Spain has registered its hottest April since records began, in what experts say is another clear sign of rising temperatures arriving earlier in the year.
According to data from the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), the average temperature in April 2026 reached 15.1C, narrowly surpassing the previous record set in 2023, when the average stood at 15C.
‘It was the warmest April in the historical series,’ Aemet said in a post on social media, alongside a graph showing the upward trend in temperatures in recent years.
Both April 2023 and April 2026 have been classified as ‘extremely warm’ months.
Well above normal levels
The agency said last month’s temperatures were 3.2C higher than the average for the 1991–2020 period, a significant deviation that underlines the intensity of the heat.
Temperatures remained above normal for almost the entire month, with only a brief cooler spell between April 11 and 13.
Six individual days during April also broke records, becoming the warmest ever recorded for those specific dates in Spain since at least 1950.
A pattern of rising heat
The figures form part of a broader trend. In the first four months of 2026, there have already been 12 record-breaking warm days. In a stable climate, Aemet notes, only around five such records would typically be expected over an entire year.
Cold periods, meanwhile, have been notably scarce. The agency said warmer-than-average conditions have clearly dominated so far in 2026.
As a result, the first four months of the year rank as the third warmest on record in Spain, behind only 1997 and 2024.
Earlier and more intense heat
The data reinforces concerns among scientists that higher temperatures are not only becoming more frequent, but also arriving earlier in the calendar.
With spring months now regularly hitting summer-like averages, the shift is already having implications for water resources, agriculture and wildfire risk heading into the hotter months.
