April 2026, very warm and very dry
Globally
Globally, April 2026 was +0.52°C warmer than the 1991–2020 average, with an average surface air temperature of 14.89 °C, making it the third-warmest April on record. This represented a temperature of +1.43 °C above the estimated average for the 1850–1900 pre-industrial period.
Europe
In Europe, the average air temperature for April 2026 was the tenth highest on record at 8.88 °C, which is +0.50 °C above the 1991-2020 average. Temperature anomalies across the European continent were marked by sharp regional contrasts, with higher-than-average temperatures observed in southwestern Europe, mainly in the Iberian Peninsula, western and southern France, and Italy.
Conversely, temperature values below the average occurred across much of eastern Europe. This contrast can be linked to the atmospheric circulation, driven by a persistent area of high pressure over western Europe and low pressure over eastern Europe. These conditions favoured warmer and drier weather in the west, as well as the advection of colder air from the north into central and eastern Europe.
Regarding precipitation, much of western and central Europe, along with parts of eastern Europe, experienced drier-than-average conditions, partly favoured by a persistent anticyclonic pattern centred over the western part of the European continent. The dry signal was particularly pronounced in France, which recorded its fourth-driest April in terms of precipitation, while parts of Switzerland experienced precipitation values below historical records.
Figure 1. Geopotential height anomalies at 500 hPa, mean wind (850 hPa) and mean air temperature (850 hPa), April 2026. Source: IPMA/C3S/ECMWF/ERA5.
Mainland Portugal
In mainland Portugal, the month of April 2026 was classified as very warm regarding the temperature and very dry in terms of precipitation.
Air Temperature
- was the sixth-warmest April since 1931, featuring an average air temperature of 16.10 °C, which is +2.12 °C above the 1991–2020 normal.
- The average maximum temperature was 22.59 °C, which was +3.29 °C higher than the average and the sixth highest since 1931. Meanwhile, the average minimum temperature settled at 9.60 °C, a value +0.95 °C above the normal.
Precipitation
- It was the tenth-driest April since 1931 and the fourth driest since 2000, with the monthly total of 28.4 mm representing just 38% of the normal value.
- In the districts of Aveiro, Lisbon, Évora, Setúbal, Beja, and Faro, it rained only 1/4 of what is normal for the month.
Soil water content
- As a consequence of both March and April being dry or very dry, there was a continued significant decrease in soil moisture levels.
- Values below 40% were recorded in all districts of the northern and central interior, as well as the southern region, with the exception of Faro district.
Have acess to the climate bulletin for April 2026 (portuguese version only): Climate bulletin for April 2026
Figure 2. Credit: postal.pt/DR