Cardiff weather in April

In April, Cardiff sees average daytime highs of 12°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 70 mm of precipitation across 11.6 wet days and about 13.5 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 11°C in the first days to 13°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% of the time in April, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 36 min at the start of April to 14 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, April is Cardiff's 2nd-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cardiff's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12°
7th warmest
Overnight low
5th coldest
Precipitation
70 mm
11.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 36 min
5:25 AM – 7:01 PM
Cloud cover
68%
2nd clearest
Wind
16 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.1 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.0
out of 10

Cardiff is capital city of Wales, United Kingdom.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 10.2 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
2,652/km²
people per km²
Founded
1081

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 11°C in the first days to 13°C by the end.

A typical April day in Cardiff reaches about 12°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 9°C and 16°C. Set against its neighbours, April runs about 3°C warmer than March and about 3°C cooler than May.

10°15°20°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1115
2115
3115
4115
5115
6115
7115
8115
9115
10115
11125
12125
13126
14126
15126
16126
17126
18126
19126
20126
21136
22136
23137
24137
25137
26137
27137
28137
29137
30137

How April really feels in Cardiff

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.

Cardiff weather by month

How April compares with the rest of the year at a glance. April is the 7th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 9514.50.98.11.0
Feb / 7411.20.99.61.1
Mar / 6811.70.511.51.9
Apr12° / 7011.60.113.53.0
May15° / 7312.3015.34.2
Jun17° / 12°7111016.35.3
Jul19° / 13°7411.7015.95.8
Aug19° / 13°8712.3014.45.7
Sep17° / 11°7411012.45.2
Oct14° / 10614010.43.5
Nov10° / 10214.50.18.62.1
Dec / 10713.70.67.71.2

Cloud cover in April

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 18% 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 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23565
33565
43565
53565
63664
73664
83664
93763
103763
113862
123862
133862
143862
153862
163862
173862
183763
193763
203664
213664
223664
233664
243664
253565
263565
273565
283565
293466
303466

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitation

Cardiff gets around 70 mm of rain and snow over 11.6 wet days in April. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 37% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
139
238
338
438
537
637
736
835
935
1034
1133
1233
1333
1433
1533
1634
1734
1835
1937
2038
2139
2240
2341
2441
2542
2642
2742
2842
2942
3042

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100

Wind in April

Winds average 16 km/h in April.

Across April, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
416light breeze
516light breeze
616light breeze
716light breeze
816light breeze
916light breeze
1016light breeze
1116light breeze
1216light breeze
1316light breeze
1416light breeze
1516light breeze
1616light breeze
1716light breeze
1816light breeze
1916light breeze
2016light breeze
2116light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in April

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 36 min at the start of April to 14 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 114 minutes over April. Sunrise moves from 6:00 AM to 4:56 AM, and sunset from 6:35 PM to 7:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.66:006:35
212.75:576:37
312.75:556:38
412.85:536:40
512.95:506:42
612.95:486:44
713.05:466:45
813.15:436:47
913.15:416:49
1013.25:396:50
1113.35:376:52
1213.35:346:54
1313.45:326:55
1413.55:306:57
1513.55:286:59
1613.65:257:01
1713.75:237:02
1813.75:217:04
1913.85:197:06
2013.85:177:07
2113.95:147:09
2214.05:127:11
2314.05:107:12
2414.15:087:14
2514.25:067:16
2614.25:047:17
2714.35:027:19
2814.35:007:21
2914.44:587:22
3014.54:567:24

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 4.1 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.65 kWh/m² to a high of 5.28 kWh/m² in June across the year — April's 4.1 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.4Moderate
23.5Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.6Moderate
53.6Moderate
63.7Moderate
73.8Moderate
83.8Moderate
93.9Moderate
103.9Moderate
114.0Moderate
124.0Bright
134.1Bright
144.1Bright
154.1Bright
164.2Bright
174.2Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.4Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.7Bright
Planning a trip in April

Is April a good time to visit Cardiff?

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

3.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

April is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Cardiff.

What to pack for Cardiff in April

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

In April, Cardiff sees daytime highs around 12°C and nights near 6°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Cardiff in April

The nearest coast averages about 9°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 18°C and coldest in February near 7°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan8Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Cool
Jul17Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Cardiff in April

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in April peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Cardiff peaks around August 13 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 13UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug7High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Cardiff?

Cardiff sits at 51.5°N, 3.2°W, 17 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Penarth, 5.0 km away.

Topography around Cardiff

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Cardiff has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 116 m around an average of 16 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 379 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 864 m.

The land around Cardiff is covered by artificial surfaces (61%) and trees (25%) within 3 km, water (37%), grassland (25%) and trees (23%) within 16 km, and grassland (52%) within 80 km.

3 km
116 m
16 km
379 m
80 km
864 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
April weather nearby: Penarth 5.0 km · Caerphilly 11 km · Barry 11 km · Risca 15 km · Newport 17 km · Pontypridd 18 km · Weston-super-Mare 21 km · Blackwood 21 km

United Kingdom travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 89% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$57,602
2025
Happiness
6.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
3.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Christian 60%none 26%Muslim 4%other 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 Cardiff (51.48°, -3.18°, elevation 17 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).