Where to go in April
April is when you stop packing for the weather and start packing for the swing between morning and afternoon. Layers travel well right now; so does a light rain shell.
Looking up The Lyrids peak on the night of April 22–23, 2027. The calendar, with the moon on each night ›
Beach warm
23 places
- Death Valley CA 91° / 65° The last comfortable month, and it changes fast.
- Palm Springs CA 87° / 59° Hot by lunch, perfect by nine at night.
- South Padre Island TX 86° / 68° Swimmable at last, with a breeze that never quits.
- Phoenix AZ 86° / 61° Warm enough for the pool, still gentle before noon.
- Fort Myers FL 85° / 64° The islands go back to being islands.
- Kahului (Maui) HI 85° / 67° The dry-out begins; north-shore surf finally lies down.
- Naples FL 84° / 66° Town empties, beach improves, evenings turn perfect.
- Orlando FL 84° / 61° Summer's warm-up act: bright, breezy, not yet sweaty.
- Miami FL 84° / 70° Last comfortable noon of the year — swim early, wander late.
- Kailua-Kona HI 83° / 71° The driest stretch begins — mornings clear, afternoons cloud upslope.
- Honolulu HI 83° / 70° The rain switches off and the trades keep blowing.
- Tampa FL 83° / 65° Warm, dry, breezy — the Gulf finally invites you in.
- Fort Lauderdale FL 83° / 70° The month locals would pick if you asked nicely.
- Tucson AZ 83° / 53° The last easy month for a midday hike.
- Key West FL 83° / 73° Sun with a rinse of trade wind — the sweet spot.
- Corpus Christi TX 83° / 64° Everything works: warm water, strong sun, tolerable air.
- Sarasota FL 83° / 63° Water warms, traffic thins, everything finally lines up.
- Clearwater FL 82° / 64° Warm sand, warm water, zero storms yet.
- Austin TX 80° / 59° The month Austin is selling you: warm, green, patio-perfect.
- San Antonio TX 80° / 58° Peak San Antonio: warm, blooming, and covered in confetti.
- Daytona Beach FL 80° / 60° Wide-open beach, kind sun, easy driving on the sand.
- Houston TX 80° / 60° The last comfortable month — spend it with intent.
- El Paso TX 80° / 53° Beautiful when the wind rests, gritty when it doesn't.
Genuinely warm
26 places
- St. Augustine FL 80° / 61° The best walking month, and the ocean stops biting.
- Lihue (Kauai) HI 80° / 70° Rain eases, everything blooms, hiking gets muddy and gorgeous.
- Hilo HI 79° / 66° Most days see rain; the town could not care less.
- Panama City Beach FL 79° / 58° Sun returns, rain eases, sand gets busy again.
- Las Vegas NV 79° / 57° Pool chairs fill, the desert blooms, evenings still want sleeves.
- Savannah GA 78° / 55° The best walking weather the city hands out all year.
- Galveston TX 78° / 65° Warm, breezy, and the water finally worth wading into.
- New Orleans LA 78° / 63° Festival season peaks; the air is warm but not heavy.
- Pensacola FL 78° / 59° Beautiful between the storms — check the sky first.
- Hilton Head Island SC 77° / 56° Everything peaks at once: weather, golf, and room rates.
- Destin FL 76° / 60° Sun, breeze, and sand you can walk barefoot on.
- Dallas TX 76° / 55° Beautiful, and the sky will occasionally throw things at you.
- Gulf Shores AL 75° / 57° Warm enough to swim, cool enough to sleep with windows open.
- Sedona AZ 75° / 44° Sun on sandstone and hiking weather you would design yourself.
- Anaheim CA 74° / 54° Dry, warm, and the best queueing weather of the year.
- Atlanta GA 74° / 53° The best-looking month, once the pollen washes away.
- Memphis TN 73° / 53° Dogwoods, thunderstorms, and the last comfortable stretch before June.
- Charlotte NC 73° / 49° Dogwoods out, windows open, everything smelling like cut grass.
- Zion National Park UT 73° / 44° The canyon's best month: warm, green, deservedly busy.
- Nashville TN 73° / 49° Warm, green, and prone to dramatic afternoons.
- Los Angeles CA 72° / 55° Warm and dry, and the mornings still start blue.
- Moab UT 72° / 43° About as good as desert weather gets.
- Charleston SC 72° / 60° Charleston at its absolute best. Come now if you can.
- Myrtle Beach SC 72° / 53° Warm on the sand, still bracing in the surf.
- Albuquerque NM 70° / 43° Warm afternoons, blowing sand, cottonwoods coming back green.
- Williamsburg VA 70° / 48° The prettiest three weeks the calendar offers here.
Mild
37 places
- Branson MO 70° / 47° Dogwood season, with showers rolling through on their own schedule.
- Asheville NC 69° / 46° The mountains green up from the bottom, week by week.
- San Diego CA 69° / 57° Dry days return; the ocean still argues you into a wetsuit.
- Gatlinburg TN 69° / 42° Wildflowers everywhere, and mornings that still bite.
- Virginia Beach VA 69° / 48° Dogwoods out, dune grass greening, water still unfriendly.
- Napa CA 68° / 44° The valley dries out and the wildflowers take their turn.
- Washington, DC DC 68° / 48° The Mall at its best — and everyone knows it.
- St. Louis MO 68° / 47° Perfect ballpark weather, punctuated by storms worth watching.
- Outer Banks NC 68° / 51° Sunny and sharp, with the whole beach still empty.
- Santa Barbara CA 68° / 48° Warm on the sand, and the water still says no.
- Santa Cruz CA 66° / 45° Drying out, warming up, still a full-suit ocean.
- Santa Fe NM 66° / 34° Sun with teeth, and a hard freeze before breakfast.
- Reno NV 65° / 39° Windy, sunny, unpredictable — pack for two different days.
- Philadelphia PA 65° / 44° Bright, breezy, and colder in the shade than expected.
- Monterey CA 63° / 47° Rain thins out; the wind picks up every afternoon.
- Atlantic City NJ 63° / 42° Beach-walking weather, and nothing more than that.
- Yosemite Valley CA 63° / 38° Waterfalls building, high country still locked under snow.
- San Francisco CA 63° / 50° Showers thin out; pack a jacket you can actually wear.
- Denver CO 63° / 34° Spring keeps getting interrupted — pack the jacket you'll resent carrying.
- Boise ID 62° / 40° Blossoms downtown, snow still visible on the peaks behind.
- Portland OR 62° / 44° Sun and squall trading places, sometimes within one block.
- Salt Lake City UT 62° / 42° The wettest month here, which still isn't very wet.
- New York City NY 62° / 46° The first warm Saturday empties every apartment in the city.
- Durango CO 62° / 28° Dry, breezy, and the wind will find your hat.
- Park City UT 62° / 29° The lifts stop, the mud starts, and the swings widen.
- Ocean City MD 62° / 44° Spring on an empty beach, with the surf still off-limits.
- Colorado Springs CO 61° / 34° A month with two wardrobes and no warning which you'll need.
- Grand Canyon AZ 61° / 29° Rim mild, trails opening, nights still hovering near freezing.
- Seattle WA 59° / 43° Everything blooming, nothing dry — spring on Seattle's terms.
- Flagstaff AZ 59° / 28° Wind, thaw, and one last snow after you've packed the coat.
- Chicago IL 59° / 40° Wildly unreliable — pack for two entirely different Aprils.
- Bend OR 58° / 31° Warm on the arms at noon, ice by dawn.
- Minneapolis MN 57° / 38° Green edges in while the coat stays by the door.
- Boston MA 56° / 41° Marathon month: the city finally opens the windows.
- Newport RI 56° / 39° Daffodils on the lawns, dry suits still on the water.
- Burlington VT 55° / 36° Mud season, the fifth Vermont season nobody advertises.
- Cape Cod MA 55° / 39° Towns wake up slowly; the ocean hasn't heard yet.
Crisp
16 places
- Bozeman MT 55° / 31° Mud season, with snow still falling on top of it.
- Niagara Falls NY 55° / 34° Boats back on the water, ponchos back on the tourists.
- Portland, Maine ME 54° / 35° Mud season, with one patio afternoon hidden in there.
- South Lake Tahoe CA 53° / 28° Mud season begins, and the mountain keeps going anyway.
- Bar Harbor ME 53° / 35° The wettest of the spring months, with the town half-shuttered.
- Traverse City MI 52° / 31° Not much is open, and the overlooks are yours.
- Mackinac Island MI 52° / 27° Boats start running and the horses step off the ferry.
- Jackson Hole WY 50° / 26° The town empties, and the park road belongs to bikes.
- Door County WI 50° / 32° Shops reopen slowly and the wind still comes off cold.
- Aspen CO 50° / 27° Half the town closes, and the ones staying know why.
- Yellowstone WY 50° / 26° Roads reopening in pieces, and winter still arguing about it.
- Lake Placid NY 49° / 29° Mud season — the High Peaks trails are closed for good reason.
- Juneau AK 49° / 33° Whales return, ships return, and the mud season begins.
- Fairbanks AK 46° / 22° Mud, meltwater, and a whole town watching the river.
- Anchorage AK 45° / 30° Brown, gritty, and honest about being an in-between.
- Denali National Park AK 41° / 17° Melting by day, freezing by night, closed either way.