Boulder weather in April

In April, Boulder sees average daytime highs of 54°F and overnight lows near 29°F, with 3.1 in of precipitation across 11.1 wet days and about 13 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 51°F in the first days to 56°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 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, April is Boulder's 11th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Boulder's year-round climate.

Daytime high
54°
7th warmest
Overnight low
29°
6th coldest
Precipitation
3.1 in
11.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 06 min
5:30 AM – 6:33 PM
Cloud cover
60%
11th clearest
Wind
5 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
6.37 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.1
out of 10

Boulder is city in and county seat of Boulder County, Colorado, United States.

Density
1,606/km²
people per km²
Founded
1858

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 51°F in the first days to 56°F by the end.

A typical April day in Boulder reaches about 54°F in the afternoon and slips back to 29°F overnight — a 25°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 39°F and 67°F. Set against its neighbours, April runs about 6°F warmer than March and about 9°F cooler than May.

20°40°60°80°151015202530
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15126
25126
35126
45226
55227
65227
75227
85227
95328
105328
115328
125328
135328
145329
155429
165429
175429
185429
195430
205430
215530
225531
235531
245531
255531
265631
275632
285632
295632
305733

How April really feels in Boulder

Once humidity and wind are folded in, April averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 30 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
30
wind chill below the day's low

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

Boulder weather by month

How April compares with the rest of the year at a glance. April is the 7th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan37° / 14°0.95.75.59.50.0
Feb39° / 16°1.06.7710.40.0
Mar48° / 22°2.08.87.211.71.7
Apr54° / 29°3.111.17.9133.1
May63° / 38°4.014.93.514.24.8
Jun74° / 47°3.014.30.314.86.2
Jul80° / 53°3.014.8014.56.0
Aug78° / 52°2.814.9013.66.2
Sep71° / 44°2.19.70.912.36.8
Oct58° / 33°1.97.43.910.94.9
Nov46° / 22°1.36.45.79.81.4
Dec37° / 15°0.95.35.49.20.0

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 20% of April, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
24951
34951
44951
54951
65050
75050
84852
94852
104852
114753
124654
134654
144753
154654
164654
174555
184654
194654
204654
214654
224654
234654
244654
254654
264753
274654
284753
294753
304753

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitationSnow

Boulder gets around 3.1 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 37% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days, and about 8 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202530
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13527
23527
33427
43427
53426
63326
73326
83225
93225
103225
113325
123325
133325
143425
153525
163625
173726
183826
193826
203926
214026
224126
234126
244226
254226
264325
274325
284324
294323
304322

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 5 mph in April.

Across April, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202530
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm

Sunrise & sunset in April

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 24 min at the start of April to 13 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 72 minutes over April. Sunrise moves from 5:54 AM to 5:09 AM, and sunset from 6:18 PM to 6:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.45:546:18
212.45:526:19
312.55:516:20
412.55:496:21
512.65:476:22
612.65:466:23
712.75:446:24
812.75:426:25
912.85:416:26
1012.85:396:27
1112.85:386:28
1212.95:366:29
1312.95:346:30
1413.05:336:31
1513.05:316:32
1613.15:306:33
1713.15:286:34
1813.15:276:35
1913.25:256:36
2013.25:246:37
2113.35:226:38
2213.35:216:39
2313.45:196:40
2413.45:186:41
2513.45:166:42
2613.55:156:43
2713.55:136:44
2813.65:126:45
2913.65:116:46
3013.65:096:47

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 6.37 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.56 kWh/m² to a high of 7.49 kWh/m² in June across the year — April's 6.37 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Bright
26.0Bright
36.0Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.1Intense
76.2Intense
86.2Intense
96.2Intense
106.3Intense
116.3Intense
126.3Intense
136.3Intense
146.4Intense
156.4Intense
166.4Intense
176.4Intense
186.4Intense
196.5Intense
206.5Intense
216.5Intense
226.5Intense
236.5Intense
246.5Intense
256.6Intense
266.6Intense
276.6Intense
286.6Intense
296.7Intense
306.7Intense
Planning a trip in April

Hazard calendar for Boulder

In seasonPeak

In April, Boulder sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Boulder's rainy season runs March–October, 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 Boulder?

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

3.1
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 Boulder.

What to pack for Boulder in April

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

In April, Boulder sees daytime highs around 54°F and nights near 29°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectiona warm layerrain gear

UV index in Boulder 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 Boulder peaks around July 13 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 11Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar7High
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Boulder 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 Boulder is worst in August — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (May, 13 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateAug 1620 µg/m³May 1113 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb15Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug21Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec16Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Boulder?

Boulder sits at 40.0°N, 105.3°W, 5,328 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Louisville, 8.1 mi away.

Topography around Boulder

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Boulder has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,703 ft around an average of 5,495 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,147 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9,623 ft.

The land around Boulder is covered by trees (45%) and artificial surfaces (39%) within 2 miles, grassland (44%) and trees (41%) within 10 miles, and trees (41%) and grassland (34%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,703 ft
10 miles
4,147 ft
50 miles
9,623 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermoss and lichen
April weather nearby: Louisville 8.1 mi · Lafayette 9.9 mi · Broomfield 12 mi · Erie 12 mi · Longmont 14 mi · Westminster 17 mi · Northglenn 17 mi · Arvada 17 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 Boulder (40.015°, -105.2706°, elevation 5,328 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).