By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Extreme weather and climate-related events affected at least 13 million people and led to over 3000 reported fatalities in Africa in 2025, with knock-on effects across all sectors of the economy and society, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The continent is struggling to cope with the impacts, and only 40% of countries have multi-hazard early warning systems which are needed to save lives and livelihoods. However, there are encouraging signs that improved collaboration between meteorological services, disaster management agencies and local authorities, as well as advances in climate services like seasonal forecasts, is strengthening preparedness and response capabilities.
The State of the Climate in Africa 2025 provides a consolidated regional assessment, with authoritative information on key climate indicators, impacts and risks to support decision-making. It includes input from dozens of experts, National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, climate centres and United Nations partners.
The African continent is warming faster than the global average, and the rate of warming across the continent since 1991 is substantially higher than in any of the previous 30-year periods. The annual mean surface air temperature averaged over land areas in 2025 ranked between the third and seventh warmest on record, depending on the dataset used, according to the report.
Africa’s glaciers have lost more than 90% of their area since the late nineteenth century. On Mt. Kilimanjaro, glacier area has declined from 11.4 km² in 1900 to less than 1 km² in recent years.
Ocean warming continues across the region, with widespread marine heatwaves. In 2025 ocean heat content and sea-surface temperature were lower than the record levels observed in 2023 and 2024 but remains in the range of historically high values from the past 10 years.
Ocean acidification is continuing, with record low surface pH observed across most of the region in 2025. Ocean heat and acidification harms marine ecosystems and livelihoods of people who depend on them.
Sea-level rise along African coasts from 1999 to 2025 exceeds the global average of 3.6 mm per year in several regions, reaching around 4.2 mm per year along the Atlantic coast, 5.2 mm per year along the Indian Ocean coast, and 5.6 mm per year in the Red Sea, according to the report.
Extreme weather is hitting the continent hard. Floods accounted for more than half of reported events – for instance severe flooding in Nigeria in May led to over 200 deaths, and flooding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in April led to over 160 deaths. The 2024/2025 tropical cyclone season was particularly active in the South Indian Ocean. Drought affected more than 8.5 million people in East Africa.
“The signs of a changing climate are clear across Africa – from increasing temperatures and rising seas to damaging floods and drought. This report shows not only the scale of the risks, but also the growing importance of early warnings, climate services and coordinated action to protect lives and livelihoods,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.