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Assessing the Global Climate in April 2025

Above-average temperatures in Asia and the Arctic; record-setting monthly rainfall in central Asia and southern Africa

Panoramic view of Neuschwanstein Castle in Schwangau, Germany.
Courtesy of Canva.com

April Highlights:

  • Temperatures were above normal across most land and ocean areas in April.
  • Preliminary data suggest that global average precipitation in April was record low.
  • Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent tied for lowest on record for the month.
  • Sea ice extent was below average around both poles.
  • Global tropical storm activity was near-normal with four named storms.

Map of world showing locations of significant climate anomalies and events in April 2025 with text describing each event and title at top stating “Selected Significant Climate Anomalies and Events: April 2025”.
Map of global selected significant climate anomalies and events in April 2025.

Temperature

Temperatures were above normal across much of the globe in April. Asia and the Arctic stood out in this regard, though western Antarctica was also warmer than normal, and most of the ocean surface was much above average. A few areas were below normal, such as northern Australia, southern South America and eastern Antarctica, as well as the Norwegian, Greenland and Barents Seas. 

For the globe as a whole, April 2025 was 2.20°F (1.22°C) above the 20th-century baseline. This is 0.13°F (0.07°C) below the record-warm April of 2024, thus ranking second in the 1850–2025 period. According to NCEI’s Global Annual Temperature Outlook, there is only a 3% chance that 2025 will rank as the warmest year on record.

Global map showing land and ocean temperature departure from average for April 2025 with warmer areas colored in gradients of red and cooler areas in gradients of blue.
Surface Temperature Departure from the 1991–2020 Average for April 2025 (°C). Red indicates warmer than average and blue indicates colder than average.

Precipitation

Large areas in central Asia and southern Africa received record-setting precipitation in April. Parts of northern Australia also experienced abnormally high precipitation. Heavy rainfall during the month caused floods and landslides in Brazil and Congo as well as flooding in western Somalia. Despite these extreme events, the globe as a whole was much drier than the long-term average. In fact, preliminary data indicate that April 2025 might have been the driest April in the historical record, which spans from 1979 to present.

Global map showing global land precipitation departure from average for April 2025 with drier areas colored in gradients of brown and wetter areas in gradients of green.
Percent of Normal Precipitation from the 1961–1990 base period for April 2025. Brown indicates drier than average and green indicates wetter than average.

Snow Cover

The Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent in April was 820,000 square miles below average, tying with 2024 as the smallest April snow cover extent on record. Snow cover over North America and Greenland was below average (by 120,000 square miles), and Eurasia was also below average (by 710,000 square miles). A lack of snow cover was particularly obvious over the United States and central Eurasia.

 

Sea Ice

Global sea ice extent was 480,000 square miles below the 1991–2020 average, ranking in the lowest third of the historical record. Arctic sea ice extent was below average (by 160,000 square miles), with the Barents, Okhotsk, Bering and Labrador Seas having lower-than-normal ice extent. Antarctic extent was also below average (by 320,000 square miles), though extent was above normal in some areas (such as the Weddell and Amundsen Seas).

Map of Arctic and surrounding regions of Canada, Alaska, Greenland and Russia showing sea ice extent in white for April 2025 (left); map of Antarctica and surrounding ocean showing sea ice extent in white for April 2025 (right).
Map of the Arctic (left) and Antarctic (right) sea ice extent in April 2025.

Tropical Cyclones

Four named storms occurred across the globe in April, which matches the long-term average. Most notable among these was Severe Tropical Cyclone Courtney in the southwestern Indian Ocean. Two other storms occurred in the Australian region, along with one in the southwest Pacific.


For a more complete summary of climate conditions and events, see our April 2025 Global Climate Report or explore our Climate at a Glance Global Time Series.