Heraklion weather in April

In April, Heraklion sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 36 mm of rain across 5.6 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 22°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time in April, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of April to 13 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, April is Heraklion's 7th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Heraklion's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
7th warmest
Overnight low
11°
5th coldest
Rainfall
36 mm
5.6 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:53 AM – 6:46 PM
Cloud cover
39%
7th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
6.27 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.3
out of 10

Heraklion is city in the island of Crete, Greece.

Density
1,258/km²
people per km²

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in April

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 22°C by the end.

A typical April day in Heraklion reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, April runs about 4°C warmer than March and about 4°C cooler than May.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11810
21810
31810
41910
51910
61910
71910
81910
91911
102011
112011
122011
132011
142011
152011
162011
172111
182111
192111
202112
212112
222112
232112
242112
252112
262112
272212
282212
292213
302213

Heraklion weather by month

How April compares with the rest of the year at a glance. April is the 7th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan14° / 68129.93.9
Feb14° / 6410.510.74.2
Mar17° / 548.311.75.6
Apr20° / 11°365.612.97.3
May25° / 15°314.313.88.3
Jun28° / 19°131.914.37.9
Jul30° / 21°50.714.17.2
Aug29° / 22°60.713.37.2
Sep27° / 19°192.912.28.1
Oct24° / 16°385.911.17.8
Nov19° / 12°457.110.16.6
Dec15° / 6411.39.74.5

Cloud cover in April

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time in April.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of April, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 29%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16238
26337
36436
46535
56535
66634
76733
86832
96832
106931
116931
127129
137129
147129
157129
167228
177327
187327
197327
207426
217426
227426
237525
247624
257624
267723
277723
287723
297822
307822

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitation

Heraklion gets around 36 mm of rain over 5.6 wet days in April. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 18% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
129
229
328
428
527
626
725
824
923
1022
1121
1220
1319
1418
1517
1616
1715
1815
1914
2014
2113
2213
2313
2413
2512
2612
2712
2812
2912
3012

Humidity in April

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of April feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, April lands in the dry band about 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25982
26982
27982
28973
29973
30973

Wind in April

Winds average 9 km/h in April.

Across April, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm

Sunrise & sunset in April

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of April to 13 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over April. Sunrise moves from 6:14 AM to 5:35 AM, and sunset from 6:34 PM to 6:58 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:146:34
212.46:136:35
312.46:116:36
412.46:106:37
512.56:086:37
612.56:076:38
712.66:056:39
812.66:046:40
912.66:036:41
1012.76:016:41
1112.76:006:42
1212.75:586:43
1312.85:576:44
1412.85:566:45
1512.95:546:46
1612.95:536:46
1712.95:526:47
1813.05:506:48
1913.05:496:49
2013.05:486:50
2113.15:466:51
2213.15:456:51
2313.15:446:52
2413.25:436:53
2513.25:416:54
2613.25:406:55
2713.35:396:56
2813.35:386:56
2913.35:376:57
3013.45:356:58

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 6.27 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.28 kWh/m² to a high of 7.87 kWh/m² in June across the year — April's 6.27 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
96.0Bright
106.0Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.3Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.4Intense
196.4Intense
206.5Intense
216.5Intense
226.5Intense
236.6Intense
246.6Intense
256.7Intense
266.7Intense
276.7Intense
286.8Intense
296.8Intense
306.8Intense
Planning a trip in April

Hazard calendar for Heraklion

In seasonPeak

None of Heraklion's seasonal hazards are active in April. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Heraklion sees seasonal dust haze (May), heaviest in May.

Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is April a good time to visit Heraklion?

Our two travel scores rate April for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

7.3
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

April is one of the better times to visit Heraklion for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Heraklion in April

From April's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In April, Heraklion sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 11°C. Pack sun protection. About 6 days see rain.

sun protection

Sea temperature near Heraklion in April

The nearest coast averages about 17°C in April — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 25°C and coldest in February near 16°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 25 to Nov 19 — about 5.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan16Cool
Feb16Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr17Cool
May19Cool
Jun23Refreshing
Jul25Warm
Aug25Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct23Refreshing
Nov20Refreshing
Dec18Cool

UV index in Heraklion in April

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in April peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Heraklion peaks around July 13 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 10Jan 10UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May7Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Heraklion?

Heraklion sits at 35.3°N, 25.1°E, 60 m above sea level, in Greece. The nearest listed city is Rethymno, 60 km away.

RethymnoChaniaFiraOiaParosNaxosMykonosKos

Topography around Heraklion

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Heraklion.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Heraklion has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 188 m around an average of 49 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 822 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,433 m.

The land around Heraklion is covered by artificial surfaces (53%) within 3 km, water (39%), trees (27%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and water (69%) within 80 km.

3 km
188 m
16 km
822 m
80 km
2,433 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
April weather nearby: Rethymno 60 km · Chania 103 km · Fira 124 km · Oia 128 km · Paros 195 km · Naxos 199 km · Mykonos 236 km · Kos 260 km

Greece travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 60% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$26,948
2025
Happiness
5.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
8.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 592
Religion
other 3%Muslim 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Heraklion (35.3279°, 25.1434°, elevation 60 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).