NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information
Summary
Two named storms occurred across the globe in April, which was below the 1991-2020 average of four. One of those reached tropical cyclone strength (≥74 mph), and one reached major tropical cyclone strength (≥111 mph). The global accumulated cyclone energy (ACE: an integrated metric of the strength, frequency, and duration of tropical storms) was about 30% of the 1991-2020 average for April.
The only major tropical cyclone was Severe Tropical Cyclone Olga in the Australian region of the South Indian Ocean. On average, five major tropical cyclones occur in the Australian region in ten Aprils. Olga peaked with maximum sustained winds of 135 mph and a minimum central pressure of 939 mb. Olga brought high surf conditions to northwestern Australia before weakening and dissipating off the coast.
The only other storm to occur globally during the month of April was Tropical Cyclone Paul, also in the Australian region. Paul peaked as a tropical storm strength system with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph and a minimum central pressure of 993 mb. Paul remained away from land off of the coast of northeastern Australia.
No storms formed in the southwest Pacific or in the South Indian Oceans during April. Additionally, no storms were active in the North Atlantic, East Pacific, West Pacific, or North Indian. This is only the ninth year out of the last 44 in which no storms occurred in the West Pacific during April. The lack of activity is typical for the other basins during the month of April.
North Atlantic
No North Atlantic Tropical Cyclones occurred during April 2024.
| Storm Type | Count | 1991-2020 Mean |
1981-2024 Rank* |
1851-2024 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts) | 0 | 0.1 (1 in 10 Aprils) | 4th (tied with 40 other Aprils) | 1 (1992, 2003, 2017) |
| Hurricane Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts) | 0 | 0.0 (0 in 10 Aprils) | 1st (tied with 43 other Aprils) | 0 |
| Major Hurricane Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts) | 0 | 0.0 (0 in 10 Aprils) | 1st (tied with 43 other Aprils) | 0 |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt² | 0.0 | 0.2 (2 in 10 Aprils) | 4th (tied with 40 other Aprils) | 3.2 (2003) |
| Storm Type | Count | 1991-2020 Mean |
1981-2024 Rank* |
1851-2024 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts) | 0 | 0.2 (2 in 10 seasons) | 7th (tied with 37 other seasons) | 1 (12 seasons) |
| Hurricane Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts) | 0 | 0.0 (0 in 10 seasons) | 2nd (tied with 42 other seasons) | 1 (1908, 1938, 1955, 2016) |
| Major Hurricane Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts) | 0 | 0.0 (0 in 10 seasons) | 1st (tied with 43 other seasons) | 0 |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt² | 0.0 | 0.5 (5 in 10 seasons) | 6th (tied with 38 other seasons) | 6.5 (1955) |
East Pacific
No East Pacific Tropical Cyclones occurred during April 2024.
| Storm Type | Count | 1991-2020 Mean |
1981-2024 Rank* |
1949-2024 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts) | 0 | 0.0 (0 in 10 Aprils) | 1st (tied with 43 other Aprils) | 1 (1980) |
| Hurricane Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts) | 0 | 0.0 (0 in 10 Aprils) | 1st (tied with 43 other Aprils) | 0 |
| Major Hurricane Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts) | 0 | 0.0 (0 in 10 Aprils) | 1st (tied with 43 other Aprils) | 0 |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt² | 0.0 | 0.0 (0 in 10 Aprils) | 1st (tied with 43 other Aprils) | 0.7 (1980) |
| Storm Type | Count | 1991-2020 Mean |
1981-2024 Rank* |
1949-2024 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts) | 0 | 0.1 (1 in 10 seasons) | 4th (tied with 40 other seasons) | 2 (1992) |
| Hurricane Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts) | 0 | 0.1 (1 in 10 seasons) | 3rd (tied with 41 other seasons) | 1 (1992, 2016) |
| Major Hurricane Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts) | 0 | 0.0 (0 in 10 seasons) | 2nd (tied with 42 other seasons) | 1 (1992) |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt² | 0.0 | 0.8 (8 in 10 seasons) | 4th (tied with 40 other seasons) | 13.9 (1992) |
West Pacific
No West Pacific Tropical Cyclones occurred during April 2024.
| Storm Type | Count | 1991-2020 Mean |
1981-2024 Rank* |
1945-2024 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts) | 0 | 0.7 (7 in 10 Aprils) | 26th (tied with 18 other Aprils) | 3 (1956, 1971, 1999) |
| Typhoon Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts) | 0 | 0.4 (4 in 10 Aprils) | 16th (tied with 28 other Aprils) | 2 (1951, 1956, 1971, 1999) |
| Major Typhoon Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts) | 0 | 0.3 (3 in 10 Aprils) | 12th (tied with 32 other Aprils) | 1 (21 Aprils) |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt² | 0.0 | 7.4 | 26th (tied with 18 other Aprils) | 46.9 (1997) |
| Storm Type | Count | 1991-2020 Mean |
1981-2024 Rank* |
1945-2024 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts) | 0 | 1.7 | 36th (tied with 8 other seasons) | 6 (1965) |
| Typhoon Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts) | 0 | 0.7 (7 in 10 seasons) | 26th (tied with 18 other seasons) | 3 (5 seasons) |
| Major Typhoon Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts) | 0 | 0.4 (4 in 10 seasons) | 19th (tied with 25 other seasons) | 2 (1953, 1956, 1957, 2015) |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt² | 0.0 | 13.2 | 36th (tied with 8 other seasons) | 62.3 (1956) |
North Indian
No North Indian Tropical Cyclones occurred during April 2024.
| Storm Type | Count | 1991-2020 Mean |
1981-2024 Rank* |
1972-2024 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts) | 0 | 0.2 (2 in 10 Aprils) | 8th (tied with 36 other Aprils) | 1 (7 Aprils) |
| Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts) | 0 | 0.2 (2 in 10 Aprils) | 6th (tied with 38 other Aprils) | 1 (5 Aprils) |
| Major Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts) | 0 | 0.1 (1 in 10 Aprils) | 4th (tied with 40 other Aprils) | 1 (1991, 2006, 2019) |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt² | 0.0 | 1.5 | 8th (tied with 36 other Aprils) | 17.6 (1991) |
| Storm Type | Count | 1991-2020 Mean |
1981-2024 Rank* |
1972-2024 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts) | 0 | 0.5 (5 in 10 seasons) | 14th (tied with 30 other seasons) | 2 (1991, 1994, 2006, 2019) |
| Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts) | 0 | 0.2 (2 in 10 seasons) | 6th (tied with 38 other seasons) | 1 (5 seasons) |
| Major Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts) | 0 | 0.1 (1 in 10 seasons) | 4th (tied with 40 other seasons) | 1 (1991, 2006, 2019) |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt² | 0.0 | 1.7 | 14th (tied with 30 other seasons) | 18.4 (1991) |
South Indian
No South Indian Tropical Cyclones occurred during April 2024.
| Storm Type | Count | 1991-2020 Mean |
1981-2024 Rank* |
1956-2024 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts) | 0 | 1.1 | 33rd (tied with 11 other Aprils) | 3 (1981, 2019) |
| Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts) | 0 | 0.8 (8 in 10 Aprils) | 26th (tied with 18 other Aprils) | 2 (1996, 2015, 2018, 2019) |
| Major Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts) | 0 | 0.4 (4 in 10 Aprils) | 18th (tied with 26 other Aprils) | 1 (17 Aprils) |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt² | 0.0 | 11.9 | 33rd (tied with 11 other Aprils) | 52.5 (2016) |
| Storm Type | Count | 1991-2020 Mean |
1981-2024 Rank* |
1956-2024 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts) | 10 | 10.1 | 18th (tied with 8 other seasons) | 15 (1997) |
| Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts) | 4 | 5.9 | 32nd (tied with 3 other seasons) | 11 (2019) |
| Major Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts) | 2 | 3.5 | 29th (tied with 8 other seasons) | 9 (2019) |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt² | 60.9 | 93.2 | 34th | 186.9 (1994) |
Australia
| Name |
Maximum CategoryMax Cat |
Dates >39 mph |
Maximum Sustained Winds | Minimum Central Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 4 | April 5Apr 5-10 | 135 mph | 939 mb |
 | TS | April 10Apr 10-12 | 60 mph | 993 mb |
| Storm Type | Count | 1991-2020 Mean |
1981-2024 Rank* |
1956-2024 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts) | 2 | 1.6 | 7th (tied with 19 other Aprils) | 4 (2000) |
| Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts) | 1 | 0.9 (9 in 10 Aprils) | 13th (tied with 13 other Aprils) | 2 (13 Aprils) |
| Major Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts) | 1 | 0.5 (5 in 10 Aprils) | 7th (tied with 6 other Aprils) | 2 (6 Aprils) |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt² | 10.0 | 10.5 | 17th | 38.9 (2000) |
| Storm Type | Count | 1991-2020 Mean |
1981-2024 Rank* |
1956-2024 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts) | 11 | 10.3 | 15th (tied with 8 other seasons) | 19 (1999) |
| Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts) | 6 | 4.8 | 7th (tied with 6 other seasons) | 9 (1992, 1996) |
| Major Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts) | 3 | 2.4 | 10th (tied with 6 other seasons) | 6 (2015) |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt² | 64.1 | 58.7 | 14th | 111.3 (1999) |
Southwest Pacific
No Southwest Pacific Tropical Cyclones occurred during April 2024.
| Storm Type | Count | 1991-2020 Mean |
1981-2024 Rank* |
1956-2024 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts) | 0 | 0.7 (7 in 10 Aprils) | 24th (tied with 20 other Aprils) | 3 (1983, 1998) |
| Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts) | 0 | 0.3 (3 in 10 Aprils) | 13th (tied with 31 other Aprils) | 3 (1983) |
| Major Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts) | 0 | 0.1 (1 in 10 Aprils) | 5th (tied with 39 other Aprils) | 1 (1983, 1989, 1998, 2020) |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt² | 0.0 | 2.9 | 24th (tied with 20 other Aprils) | 30.9 (2020) |
| Storm Type | Count | 1991-2020 Mean |
1981-2024 Rank* |
1956-2024 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts) | 6 | 6.7 | 17th (tied with 9 other seasons) | 16 (1998) |
| Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts) | 2 | 3.6 | 27th (tied with 10 other seasons) | 10 (1998) |
| Major Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts) | 1 | 1.9 | 20th (tied with 14 other seasons) | 6 (2003) |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt² | 22.4 | 48.7 | 31st | 128.5 (1998) |
Global
| Name |
Maximum CategoryMax Cat |
Dates >39 mph |
Maximum Sustained Winds | Minimum Central Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | April 5Apr 5-10 | 135 mph | 939 mb |
| TS | April 10Apr 10-12 | 60 mph | 993 mb |
| Storm Type | Count | 1991-2020 Mean |
1981-2024 Rank* |
1972-2024 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts) | 2 | 4.1 | 36th (tied with 6 other Aprils) | 7 (1989, 2000, 2017) |
| Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts) | 1 | 2.3 | 31st (tied with 9 other Aprils) | 5 (1989) |
| Major Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts) | 1 | 1.3 | 15th (tied with 17 other Aprils) | 5 (1989) |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt² | 10.0 | 34.5 | 38th | 80.0 (1989) |
| Storm Type | Count | 1991-2020 Mean |
1981-2024 Rank* |
1972-2024 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Winds ≥ 39 mph (34 kts) | 21 | 21.4 | 23rd (tied with 1 other season) | 30 (1986) |
| Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 74 mph (64 kts) | 7 | 11.6 | 41st (tied with 2 other seasons) | 18 (1994) |
| Major Tropical Cyclone Winds ≥ 111 mph (96 kts) | 4 | 6.5 | 33rd (tied with 4 other seasons) | 12 (2019) |
| Accumulated Cyclone Energy ACE×10⁴ kt² | 112.9 | 179.0 | 40th | 306.4 (1994) |
Data Description
The data in this report are derived from NCEI's IBTrACS dataset (Knapp et al. 2010; Schreck et al. 2014). IBTrACS tropical cyclone track and intensity data from agencies and sources around the globe. In this report, data from NOAA's National Hurricane Center (NHC) are used for the North Atlantic and East Pacific. The other basins use data from the U.S. Military's Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC).
Historical values use the "best track" data that have been analyzed by forecasters after the season using all available data. Operational procedures and observing systems have changed with time and between regions, which makes these data heterogeneous. Intensity data are generally the most reliable since the early 1970s in the Atlantic (Landsea and Franklin 2013) and since the mid-1980s in other regions (Chu et al. 2002). The number of short-lived storms (≤2 days) has also increased since around 2000 due to improvements in observations and analysis techniques (Landsea et al. 2010).
Values for the current year are provisional values from the operational forecast advisories. IBTrACS obtains these from NCEP's TC Vitals, the NCAR Tropical Cyclone Guidance Project, and NHC provisional data. These values are subject to change during the post-season best track analysis. They also only include 6-hourly storm fixes, which means they may miss special advisories at landfall, peak intensity, etc.
The tropical cyclone seasons in the Southern Hemisphere begin in July and end in June, while the Northern Hemisphere seasons are counted from January to December. Storms are counted in all basins, months, and years in which they occur, which means some storms may appear more than once. However, the global totals only include each storm one time.
References
- Chu, J.-H., C. R. Sampson, A. S. Levine, and E. Fukada, 2002: The joint typhoon warning center tropical cyclone best-tracks, 1945–2000. Naval Research Laboratory, Reference Number NRL/MR/7540-02-16, 22 pp., https://www.metoc.navy.mil/jtwc/products/best-tracks/tc-bt-report.html.
- Knapp, K. R., M. C. Kruk, D. H. Levinson, H. J. Diamond, and C. J. Neumann, 2010: The International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS). Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 91, 363–376, https://doi.org/10.1175/2009BAMS2755.1.
- Landsea, C. W., and J. L. Franklin, 2013: Atlantic Hurricane database uncertainty and presentation of a new database format. Mon. Wea. Rev., 141, 3576–3592, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-12-00254.1.
- ——, G. A. Vecchi, L. Bengtsson, and T. R. Knutson, 2010: Impact of duration thresholds on Atlantic tropical cyclone counts. J. Climate, 23, 2508–2519, https://doi.org/10.1175/2009JCLI3034.1.
- Schreck, C. J., K. R. Knapp, and J. P. Kossin, 2014: The Impact of Best Track Discrepancies on Global Tropical Cyclone Climatologies using IBTrACS. Mon. Wea. Rev., 142, 3881–3899, https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-14-00021.1.