Overview
- Copernicus said Friday that April 2026 ranked third-warmest globally with a 14.89°C average.
- Sea-surface temperatures outside the polar regions averaged about 21°C, the second-highest for April, and record marine heatwaves stretched from the central equatorial Pacific to the U.S. and Mexico west coasts.
- Samantha Burgess of ECMWF/Copernicus said it is likely only days before sea-surface records are set for May.
- Polar indicators were weak, with Arctic sea ice about 5% below the 1991–2020 average for April and Antarctic sea ice roughly 10% below normal.
- The WMO says El Niño is increasingly likely between May and July, a Pacific pattern that often lifts global temperatures the following year, and some scientists project 2027 could surpass 2024 as the hottest year if it develops.