April sea surface temperatures were second-highest on record

April 2026 underscored the planet’s persistent warmth, delivering the second-highest sea surface temperatures ever recorded for oceans outside the polar regions.

Across broad stretches of the tropical Pacific, sea temperatures hit record highs, driven by intense marine heatwaves.

The global average surface air temperature reached 14.89°C. That placed the month 1.43°C above pre-industrial levels for April.

According to the EU Copernicus Climate Change Service, that made April the joint third-warmest April recorded worldwide.

Much of southwestern Europe endured notably warmer than average weather. Spain, in particular, posted its hottest April on record.

Eastern Europe told a different story, with temperatures running below average, leaving Europe as a whole with its tenth-warmest April on record.

In the Arctic, sea ice extent fell to its second-lowest level ever observed for April.

The month also brought a string of extreme weather events, from tropical cyclones in the Pacific to floods across the Middle East and south-central Asia, as well as drought conditions affecting southern Africa.

Flash flooding swept across much of the Arabian Peninsula, while parts of Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Syria were hit by widespread flooding and landslides that claimed lives.

Samantha Burgess, Strategic Lead for Climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, said the figures reinforce the unmistakable signal of a warming world.

“Sea surface temperatures were near record levels with widespread marine heatwaves, Arctic sea ice remained well below average, and Europe saw sharp contrasts in temperature and rainfall; all hallmarks of a climate increasingly shaped by extremes.”

April 2026 was also mostly drier than average across western and central Europe, a pattern linked to a persistent high-pressure system over the region.

April was warmer and wetter than average, says Met Éireann

By contrast, much of easternmost and southeastern Europe, along with Ireland, the UK, and Iceland, parts of Spain and Italy, the Maghreb coast, and the Caucasus, recorded above average precipitation and soil moisture.

Beyond Europe, wetter-than-average conditions were seen in the northeastern and central United States, Canada, northern Mexico, the Arabian Peninsula and Afghanistan, southern China, Japan, parts of Brazil, southern Africa, and New Zealand.

Meanwhile, drier than average weather took hold in the southeastern United States, Central Asia, Madagascar, Australia, and parts of South America.