World Meteorological Organization Reports Africa Warming Faster Than Global Average

According to the WMO's 2025 State of the Climate in Africa report, the continent is warming faster than the global average, with extreme weather events last year affecting at least 13 million people and causing over 3,000 fatalities.

Scraper SystemJune 20, 2026, 07:47 PM

World Meteorological Organization Reports Africa Warming Faster Than Global Average

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced that the African continent is warming faster than the global average and that extreme weather and climate events in 2025 affected at least 13 million people, resulting in over 3,000 recorded deaths.

The organization's "State of the Climate in Africa 2025" report, published yesterday, revealed that the continent's rate of warming since 1991 has been significantly higher than in previous thirty-year periods of similar decades. According to the report, the average surface temperature in Africa in 2025 ranked among the three to seven hottest years since records began and was approximately 0.51 degrees Celsius higher than the 1991-2020 average.

Impact of Floods and Drought

The report highlighted that floods, constituting more than half of the documented events, were the most prevalent threat. Severe floods in Nigeria in May claimed over 200 lives, while floods in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in April resulted in more than 160 fatalities. Additionally, the 2024-2025 period saw a particularly active tropical cyclone season in the southern Indian Ocean.

On the other hand, the extent of drought impact also expanded. In East Africa, over 8.5 million people were affected by drought. The report noted that most regions of East Africa received below-average rainfall during both the long and short rainy seasons, with total annual rainfall around the Horn of Africa being unusually low.

In North Africa, an increase in drought was observed along the Mediterranean coastline due to below-average rainfall, although some regions in the northwest of the continent received above-average rainfall for the first time in years.

Glacier Melt and Sea Level Rise

According to the report, glaciers in Africa have lost over 90% of their area since the late 19th century and now exist only on Mount Kenya in Kenya, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, and the Ruwenzori Mountains on the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The glacial area on Mount Kilimanjaro (5895 meters), the continent's highest peak and home to its largest glacier, declined from 11.4 square kilometers in 1900 to 0.98 square kilometers in recent years, despite heavy snowfall in 2025. The glacial area on Mount Kenya decreased from 1.64 to 0.07 square kilometers between 1906 and 2021/2022, while the area in the Ruwenzori Mountains fell from 6.51 to 0.38 square kilometers.

Along the coasts, sea level rise along African shores during the 1999-2025 period exceeded the global average of 3.6 millimeters per year in many regions. The rise was measured at approximately 4.2 millimeters on the Atlantic coast, 5.2 millimeters on the Indian Ocean coast, and 5.6 millimeters in the Red Sea.

Lack of Early Warning Systems

The report stated that the continent is struggling to adapt to these impacts and that less than 40% of African countries have early warning systems. However, improvements in cooperation between meteorological services, disaster management agencies, and local authorities, as well as advances in climate services such as seasonal forecasts, were highlighted as promising signs.

WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said, "Signs of climate change are visible everywhere in Africa; from rising temperatures and sea levels to devastating floods and drought," adding that the report shows both the magnitude of the risks and the increasing importance of early warning, climate services, and coordinated action in protecting lives and livelihoods.

The report was prepared in collaboration with national meteorological and hydrological organizations, international data centers, and United Nations partners and includes case studies from Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa.

World Meteorological Organization Reports Africa Warming Faster Than Global Average