Darwin heading for hottest day of the year

Darwin is forecast to reach 36°C this Thursday, which would make it the hottest day of 2026 to date by well over a degree.

Darwin’s hottest days to date in 2026 were April 1 and 2, both of which reached 34.5°C

Darwin’s average April maximum (in records dating back to 1941) is 32.8°C. So today should be around three degrees warmer.

Darwin’s April record is 36.7°C, set on this day in 2003.

Why is Darwin hotter than usual this Thursday?

The official Top End wet season runs from November to the end of April, but April is only a quarter as wet on average than Darwin’s rainiest month of January. Clear skies are much more common late in the wet season, and today’s sunshine will be accompanied by warm southeasterly winds.

In the other Australian capital cities, southeasterlies generally mean relatively cool and/or showery conditions. But in the Top End, southeasterlies tend to bring warm, dry winds from the interior of the Northern Territory.

Interestingly, inland NT towns like Katherine (approx. 300 km SE of Darwin, forecast Thursday maximum 36°C) and Tennant Creek (approx. 1000km SE of Darwin, forecast Thursday maximum 33°C) likely won’t be any hotter than Darwin this Thursday.

Unusually warm maximums of 36°C or slightly higher (indicated by red) are forecast today in parts of the Top End
Image: Forecast maximums for Thursday, April 16, 2026, according to the ACCESS-G model, showing the location of Tennant Creek and Katherine in relation to Darwin. Source: Weatherzone.

It’s a bit like those occasional days when Sydney is as hot as towns in outback New South Wales when northwesterly winds funnel heat directly towards the low-lying Sydney basin.

But it’s not dry everywhere in the NT this Thursday

The remnants of ex-Tropical Cyclone Maila continue to affect parts of Queensland and are now also impacting Arnhem Land in the northeastern corner of the NT.

The loop below shows moisture approaching the Arnhem Land coastline early on Thursday morning.

Image: Four-hour combined radar and satellite loop over the Northern Territory to 10:30am on Thursday, April 16, 2026. (ACST) Source: Weatherzone.

There’s quite a stark contrast in relative humidity across the Top End This Thursday, which you can see illustrated in the image below. Orange and yellow colours represent low humidity, with greens and blues indicating high humidity levels. The boundary between the two airmasses is called a dry line.

Image: Relative humidity in the Top End on Thursday, April 16, 2026. Source: Weatherzone.

A run of days with maximums closer to the April average of 32.8°C is expected in Darwin after this Thursday, with showers and storms increasingly likely as the moisture drifts westwards.