April 2026: Hainan Heat Leads a Warm National Picture

Compiled from 30 days of daily readings for 433 cities in April 2026; written once at the start of the following month.

April 2026 brought a national mean high of 22.6°C across 433 cities over the 30 days covered. The warmest provincial mean highs were concentrated in the far south, led by Hainan at 33.1°C, followed by Guangxi at 29.4°C and Taiwan at 29°C. At the cool end of the table, Heilongjiang averaged 11.3°C, Qinghai 14.4°C and Tibet 15.1°C. The month still carried sharp early-spring cold in some northern and highland locations, with Daxinganling in Heilongjiang falling to -13.8°C on 2 Apr, Xilinguolei in Inner Mongolia reaching -11.8°C on 7 Apr, and Yushu in Qinghai recording -10.8°C on 1 Apr.

Hainan dominated the month’s hottest readings. Chengmai reached 41.5°C on 10 Apr, the highest city-day of the month, while Changjiang reached 40.4°C on 11 Apr and Danzhou reached 40°C on 10 Apr. Those peaks stood well above the national mean high and made the island the clear center of April heat. Across the country, there were 186 city-days at or above 35°C, spread across 20 cities.

The 35°C threshold was not just touched briefly in Hainan; it accumulated over much of the month in several places. Changjiang recorded 19 such days, Tunchang had 18, and Baisha had 17. That pattern gave the heat a persistent character in the hottest areas, especially when set against the broader national average of 22.6°C and the much cooler provincial means in the north and west.

Rainfall totals were heaviest in Jiangxi. Pingxiang was the wettest location, with 674.2 mm over 19 rain days, followed by Fuzhou with 517.1 mm over 20 rain days and Jian with 512.5 mm over 21 rain days. At the other end of the scale, Alaer in Xinjiang, Sansha in Hainan and Alashanmeng in Inner Mongolia all recorded 0 mm for the month. The contrast between more than 600 mm in Pingxiang and no recorded rain in those three places was one of the clearest divides in the April figures.

The sharpest single-day temperature drops were all in Xinjiang. Akesu fell from 28.2°C to 10.9°C on 4 Apr, a drop of 17.3°C. Kunyu dropped from 25.8°C to 9.2°C on 10 Apr, down 16.6°C, while Tiemenguan fell from 27.6°C to 11.1°C on 4 Apr, down 16.5°C. Overall, April 2026 was marked by strong southern heat, very wet conditions in parts of Jiangxi, dry totals in several far-flung locations, and abrupt day-to-day changes in Xinjiang.

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