For UK and Ireland, April 2026 was wet through 1st half, dry 2nd half and generally mild for all with decent warmth to end. Another warm one for west and north, cool, wet east of Europe.

Global temp & precip anomaly for April 2026

Europe

UK Stats/Highlights

April showers in shorter supply, but sunshine plentiful for many

Provisional Met Office statistics show that April 2026 was drier, warmer and sunnier than average across the UK, although conditions varied by region.

The UK saw its seventh warmest April on record and its fourth sunniest. 

April saw an unsettled start, with a mixture of spring showers, colder spells and brief warmer interludes. The first week of the month also saw Storm Dave, the fourth named storm of the season, bringing very strong winds, snow and heavy rain to parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland. As the month progressed, high pressure became increasingly dominant, leading to longer spells of settled weather, clearer skies and warmer temperatures for many.

Rainfall: sharp regional contrasts, despite a drier month overall

Despite some heavy rainfall early in the month, overall rainfall was 23%below the long-term meteorological average for the UK. England was particularly dry, recording just 38% of its average April rainfall, while Scotland was the only UK nation to see above‑average rainfall.

Marked regional contrasts were evident. Northern England recorded 56% of its average rainfall for the month, compared to just 27% across southern England. The southeast of England was the driest part of the UK, with East Anglia seeing just 4.0mm of rainfall, which is just 10% of its average April total. This makes April 2026 the third driest April on record for East Anglia in a series dating back to 1836, although it did not exceed the record low of 1.0 mm set in 2007.

Several counties experienced one of their driest Aprils on record, including Cambridgeshire (second driest), Norfolk (third driest), Bedfordshire (fourth driest), Essex (fifth driest) and Kent, Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire and Greater London all seeing their sixth driest.

In contrast, parts of north‑west Scotland, including the Western Isles and Inverness‑shire, experienced above‑average rainfall, particularly during the first half of the month.

Met Office Scientist, Dr Emily Carlisle, said: “The overall dry signal this April masks some pronounced regional differences. Persistent high pressure frequently kept rain‑bearing systems away from southern and eastern parts of England, leading to notably low rainfall totals in areas such as East Anglia. At the same time, parts of north-west Scotland remained more exposed to Atlantic systems, particularly during the first half of the month, resulting in above‑average rainfall there. These patterns are a good example of how the same month can look very different depending on where you are in the UK.”

Temperature: seventh warmest April on record for the UK

April was also notably mild. Mean temperatures were above average across the UK and all four nations, with the UK recording its seventh warmest April on record in a series beginning in 1884. England and Wales experienced their sixth warmest April, reflecting the impact of frequent settled spells later in the month.

Sunshine: fourth sunniest April on record for the UK

Sunshine totals were similarly elevated. The UK and all four nations recorded above‑average sunshine, with the UK experiencing its fourth sunniest April since 1910, only surpassed by sunnier Aprils in 2020, 2021 and 2025.

April 2026 ranked as England’s third sunniest, Scotland’s sixth and Wales’s eight sunniest on record.

How does spring so far compare with last year’s record-breaking spring

Many will remember spring 2025 as the warmest and sunniest on record for the UK, but it was also extremely dry, ranking as the sixth driest spring since 1836. While April 2026 has been drier than average, meteorological spring 2026 to date (March and April), has already recorded more rainfall than the whole of spring 2025, with 141.6mm recorded so far compared to 128.3 mm across the entire spring last year.

At this point in the season, the UK is trending slightly cooler than last year’s record‑breaking spring, but temperatures remain around 1°C above the long‑term average. Sunshine levels are also above average, although not reaching those seen at the same point last year. With one month of meteorological spring still to come, these provisional statistics may change.

April 2026 figures across the country

A warmer, drier, sunnier, higher pressure than average month for UK.

How Was My Forecast?

CALL FROM END OF MARCH: Expect plenty of ups and downs in temperature with a few surges of warmth ahead of lows along with some chilly days. Typical spring-time diurnal swings (frosty nights, warm afternoons) of 18-22C+ is likely if clear, dry air beneath high pressure builds over head.

The Verdict…

A month of two halves with cyclonic 1st half (wet NW/dry SE), anticyclonic (northerly high) 2nd half (drier N/wetter S). I expect average to below average temps Ire, Scot, N Eng & Scandi, Warmer than average Eng/Wales & near continent. Rainfall overall: Wet Ire, Scot but tricky further S/E with pressure flip, so? Drier S/E UK & near continent.

MY SCORE: 8.5/10: Decent Prediction!

The idea of cyclonic 1st half/anti 2nd half proved correct along with frequent ‘large diurnal swings’ coupled with decent warmth. The let down for me was it proved warmer than I expected for the month as a whole.

My April 2026 Stats

Summary/Highlights

A month of two halves with wet 1st half/Dry 2nd half.

– First April snow accumulation + New monthly record high!

It’s also been a monthly ties…

– Tie for max pressure. – Tie for most <0°C nights (5). – Tie for most +20°C days (2).

Global Highlights for April 2026

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 1/4: EXCEPTIONAL CONTRASTS IN THE SAHARA ALGERIA APRIL RECORD COLD -6.0C Assekrem Mts 2710m asl +2.3C Tamanrasset 1377m Unusual cool in Western Sahel (2C from records). DEADLY HEAT 45C in SUDAN (30C at nigh) 43C in EGYPT

NWS Fairbanks 3/4: At 5:05PM, at the Fairbanks International Airport, the temperature finally broke freezing for the first time since October 31st. This breaks a 152 day streak and ties the record for the latest day with a maximum temperature above freezing.

4/4: Storm Dave may not have been the deepest April low to impact UK & Ireland but for an Easter weekend, it produced the strongest winds on an Easter Saturday on record for the UK with a gust of 93 mph at Capel Curig. A 68 mph gust was Blackpool’s strongest for April. Snow was notable in the North of Scotland with 20-30cm’s in parts. See below.

While Storm Dave Exited the UK, heat rapidly built over Spain and lifted northwards the the days which followed…

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 7/4: EXTRAORDINARY EVENT 33c IN FRANCE 32.6C Soorts-Hossegor 31.9 Belin Beiliet April record 31.5 Trois Villes etc 27 STATIONS >30c 6 APRIL

INSANE HEAT IN SPAIN TONS OF APRIL RECORDS PULVERIZED 32.1 Santander AP 30.5 San Sebastian AP 29.8 Gijon

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 7/4: EXTRAORDINARY 33C again in FRANCE

April records 33.1 Pruniers 29.3 Charmes,29.0 Gouville,28.6 Aubusson,28.5 Surin,28.4 Pressigny,28.0 Plauzat, 27.9 Benassay,27.8 Brux,27.4 Coutances,27.0 Lupersat and Beaumont du Lac.

SCOTLAND: FROM 30CM OF SNOW & SUB-FREEZING WIND CHILLS TO 22.5C WITHIN 72 HOURS

MarkVoganWeather.com 7/4: Tuesday April 7th featured the warmest day of the year so far for all 4 nations. Several date records set including, 24C Porthmadog 23C Gogerddan 22.8C Ross-on-wye 22.8C Cardiff, Bute Park 22.5C Otterbourne W Wks

Big contrasts at my site over a 3 day period as well as within 24 hours.

Approximately 0.5 inches of snow Saturday night at my site. 1st measurable April snow.

Despite sunshine, much of the morning after saw snow remain unmelted on the grass before rain took it away but just two afternoons later it was 20C!

The 8th April, 2026 became a pretty rare day in UK weather history when Kew Gardens, London topped a July-like 26.6C.

The significance of the Kew Gardens reading is that it was only 0.1C off the UK record for highest temperature during the first half of April with only one day warmer for so early and surpassed the UK’s previous date record by 2.2C.

New record highs for 8th April. (source: roostweather.com)

Highest 10
Kew Gardens (1948-2026)	26.6°C 08/04/2026
Northolt (1948-2026)	26.3°C 08/04/2026
Heathrow (1948-2026)	26.1°C 08/04/2026
High Beach (1978-2026)	25.8°C 08/04/2026
Wisley (1904-2026)	25.3°C 08/04/2026
Cambridge, Niab (1959-2026)	25.3°C 08/04/2026
Reading University, Whiteknights (1968-2026)	25.2°C 08/04/2026
Santon Downham (1988-2026)	25.1°C 08/04/2026
Alice Holt Lodge (1959-2026)	25.0°C 08/04/2026
Otterbourne W Wks (1979-2026)	24.8°C 08/04/2026

With several sites topping 25C on the 8th, this is the UK’s earliest such reading since 1968 when achieved on 29th March. While there’s a questionable 25+C reading also on 29th March in 1965, the only other year in the UK to hit or exceed 25+ before the 8th April was 1946.

While impressive date & ‘early’ April records fell on in S UK, all-time April records melted in N France.

While summer-like heat affected NE Iberia, France and UK Southeast, 800-1000 miles to the south and a beautiful cut off low spun off Portugal. Bringing unusually cool, wet and windy conditions to much of SW Iberia (big SW-NE contrast), Azores, Madeira, Canaries and Morocco with highs of only 16-20C.

The French heat is all the more remarkable given these are full monthly records which are typically broken towards month’s end. Near 30C in Brittany to almost the northwest coast…

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 9/4: ABSOLUTELY EXTRAORDINARY 4TH consecutive day >30/33C in FRANCE 22 stations >30C today APRIL RECORDS 31.5 Sabliers 30.6 Moules 30.3 Le Boulou 30.1 Montarnaud 26.5 Scilè 25.4 C. Millet

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 10/4: EUROPEAN CLIMATIC HISTORY REWRITTEN This is beyond any imagination 5th CONSECUTIVE DAY >30/33C in FRANCE with dozens of stations >30C. More April records broken 31.0 Moulès-et-Baucels 28.1 Canet-et-Rousillon

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 12/4: HISTORIC HEAT IN COSTA RICA/Tiquicia

Crazy MINIMUM 29.8C at Puntarenas HOTTEST NIGHT IN COSTA RICAN HISTORY.

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 12/4: RECORD HEAT IN THE GULF OF GUINEA Exceptional hot night in Central Africa with several Minimums >30c. In particular the minimum of 31.0C at Navrongo,GHANA is its hottest night in history.

Collin Gross 15/4: Feeling more like Mid-June as opposed to Mid-April in New York City today!

Central Park reached 90° which breaks the daily record of 87° set in 1941. This is a whopping 28° above average which is only 62°!

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 16/4: Heat wave in the Middle East with Minimums up to 30C on the Red Sea. 45C in INDIA, 44 Pakistan and Myanmar,43 in Thailand. 10 days >40C in CHINA. Summerlike warmth in Koreas and Japan.

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 16/4: EAST COAST SUMMER HEAT Temperatures up to 96F Today at Mc Entire in South Carolina,which also broke its April record of highest Temperature. 94 in VIrginia,93 in North Carolina and Maryland.

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 17/4: HOTTEST 2026 DAY IN NORTHERN HEMISPHERE 45.4C at Banda in INDIA on Friday Brutal heat from Turkey to China In SE Asia deadly humid heat worsens with 43.5C in THAILAND.

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 19/4: MEDITERRANEAN HEAT WAVE Fierce heat today in the CANARY ISLANDS 37.7C at La Aldea de San Nicolas NIGHT Temperatures locally >32C.

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 20/4: EXTRAORDINARY HISTORIC HEAT IN MOROCCO Mind Blowing MINIMUM 28.7C at Sidi Ifni HOTTEST APRIL NIGHT EVER RECORDED IN MOROCCO Max. Temperatures are approaching 40C on the coast at Agadir.

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 20/4: RECORD HEAT IN INDIA 45C+ in the North And record heat in the South,near the rock bottom and close to the southernmost tip of India: Kanyakumari,previously known as Cape Comorin, rose >37C for the first time in history and did it 3 days in a row ending at 37.6C on Monday.

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 23/4: EXTRAORDINARY HEAT IN AFRICA Dozens of records smashed in over a dozen countries 45.3 NIGER 45.2 BURKINA FALSO 44.5C Fada Ngourma ALL TIME RECORD 42.5c Tamale GHANA MONTHLY RECORD MIN 32.0C Dosso, NIGER Hottest April night in history 43.6C BENIN 43.2C TOGO etc

MarkVoganWeather.com 24/4 Big diurnal temperature swings for the UK courtesy of high pressure and dry air.

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 25/4: MINIMUMS up to 33.5C at Nara, Mali, 32C in Nepal & Bangladesh, 29.5C Myanmar, 29.2 Philippines, 28C in northern Algeria, 23.3C in Spain

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 26/4: Crazy MINIMUM 28.0C DHanghadi (and 27.2 at Nepalgunj) HOTTEST APRIL NIGHT EVER RECORDED IN NEPAL (tied The record of Bhairawa of April 2019).

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 26/4: EXTRAORDINARY HEAT IN CENTRAL AMERICA Historic heat wave in GUATEMALA 43.4C at La Fragua HOTTEST APRIL DAY IN HISTORY.

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 27/4: HISTORIC HEAT IN INDIA AND PAKISTAN Nearly the whole area is with record hot nights for April SOME INSANE RECORDS HIGH MINIMUMS tonight include INDIA 33.0 Phalodi 31.6 Chittorgarh 31.5 Jodhpur PAKISTAN 29.5 Jacobabad and hundreds more…

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 27/4: HISTORIC HEAT WAVE IN BRUNEI Exceptional MINIMUM Of 27.4C HOTTEST NIGHT EVER RECORDED IN BRUNEI Heat indexes have been hovering 50C for days. It’s one of the worst heat waves Brunei (and Malaysia) has ever lived.

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 27/4: Pakistan calls: 47.5C Nawabshah India answers: 47.6C Banda (April record broken again) This insane heat wave gets worse and worse and will get even worse before some relief from the North will provide some relief. Middle East is not watching either: MINS >34C MAXES >44c in OMAN

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 28/4: EXTRAORDINARY HEAT IN MEXICO North America climatic history is being rewritten with tie of WORLD HEAT RECORD at high elevations for April Among the most important records 37.0C at Guanajuato 2000m asl WORLD CLIMATIC HISTORY REWRITTEN

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 28/4: THAILAND is living among the worst sustained conditions ever experienced. Heat indexes have routinely been 42C/52C every day for several weeks in Bangkok downtown (and expected to approach 60C). Minimums have barely ever dropped below 29C for weeks in Bangkok. And it’ll get worse.

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 28/4: HISTORIC HEAT IN MIDDLE EAST Dozens of records smashed allover the area MINIMUMS up to 33C in the EMIRATES and 34C in OMAN Widespread Hottest April nights in history In IRAN 46C on the SE coast: Records allover the country. PAKISTAN: MIN 29.5 Turbat. April Hottest night

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 29/4: WORLD RECORD OF HIGHEST TEMPERATURES CLIMATIC HISTORY REWRITTEN APRIL WORLD RECORDS between 1500m and 3000m smashed in pieces in MEXICO 38.7 Guanajuato 2000m 37.4 Aguascalientes record 36.8 Lagos de Moreno 2000m 35 2500m etc Never happened anywhere in the world in April !

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 29/4: DEADLY HEAT WAVE IN MEXICO WORLD RECORDS of April highest Temperatures have fallen between 1500m and 3000m. At low elevations extreme heat reached 46.5C/116F in Durango State. At 2000m the WORLD RECORD was smashed by full 2C.

EXTRAORDINARY EVENT WORLD RECORD OF APRIL HIGHEST TEMPERATURE above 2000m smashed for the 3rd day in a row: 39.0C at Guanajuato MEXICO World record broken by full 2C. and close to the world record for ANY MONTH.

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 30/4: RECORDS OF APRIL HOTTEST NIGHTS again From Middle East (historic, next post) to INDIA MIN 30.2 Alibag,29.4 Chennai April records PAKISTAN Min 29.5 Turbat 3 days in a row, 28.0 Pad Idan Central Asia,Thailand (3 weeks with Mins >29C) Indonesia,Philippines,Malaysia,Siberia etc

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 30/4: HISTORIC HEAT IN THE EMIRATES Crazy MINIMUM 33.9C at Fujirah today HOTTEST APRIL NIGHT IN EMIRATES HISTORY In OMAN nearly every station broke the record 3/5 times in a row with Mins up to 34.5C. Records from ALGERIA (mins 33C),LIBYA (mins 30C),Saudi Arabia,IRAN (mins 32)

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 30/4: HISTORIC HEAT IN NORWAY Dozens of April records pulverized 26.5 Kongsberg 26.4 Hynnekleiv 25.2 Tveitsund 25.1 Hakadal 25.0 Honefoss 24.9 Flisa 24.7 Byglandsfjord 24.4 Hamar 24.4 Evenstad 23.9 Nelaug 23.8 Kongsvinger 23.2 Aurskog 23.2 Trysil 23.1 Bjornholt 23.1 Veggli

Torsten Hanssen 30/4: A new April record at one of Norway’s oldest measuring stations went completely under the weather radar last week without the slightest attention. Oksøy lighthouse with measurements since 1870 (!) moved its April record from 19.0°C on 22.4.2015 first to 19.8°C on 22.4 and then to 20.1°C on 24.4.

Extreme Temperatures Around The World 30/4: APRIL 2026 WORLD EXTREME TEMPERATURES NH Highest:47.6C Banda (India) 27 April NH Lowest:-46.9C Summit (Greenland) 1 April SH Highest:41.9C Vioolsdrif (South Africa) 1 April SH Lowest:-75.2C Concordia (Antarctica) 30 April