🇳🇵Nepal

Nepal lies between 26° and 31°N as a landlocked Himalayan nation of approximately 147,516 km², stretching about 800 km east–west and containing eight of the world's fourteen peaks above 8,000 m, including Mount Everest (Sagarmatha, 8,849 m, Earth's highest), Kanchenjunga (8,586 m), Lhotse (8,516 m), Makalu (8,485 m), Cho Oyu (8,188 m), Dhaulagiri (8,167 m), Manaslu (8,163 m), and Annapurna (8,091 m). This extreme topographic gradient from the tropical Terai lowlands at 60 m elevation through the temperate mid-hills to the alpine and nival Himalayan crest above 5,500 m produces a remarkable climate spectrum: humid subtropical (Cwa) in the Terai plains (Janakpur, Biratnagar, Birgunj), humid subtropical to warm temperate (Cwa/Cwb) across the mid-hills including the Kathmandu Valley at 1,400 m, alpine tundra (ET) in the high Himalaya, and permanent ice-cap (EF) above 5,500 m on Everest, Khumbu Glacier, and the great Himalayan glaciers feeding the Ganges, Koshi, and Karnali river systems.

Kathmandu sees January highs of 19°C with nights near 3°C and July highs of 29°C with roughly 1,454 mm of annual precipitation concentrated overwhelmingly in the June–September southwest monsoon (80% of yearly total). Pokhara at 827 m sees January highs of 20°C with nights near 7°C and July highs of 30°C with close to 3,900 mm, one of the highest rainfall totals in Nepal due to orographic monsoon enhancement by the Annapurna massif.

Janakpur and Biratnagar in the Terai have January highs of about 22°C with nights near 9°C, and highs of 33–35°C in May–June with 1,450–1,750 mm annual precipitation. Above 5,500 m, permanent snow and ice persist; Everest Base Camp lies at 5,364 m. Nepal's monsoon climate includes significant flood events. The September 2024 floods in Kathmandu and eastern Nepal killed over 200 people. The June 2021 Melamchi flash flood caused damage to critical infrastructure.

In May 2012, a sudden flash flood on the Seti River resulted in significant casualties. The August–September 2017 Terai floods inundated extensive areas of the lowlands. Glacial lake hazards are present: Imja Lake and Tsho Rolpa Lake are identified as high GLOF risks.

Our archive covers 15 Nepalese cities with daily ERA5 reanalysis data going back to 1940. The hottest July afternoons are in Nepalgunj, with average highs around 32.1°C, while Pokhara has the coldest January nights, with average lows near 4.8°C. Comparing the last decade against the 1940–1970 baseline, mean temperatures across these cities have risen by about 1.1°C.