April 2026 Global Weather Highlights
James Munley
GLOBAL WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS
APRIL 2026
CLIMATE
After a historically warm winter across nine states in the US, the first month of Meteorological spring again brought exceptionally high temperatures, with numerous states recording new all-time high temperatures in March. The remarkable intensity and longevity of the warmth have left much of the mountain snowpack, a crucial source of water for millions in the American West, at critically low levels. Though precipitation totals tend to increase in spring, the low snowpack has raised concerns about a potentially severe wildfire season if conditions do not improve soon. And with further spells of abnormally warm, dry weather expected this week, the outlook is becoming increasingly worrying heading into the late spring and summer months.
March’s persistent unseasonable heat was so intense that the continental United States registered its most abnormally hot month in 132 years of records, according to federal weather data. And the next year or so looks to turn the dial up on global warmth even more, as some forecasts predict a brewing El Niño will reach super strength. Not only was it the hottest March on record for the US, but the amount it was above normal beat any other month in history for the lower 48 states. March’s average temperature of 50.85F(10.47 °C) was 9.35F (5.19 °C) above the 20th-century normal for March. That easily passed the old record of 8.9F set in March 2012 as the most abnormally hot month on record – regardless of the month of the year – according to records released on Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The average maximum temperature for March was especially high at 11.4F above the 20th-century average and was almost a degree warmer than the average daytime high for April, NOAA said.
UNITED STATES
At least 10 people were injured after a tornado hit northern Oklahoma, as a strong weather system produced a dozen reported twisters that tore destructively through parts of the central US overnight. At least 40 homes were damaged, and light damage was reported at a nearby Air Force base. Though injuries amid the rubble were reported, no one was killed. Emergency services began assessing the most extensive damage in the rural town of Enid as dawn broke on Friday. Homes there were reduced to rubble and splintered wood in the city of about 50,000 people near the state’s northern border. Some videos showed terrifying wind funnels touching down and roaring across the land towards settlements. The largest tornado was reported to have stayed on the ground for 30 minutes, carving a snaking trail of damage.
A stretch of the midwestern states is at risk of severe weather, forecasters warned on Friday, as tornadoes battered towns across the central US region, leaving behind debris and destroyed property. According to the National Weather Service, severe thunderstorms may be seen in north-west Oklahoma through western Missouri on Friday afternoon and evening. The storm system is capable of producing large hail, roughly the size of a baseball. A hailstone can reach speeds of up to 107mph (about 172km/h) as it falls to the ground, according to the NWS. The agency warned residents in affected areas to stay indoors and away from windows during any severe weather episodes. Roughly 26 million people are under tornado watches from Wisconsin to Oklahoma, according to CNN. A rare “particularly dangerous situation” threat level was assigned to one tornado in Illinois and two in Wisconsin, the outlet reported. Across social media, photographs and videos circulated showing the aftermath of the severe weather ravaging the central US. A man in Stewartville, Minnesota, posted a video to Facebook on Friday of a block of homes in the neighborhood. One house’s window appeared to be blown out, while another’s garage door was caved in.
Severe storms are expected to sweep across the mid-Mississippi Valley and Midwest regions of the US on Monday, putting nearly 50 million people at risk.
The Storm Prediction Center has issued a level 4 out of 5 risk for severe thunderstorms across south-west Illinois and south-east Missouri, including major cities such as St Louis. Forecasters warned of “multiple strong to intense tornadoes, widespread severe/damaging wind gusts and scattered large to very large hail”, with some hail potentially reaching baseball size. Wind gusts could climb to 60 to 70 miles per hour, bringing the threat of significant impacts. These include hail damage to vehicles, considerable tree damage, and wind damage to mobile homes, roofs, and outbuildings, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. In a statement to the Associated Press on Monday, Kansas City fire battalion chief Riley Nolan said the department responded to 11 water rescues involving vehicles before 6 am. According to Nolan, most of the rescues “were in our typical ‘high-water’ areas following heavy rains,” though he noted that no boats were required and no injuries were reported.
ASIA
A huge fire destroyed about 1,000 makeshift homes, many of them built on stilts over water, and displaced thousands of people in a coastal village in Malaysia’s Sabah state on Sunday, authorities said. The blaze broke out early on Sunday morning in a “water village” in Sandakan district in Sabah’s northeast, where some of Malaysia’s poorest residents, including indigenous and stateless communities, live in closely packed, wooden stilt houses. Sandakan police chief George Abd Rakman was quoted by local English daily The Star as saying that the “very large-scale and heartbreaking incident” affected 9,007 residents.
MEDITERRANEAN
Severe thunderstorms have affected the Mediterranean this week. On Monday, a surface low-pressure system in the Mediterranean, in conjunction with an upper air cut-off low, led to thunderstorms over North Africa. The hot precursor conditions aided their intensity. Algeria and Tunisia were notably affected by the thunderstorms, with some hail accumulation layers as a result. When so much hail forms, it starts to lay down sheets of hail, covering the ground like snow. Hail accumulations of up to 3cm were reported in Oum Ladjoul and Hammam Sokhna in Algeria, and there were hailstones of up to 3cm in diameter in Makthar, Tunisia. Thunderstorms continued in the region through the following day, with further hail accumulations, notably in Ouled Bousmir, Tunisia, where there was a layer about 2cm deep. Later in the week, another surface low developed, this time over Sicily. Thunderstorms broke out across parts of central Italy on Wednesday morning. These led to some severe downpours, with 52.1mm of rain falling in just over an 1 hour and 10 minutes in the city of Ascoli Piceno and 62.3mm falling in less than 1 hour and 50 minutes in the town of Mosciano Sant’Angelo. Other regions were also affected, with 46mm of rain in 36 minutes in the Sicilian town of Bagheria, as well as heavy rain being recorded in Algeria and Tunisia.
TROPICAL
Tropical Cyclone Vaianu, forming in the Pacific, could bring life-threatening winds and heavy rain to New Zealand later this week, forecasters have said, with strong wind watches issued for the entire North Island. The category 3 cyclone is moving south of Fiji towards New Zealand, with winds around the center in excess of 150km/h, MetService said on Wednesday. While uncertainty remains over the cyclone’s track, MetService said it was increasingly likely it would reach New Zealand on Sunday, bringing with it “damaging, potentially life-threatening winds”, heavy rains, and hazardous coastal conditions.
While the heaviest rain is expected across the north and east of the North Island, the storm could affect large parts of New Zealand, MetService said. The prime minister, Christopher Luxon, said on Wednesday the cyclone was shaping up to be a “very significant and damaging weather event” and agencies were “on full notice”. He added: “It’s a great opportunity to remind New Zealanders to do everything they can – stock up, get their supplies in order, get items that may be loose in their back yards tied down and in secure storage.” Meteorologist John Law said: “We have several days until we see the impacts of Vaianu on New Zealand so this is an early severe weather watch, a heads-up for significant weather this weekend.”
Severe Tropical Cyclone Malia has intensified to a category five storm over the Solomon Sea, days before an expected landfall in Australia. It is forecast to hit along the far north Queensland coast just weeks after the same area was buffeted by Severe Tropical Cyclone Narelle, which made landfall on 20 March as a category four system. Malia was located over the Solomon Sea on Wednesday and was expected to make landfall along the Cape York peninsula early next week, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
The Mariana Islands archipelago in the western Pacific, home to the US territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, is bracing for extreme weather early this week as Super Typhoon Sinlaku approaches. The system originated as a cluster of thunderstorms over the seas of Micronesia, then strengthened into a tropical storm and a typhoon on Friday and Saturday. Over the weekend, it began to push north-west while rapidly intensifying, with sustained winds reaching 150mph on Sunday. As the storm moves through the western Pacific islands early this week, it is forecast to strengthen rapidly with 165mph winds. A slight northward shift in its track makes a direct hit on Guam – the most populous island and westernmost territory of the US – unlikely. Instead, Saipan and Tinian are expected to bear the brunt of the most severe conditions. The National Weather Service in Guam has issued several warnings for the Mariana Islands. Sinlaku’s powerful winds, combined with forecast rainfall totals exceeding 300mm between Monday and Thursday, are expected to whip up hazardous seas and storm surges before the storm’s arrival. These are likely to be followed by flash flooding, mudslides, and wind damage. While typhoons can occur at any time of year in this region, the peak season typically runs from June to November, making a typhoon of this intensity in April particularly unusual. With winds exceeding 130 knots (150mph), the Joint Typhoon Warning Center classifies Sinlaku as a super typhoon. If it were located over the North Atlantic, it would be classified as a category 4 hurricane, with the potential to rise to category 5 at its peak. The terms “typhoon”, “hurricane”, and “cyclone” describe the same meteorological phenomenon – the terminology varies by region.
Cyclone Vaianu made landfall in New Zealand’s North Island on Sunday, triggering floods, power outages, and forcing hundreds to evacuate. The cyclone crossed the coast near the Maketu peninsula, packing destructive winds exceeding 130km/h (80 mph), heavy rain, and large swells, national weather provider MetService said, describing Vaianu as a “life-threatening” system. Authorities have placed several regions under emergency declarations and issued “red” level wind warnings, which are reserved for only the most extreme weather events. The cyclone was tracking towards the fringes of the North Island, sparing Auckland, the country’s most populous city, from the worst conditions, said emergency management minister Mark Mitchell. But stronger winds and swells were still expected after its afternoon landfall.
Jim Munley
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