Tanzania recorded its hottest year on record in 2024 as temperatures especially at night climbed significantly across the country. According to the Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA), the national average temperature hit 24.3°C, which is 0.7°C above normal. This broke the previous record set just a year earlier in 2023.
But it wasn’t just the heat during the day that stood out. The biggest change came from rising nighttime temperatures. The average minimum temperature in 2024 reached 19.3°C, which is 1.1°C higher than the usual. This warming at night was more intense than the rise in daytime highs, which averaged 28.8°C just 0.4°C above normal.
Regions around Lake Victoria, the northeastern highlands, and the islands of Unguja and Pemba saw the most extreme changes, with minimum temperatures 1 to 2 degrees higher than average. July 2024 showed the highest monthly temperature jump, and May, June, and November were the warmest recorded in over five decades.
While temperatures rose, rainfall also surged. 2024 became Tanzania’s fourth wettest year since 1970 and the wettest in the last 20 years. The country received a total of 1,307.6 mm of rainfall, which is 28% more than the long-term average.
The rainy season from November 2023 to April 2024 was especially intense, with some areas receiving over 200% of their usual rainfall. Eastern regions like Dar es Salaam, Kibaha, Morogoro, Zanzibar, and Tanga were hit hardest, experiencing rainfall levels three to six times higher than average.
This unusual weather was driven by two major climate patterns El Niño and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole which led to heavier rainfall in the northeast.
The report is a stark reminder of how the climate crisis is already affecting lives in Tanzania. With around 80% of the population depending on farming, unpredictable heat and rain are serious threats to food security. Previous research warned that rising temperatures could hurt maize crops, Tanzania’s staple food.
As weather extremes become more common, the need for climate action and adaptation has never been more urgent.