Orkney weather in April

In April, Orkney sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 40 mm of rain across 6.9 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 26°C in the first days to 24°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 63% of the time in April, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 48 min at the start of April to 11 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, April is Orkney's 6th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Orkney's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
8th warmest
Overnight low
12°
6th coldest
Rainfall
40 mm
6.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
6:33 AM – 5:54 PM
Cloud cover
36%
6th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.89 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.8
out of 10

Orkney is town in North West province, South Africa.

Founded
1940

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

Temperature in April

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 26°C in the first days to 24°C by the end.

A typical April day in Orkney reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, April runs about 3°C cooler than March and about 2°C warmer than May.

10°20°30°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12614
22614
32613
42613
52613
62613
72613
82513
92513
102512
112512
122512
132512
142512
152512
162512
172511
182511
192511
202511
212511
222411
232410
242410
252410
262410
272410
282410
292410
30249

How April really feels in Orkney

Once humidity and wind are folded in, April averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

April sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Orkney weather by month

How April compares with the rest of the year at a glance. April is the 8th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 18°9714.413.54.9
Feb29° / 17°7712.3135.4
Mar27° / 15°6810.812.26.5
Apr25° / 12°406.911.47.8
May23° / 193.110.78.6
Jun20° / 101.510.38.3
Jul20° / 50.910.58.5
Aug23° / 121.7119.0
Sep27° / 10°15311.88.3
Oct28° / 14°609.412.66.4
Nov29° / 15°7311.313.35.5
Dec30° / 17°9914.913.74.8

Cloud cover in April

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 63% of the time in April.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of April, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 21%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17624
27624
37624
47723
57723
67723
77723
87624
97723
107723
117723
127822
137822
147822
157822
167921
177921
187921
198119
208119
218119
228218
238218
248218
258317
268317
278317
288416
298416
308416

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitation

Orkney gets around 40 mm of rain over 6.9 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 23% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
128
227
327
426
526
626
725
825
925
1025
1125
1224
1324
1424
1524
1624
1724
1823
1923
2022
2122
2222
2321
2421
2520
2620
2719
2818
2917
3016

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 84% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
162326
265305
366295
469274
571263
672253
774242
875232
978211
1079201
1180191
1281181
1383170
1484160
1585150
1686140
1787130
1888120
1989110
2090100
219190
229280
239370
249460
259460
269550
279640
289640
299730
309730

Wind in April

Winds average 9 km/h in April.

Across April, daily wind ranges from about 9 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
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm

Sunrise & sunset in April

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 48 min at the start of April to 11 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 48 minutes over April. Sunrise moves from 6:25 AM to 6:40 AM, and sunset from 6:11 PM to 5:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.86:256:11
211.76:266:10
311.76:266:09
411.76:276:07
511.76:276:06
611.66:286:05
711.66:286:04
811.66:296:03
911.56:296:02
1011.56:306:01
1111.56:306:00
1211.56:315:59
1311.46:315:58
1411.46:325:56
1511.46:325:55
1611.46:335:54
1711.36:335:53
1811.36:345:52
1911.36:345:51
2011.36:355:50
2111.26:355:49
2211.26:365:48
2311.26:365:47
2411.26:375:46
2511.16:375:46
2611.16:385:45
2711.16:395:44
2811.16:395:43
2911.06:405:42
3011.06:405:41

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 4.89 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.84 kWh/m² to a high of 7.23 kWh/m² in December across the year — April's 4.89 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.8Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.7Bright
274.6Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.6Bright
Planning a trip in April

Hazard calendar for Orkney

In seasonPeak

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

Orkney's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is April a good time to visit Orkney?

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

7.8
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
6.9
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

April is one of the better times to visit Orkney for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Orkney in April

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

In April, Orkney sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Orkney in April

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in April peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Orkney peaks around January 13 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 5 (high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 13UV 15Jun 20UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr9Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Orkney in April

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where April falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Orkney is worst in June — around 57 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.6× the cleanest month (December, 12 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJun 2257 µg/m³Dec 1913 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan14Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar26Moderate
Apr34Moderate
May48Poor
Jun57Unhealthy
Jul56Unhealthy
Aug45Poor
Sep38Poor
Oct26Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec12Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Orkney?

Orkney sits at 27.0°S, 26.7°E, 1,312 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Klerksdorp, 14 km away.

Topography around Orkney

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Orkney has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 51 m around an average of 1,299 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 133 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 445 m.

The land around Orkney is covered by grassland (55%) within 3 km, grassland (57%) and cropland (27%) within 16 km, and grassland (58%) and cropland (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
51 m
16 km
133 m
80 km
445 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
April weather nearby: Klerksdorp 14 km · Stilfontein 18 km · Hartbeesfontein 35 km · Viljoenskroon 37 km · Bothaville 46 km · Potchefstroom 52 km · Leeudoringstad 52 km · Vredefort 69 km

South Africa travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / M / N
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 41% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$6,598
2025
Happiness
5.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
68%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
43.7
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
22.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 602
Religion
Christian 86%or other traditional African religions 5%nothing in particular 5%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 Orkney (-26.9802°, 26.6727°, elevation 1,312 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. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).