EU reports 2nd-highest extra-polar sea surface temperatures in April

With El Nino conditions maturing in the coming months, April 2026 saw the second-highest sea surface temperatures on record for the extra-polar oceans, while the month ranked as the joint third-warmest April globally, the European Union's climate monitoring network reported Friday.

The average sea surface temperature of the global ocean between 60 degrees south latitude and 60 degrees north latitude reached some 21 degrees Celsius – second only to April 2024, when the last El Nino event drove record warmth, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).

Large parts of the tropical Pacific experienced record-breaking temperatures for the month, accompanied by strong marine heatwaves, it said.

According to the World Meteorological Organization, El Nino is characterized by a warming of the ocean surface in the central and eastern Equatorial Pacific. It typically occurs every two to seven years and lasts around nine to 12 months, affecting temperatures and rainfall patterns in different regions and generally exerting a warming effect on the global climate.

Meanwhile, global average surface air temperature for April 2026 stood at 14.89 degrees Celsius, 0.52 degrees above the 1991-2020 average and 1.43 degrees above pre-industrial levels, the C3S said.

April 2026 added to the clear signals of sustained global warmth, said Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the C3S.