Australia in April 2026

In brief

• Australia's area-averaged April rainfall total was 43% below the 1961–1990 average, the lowest for April since 2018.
• Area-averaged rainfall was below average for all states and territories except for the Northern Territory.
• For New South Wales, area-averaged rainfall was the second-lowest on record, behind only April 1997.
• April rainfall was below average for much of eastern and central Australia and areas in the north-west of the country. Rainfall was above average in parts of Australia's north and west.
• The national area-averaged mean temperature in April was 1.14 °C above the 1961–1990 average.
• For South Australia, area-averaged mean temperature was 2.08 °C above average, the fifth-highest on record since 1910.
• Australia's area-averaged mean maximum temperature was 1.64 °C above the 1961–1990 average, the ninth-highest on record.
• Mean maximum temperatures were above average across most of the southern two thirds of Australia, and below average in areas in the north and along the west coast of the mainland.
• Australia's area-averaged mean minimum temperature was 0.64 °C above average.
• Mean minimum temperatures were above average across large parts in the south of the country, and below average in parts of the north, east and south-west.

 Further information and tables of records for each state and Territory are available in the individual regional climate summaries, published on 5 May 2026.

Temperatures

Australia's area-averaged mean temperature in April was 1.14 °C above the 1961–1990 average.

For South Australia, area-averaged mean temperature was 2.08 °C above average, the fifth-highest on record since 1910, and the highest since 2018. For Western Australia, it was the eighth-highest on record.

Australia's area-averaged mean maximum temperature was 1.64 °C above average, the ninth-highest on record. Mean maximum temperatures were above to very much above average (in the highest 10% of all Aprils since 1910) for:

• all of South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania
• southern and parts of eastern and northern Queensland
• most of southern Northern Territory
• large parts of Western Australia.

For New South Wales, area-averaged mean maximum temperature was 2.45 °C above average for April, the fifth-highest on record and the highest since 2018. For South Australia, it was 2.50 °C above average, the sixth-highest on record and the highest since 2018.

Mean maximum temperatures were below to very much below average (in the lowest 10% of all Aprils since 1910) for:

• coastal parts in the west and south-west of Western Australia
• an area in central Northern Territory.

The national area-averaged mean minimum temperature was 0.64 °C above average. Mean minimum temperatures were above to very much above average for:

• much of South Australia and Victoria
• large parts of Western Australia
• an area in north-western Tasmania
• parts of south-western and central New South Wales
• parts of the south-western and northern Queensland
• areas in the north and south-west of the Northern Territory.

Mean minimum temperatures for April were the highest on record for central parts of Western Australia and areas on the South Australia's west coast. Some stations in these areas had their record highest mean minimum temperature for April.

Mean minimum temperatures were below to very much below average (in the lowest 10% of all Aprils since 1910) for parts of:

• northern and south-western Western Australia
• central and southern Northern Territory
• eastern New South Wales
• northern, central and south-eastern Queensland.

Area-averaged mean minimum temperatures for Queensland and Tasmania were the lowest for April since 2015 and 2019 respectively.

Rank ranges from 1 (lowest) to 117 (highest). A rank marked with ’=‘ indicates the value is tied for that rank. Anomaly is the departure from the long-term (1961–1990) average.

Rainfall

The national area-averaged April rainfall total was 43% below the 1961–1990 average, the lowest for April since 2018.

For New South Wales, area-averaged rainfall was the second-lowest on record, behind only April 1997.

April rainfall was below to very much below average (in the lowest 10% of all Aprils since 1900) for:

• most of New South Wales
• much of southern Queensland and areas along the coast
• parts of Victoria
• north-east Tasmania
• large parts of northern and eastern South Australia
• large parts in the south of the Northern Territory
• areas in the north and south-west of Western Australia.

Rainfall was above to very much above average (in the highest 10% of all Aprils on record) for parts of:

• northern and north-eastern Northern Territory
• north-western Queensland
• western inland and southern Western Australia.

Significant weather and records

Thunderstorms in Western Australia's south

Between 2 and 5 April, low pressure troughs moved across parts of western and southern Western Australia triggering thunderstorms, some severe, with showers, heavy rainfall and strong winds. Several stations observed daily rainfall totals of more than 40.0 mm, including 47.6 mm at Edjudina in the 24 hours to 9 am on 4 April, the fourth- highest daily total in April for this station which has 126 years of data. Three-day rainfall totals ending 9 am on 5 April were between 15 and 50 mm, and locally up to 100 mm, in parts of the Goldfields and South East Coastal districts.

Severe Tropical Cyclone Maila

Tropical low 37U formed on 2 April in the Solomon Sea, between Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the Solomon Islands. It slowly intensified while remaining relatively stationary, and on 4 April reached tropical cyclone (TC) intensity and was named TC Maila. TC Maila intensified into Severe TC system (Category 3) early on 6 April and later in the day it entered the Australian Area of Responsibility (AOR). Severe TC Maila continued to move slowly, intensifying into a Category 5 system early on 8 April.  From 9 April, Maila started to weaken as it passed over Papua New Guinea. Early on 11 April, TC Maila weakened to a Category 1 system while remaining slow-moving in the Solomon Sea, and later in the day it was downgraded to a tropical low. Strong winds, heavy rainfall and high waves caused significant damage to parts of PNG's infrastructure, disrupted supply chains, and led to landslides, including in Milne Bay Province and Bougainville.

Ex-TC Maila tracked westwards trough the Coral Sea as a weak tropical low. Its remnants, combined with a surface low pressure trough, crossed far north Queensland early on 15 April and continued westwards across the tropical north. It brought showers, rain and thunderstorms to northern and central Queensland and then northern parts of the Northern Territory. Some stations observed their record highest daily rainfall for April, including 171.6 mm at Groote Eylandt Airport (Northern Territory) in the 24 hours to 9 am on 17 April, which was the highest daily rainfall total recorded during this event.

Severe TC Maila was the 11th TC in the Australian AOR in the 2025-26 season and the 7th to reach Severe intensity.

A strong cold front and fluctuating temperatures in the south-east

On 9 and 10 April, a strong cold front moved across south-eastern South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and southern New South Wales. Warm northerly winds ahead of the front, directed by a high-pressure system in the Tasman Sea, resulted in temperatures up to 8 °C above the April average across Victoria and up to 12 °C above average across most of New South Wales and southern Queensland. Between 8 and 11 April, many stations in north-eastern New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland had their record highest daily maximum temperatures for April or late season maximum temperature records. Some notable record highest daily maximum temperatures include (in chronological order):

• 32.5 °C at Inverell (32 years of data), New South Wales, on 8 April
• 33.9 °C at Warwick (32 years of data), Queensland, on 8 April
• 34.6 °C at Pindari Dam (53 years of data), New South Wales, on 9 April
• 31.9 °C at Applethorpe (58 years of data), New South Wales, on 9 April
• 39.0 °C at Brewarrina Hospital (116 years of data), New South Wales, on 10 April
• 37.6 °C at Cunnamulla Post Office (68 years of data),Queensland, on 10 April
• 36.3 °C at Injune Post Office (59 years of data), Queensland, on 11 April.

Nights were also warmer than average, particularly in eastern New South Wales on 10 and 11 April where some stations had their record highest daily minimum temperature for April, including:

• 22.0 °C at Narooma (39 years of data) on 10 April
• 17.7°C at Nullo Mountain AWS (36 years of data) on 10 April
• 21.8 °C at Gunnedah Resource Centre (76 years of data) on 11 April.

The south-westerly airflow that followed in the wake of a cold front brought cooler conditions to southern South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania on 10 and 11 April and New South Wales on 12 April, with daily maximum temperatures up to 8 °C below average. On 11 April, some stations in Tasmania had their record lowest daily maximum temperature or an early season maximum temperature record. Snow settled on mountain peaks across the south-east of the country, including at Mount Mawson and Kunanyi (Mount Wellington) in Tasmania as well as at the Victorian and New South Wales Alps. Wind gusts exceeded 80 km/h at many stations, with the strongest gust of 135 km/h recorded at Hogan Island (Tasmania) on 11 April.

Cold mornings across south-eastern Australia

Between 18 and 20 April, in the wake of a cold front, parts of south-eastern Australian experienced cooler than average April minimum temperatures. The front was followed by a slow-moving high pressure system that directed persistent cold southerly airflow across the south-east of the country. Cloudless skies and light winds under the high pressure system resulted in daily minimum temperatures up to 10 °C below the April average across south-eastern South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and southern Queensland, with below zero minimum temperatures across large areas. Some stations had their record lowest daily minimum temperatures on 19 April, including:

• -0.5 °C at Yarrawonga in Victoria (33 years of data)
• 0.0 °C at Grenell (Manganese Rd) in New South Wales (59 years of data).

Many stations also had their early season minimum temperature records, including:

• -1.6 °C at Coonawarra (South Australia) on 18 April, its fourth-lowest in April (41 years of data)
• 0.8 °C at Kyabram (Victoria) on 19 April, its fourth-lowest in April (62 years of data).

Strong winds in the south-west of the country

A strong cold front crossed southern Western Australia on 20 and 21 April, bringing strong winds, isolated thunderstorms, showers and below average temperatures. A band of rain and showers resulted in daily rainfall totals to 9 am on 21 April of 5 to 15 mm across the south-west, with totals up to 40 mm in parts of South Coastal district. Behind the cold front, daily maximum and minimum temperatures dropped 4 °C to 8 °C below the April average. Damaging wind gusts were observed across the south-west of Western Australia on the evening of 20 April and into the morning of 21 April, with gusts exceeding 60 km/h along coastal areas and many inland areas of the Lower West and South West districts. Strongest wind gusts were recorded in the early hours of 21 April at Busselton Jetty (23 years of data) and Cape Leeuwin (37 years of data), 124 km/h and 115 km/h respectively, the record highest wind gusts for April at these stations. There were reports of structural damage to properties around Bunbury in far south-west. Large waves and swell impacted the south-west coastline, with waves up to 5 m. 

Warm in the south-east of Australia

Between 20 and 30 April, southern South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania and inland New South Wales experienced a period of unseasonably warm weather with daily maximum and minimum temperatures 4 °C to 8 °C above the April average. This was due to slow-moving and strong high-pressure systems located over the Tasman Sea, and northernly winds which transported warm air from central Australia towards the south-east. Some stations had their late season maximum temperature records. Calm, cloudless nights under the high pressure system led to patches of fog forming on many mornings across parts of southern and south-eastern Australia.

Rank ranges from 1 (lowest) to 127 (highest). A rank marked with ’=‘ indicates the value is tied for that rank. Departure from mean is relative to the long-term (1961–1990) average.