Ames weather in April

In April, Ames sees average daytime highs of 60°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 4.5 in of precipitation across 11.1 wet days and about 13.1 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 56°F in the first days to 64°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in April, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 24 min at the start of April to 13 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, April is Ames's 10th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ames's year-round climate.

Daytime high
60°
7th warmest
Overnight low
40°
6th coldest
Precipitation
4.5 in
11.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 06 min
5:41 AM – 6:49 PM
Cloud cover
64%
10th clearest
Wind
11 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
5 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Ames is city in Story County, Iowa, United States.

Density
1,035/km²
people per km²
Founded
1864

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 56°F in the first days to 64°F by the end.

A typical April day in Ames reaches about 60°F in the afternoon and slips back to 40°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 45°F and 74°F. Set against its neighbours, April runs about 14°F warmer than March and about 11°F cooler than May.

20°40°60°80°151015202530
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15535
25535
35635
45636
55636
65736
75737
85737
95837
105838
115838
125938
135939
146039
156040
166040
176140
186141
196141
206242
216242
226242
236343
246343
256343
266444
276444
286444
296545
306545

How April really feels in Ames

Once humidity and wind are folded in, April averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 13 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
13
wind chill below the day's low

The story in April is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Ames weather by month

How April compares with the rest of the year at a glance. April is the 7th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 13°1.264.89.30.0
Feb33° / 16°1.46.54.710.30.0
Mar47° / 28°2.58.9311.71.5
Apr60° / 40°4.511.1113.14.6
May71° / 52°5.513.60.114.36.0
Jun80° / 62°5.111.80156.3
Jul83° / 65°3.89.6014.76.1
Aug81° / 62°4.09.2013.76.8
Sep74° / 54°3.68.5012.37.2
Oct62° / 42°2.980.510.95.5
Nov47° / 29°2.06.51.79.61.6
Dec33° / 18°1.664.590.0

Cloud cover in April

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in April.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of April, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24159
34159
44258
54258
64159
74159
84159
94060
104060
113862
123862
133862
143862
153763
163763
173862
183961
193961
203862
213862
223961
233961
244060
254060
264060
274060
284060
294060
304060

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitationSnow

Ames gets around 4.5 in of rain and snow over 11.1 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 38% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202530
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1334
2334
3344
4344
5344
6354
7355
8365
9365
10375
11385
12385
13395
14395
15395
16394
17394
18394
19393
20393
21393
22392
23392
24392
25391
26401
27401
28401
29411
30421

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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19820
29820
39820
49820
59820
69820
79820
89820
99820
109820
119820
129730
139730
149730
159730
169631
179631
189631
199541
209541
219541
229541
239541
249541
259541
269451
279451
289361
299172
309172

Wind in April

Winds average 11 mph in April, the windiest month of the year.

Across April, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 11 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202530
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
211light breeze
311light breeze
411light breeze
511light breeze
611light breeze
711light breeze
811light breeze
911light breeze
1011light breeze
1111light breeze
1211light breeze
1311light breeze
1411light breeze
1511light breeze
1611light breeze
1711light breeze
1811light breeze
1911light breeze
2011light breeze
2111light breeze
2211light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in April

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 24 min at the start of April to 13 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 84 minutes over April. Sunrise moves from 6:06 AM to 5:19 AM, and sunset from 6:32 PM to 7:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.46:066:32
212.56:056:33
312.56:036:34
412.66:016:35
512.65:596:36
612.75:586:37
712.75:566:39
812.85:546:40
912.85:526:41
1012.95:516:42
1112.95:496:43
1212.95:476:44
1313.05:466:45
1413.05:446:46
1513.15:426:48
1613.15:416:49
1713.25:396:50
1813.25:376:51
1913.35:366:52
2013.35:346:53
2113.45:336:54
2213.45:316:55
2313.55:306:57
2413.55:286:58
2513.55:266:59
2613.65:257:00
2713.65:237:01
2813.75:227:02
2913.75:217:03
3013.85:197:04

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 5 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.77 kWh/m² to a high of 6.46 kWh/m² in July across the year — April's 5 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
Planning a trip in April

Is April a good time to visit Ames?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.7
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

April is a reasonable time to visit Ames for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ames in April

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

In April, Ames sees daytime highs around 60°F and nights near 40°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in Ames in April

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in April peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ames peaks around June 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 19UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Ames 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 Ames is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 2016 µg/m³Oct 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr11Good
May11Good
Jun12Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct7Good
Nov9Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ames?

Ames sits at 42.0°N, 93.6°W, 942 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Ankeny, 21 mi away.

Topography around Ames

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Ames.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Ames has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 207 ft around an average of 932 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 325 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 568 ft.

The land around Ames is covered by trees (38%) and artificial surfaces (34%) within 2 miles, cropland (74%) within 10 miles, and cropland (78%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
207 ft
10 miles
325 ft
50 miles
568 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
April weather nearby: Ankeny 21 mi · Johnston 25 mi · Altoona 28 mi · Urbandale 29 mi · Des Moines 30 mi · Clive 30 mi · West Des Moines 32 mi · Waukee 32 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 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 Ames (42.0347°, -93.6199°, elevation 942 ft), 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).