dry seasons and crop-failure risk.
Our archive covers 5 Central African cities with daily ERA5 reanalysis data going back to 1940. The hottest July afternoons are in Bangui, with average highs around 29.6°C, while Berbérati has the coldest January nights, with average lows near 18.6°C. Comparing the last decade against the 1940–1970 baseline, mean temperatures across these cities have risen by about 1°C.
How the climate has shifted in the Central African Republic
Average across 5 cities with full ERA5 coverage: 1940–1970 baseline vs the last decade (2016–2025).
- Annual mean temperature
- 25.3°C→26.3°C
- Days above 30°C per year
- 176 days→261 days+85
- Frost days per year
- 0 days→0 days+0
- Tropical nights (≥20°C) per year
- 312 nights→331 nights+20
Warmest year in the record so far: 2024.
What's unusual right now
From a snapshot of the world's largest cities updated each hour. Today's mean temperature compared with each city's long-term average for the same calendar date (ERA5 climatology, 1940 onward). Last 30 days uses each city's rolling daily-mean vs its monthly average. Not a global ranking.
Warmer than usual