🇨🇬Republic of the Congo

The Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) stretches from 3°41′N to 5°02′S across equatorial west-central Africa, with a short Atlantic coastline at Pointe-Noire and 342,000 km² dominated by the densely forested Congo Basin (200–400 m elevation), the cooler Bateke plateau (~700 m) in the south, and the Mayombe ridge (~900 m) rising inland from the coast. The tropical climate divides between equatorial rainforest Af across the northern half (Sangha, Likouala departments) and tropical savanna Aw southward (Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire), with coastal temperatures moderated by the cool upwelling Benguela current.

Brazzaville averages 25°C year-round with 1,400 mm rainfall distributed across two wet seasons (October–December and March–May) separated by a cool dry austral winter June–September when the ITCZ retreats northward; Pointe-Noire is slightly cooler at ~24°C and drier (~1,200 mm) due to the Benguela upwelling; the densely forested Sangha department (Ouesso) receives 1,800 mm with relative humidity 80–90% throughout the year. The Congo River and major tributaries (Sangha, Alima, Kouilou) flood seasonally; deforestation in the Sangha–Likouala forests is accelerating; Pointe-Noire's narrow coastal plain faces increasing sea-level rise stress; ENSO modulation remains modest at this equatorial latitude.

Our archive covers 4 Congolese cities with daily ERA5 reanalysis data going back to 1940. The warmest July averages occur in Brazzaville, around 29.3°C, while Dolisie records the coldest January nights near 21.8°C. Comparing the last decade against the 1940–1970 baseline, mean temperatures across these cities have risen by about 1.3°C.