🇿🇼Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe (390,757 km²) spans 15°–23°S, 25°–33°E across subtropical southern Africa, shaped by altitude from 162 m at the junction of the Runde and Save rivers to 2,592 m at Mount Nyangani in the Eastern Highlands, creating three distinct climate zones: the temperate Highveld plateau with Köppen Cwb cool-season dry climate, the hotter middle veld, and the low-lying Lowveld including the Zambezi and Limpopo valleys with tropical savanna (Aw) to hot semi-arid (BSh) conditions.

The Highveld, encompassing Harare and Bulawayo, experiences mild to warm summers (October–March) with mean maximum temperatures 26–29°C, receiving 600–1,000 mm annual rainfall concentrated in November–March wet season driven by the Intertropical Convergence Zone, while the May–September dry season brings cool to cold nights (June–July minima 4–7°C).

The Eastern Highlands receive orographic precipitation exceeding 1,000 mm annually, supporting montane forests and tea plantations, while the Lowveld valleys endure extreme heat in October and November with sparse rainfall and persistent drought vulnerability.

Zimbabwe's landlocked position and reliance on rainfed agriculture make the nation acutely vulnerable to El Niño-Southern Oscillation variability.

Zimbabwe faces intensifying hydrological extremes from El Niño and La Niña cycles compounded by accelerating climate change. Cyclone Idai (March 2019) made landfall in Mozambique and tracked westward into eastern Zimbabwe's Chimanimani and Chipinge districts, delivering torrential rainfall.

The resulting landslides and flash floods killed hundreds of Zimbabweans, affected an estimated 270,000 people, and damaged homes, roads, bridges, and agricultural land across Manicaland Province. The 2023–24 El Niño drought was declared a national disaster in April 2024 after wiping out about half the maize crop, leaving an estimated 2.7 million people facing hunger and cutting hydroelectric output.

The Lowveld is the country's hottest region. Recurring Zambezi-basin water stress threatens shared hydropower with Zambia, while erratic rainfall disrupts the agricultural calendar for smallholder farmers, with rising temperatures accelerating evapotranspiration and shrinking water resources.

Our archive covers 8 Zimbabwean cities with daily ERA5 reanalysis data going back to 1940. The hottest July afternoons are in Kadoma, with average highs around 23°C, while Epworth has the coldest January nights, with average lows near 15.9°C. Comparing the last decade against the 1940–1970 baseline, mean temperatures across these cities have risen by about 1.2°C.