Brookings weather in April

In April, Brookings sees average daytime highs of 55°F and overnight lows near 34°F, with 3.1 in of precipitation across 9.7 wet days and about 13.2 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 50°F in the first days to 60°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 30 min at the start of April to 13 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, April is Brookings's 8th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Brookings's year-round climate.

Daytime high
55°
7th warmest
Overnight low
34°
6th coldest
Precipitation
3.1 in
9.7 wet days
Daylight
13 h 12 min
5:51 AM – 7:04 PM
Cloud cover
63%
8th clearest
Wind
11 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.21 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.5
out of 10

Brookings is city in and county seat of Brookings County, South Dakota, United States.

Density
701/km²
people per km²
Founded
1857

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 50°F in the first days to 60°F by the end.

A typical April day in Brookings reaches about 55°F in the afternoon and slips back to 34°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 38°F and 71°F. Set against its neighbours, April runs about 15°F warmer than March and about 12°F cooler than May.

20°40°60°80°151015202530
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14929
24929
35030
45030
55030
65131
75131
85231
95232
105232
115333
125333
135433
145434
155534
165535
175535
185635
195636
205736
215736
225837
235837
245837
255938
265938
276039
286039
296039
306140

How April really feels in Brookings

Once humidity and wind are folded in, April averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 27 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
27
wind chill below the day's low

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

Brookings weather by month

How April compares with the rest of the year at a glance. April is the 7th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 0.854.99.10.0
Feb28° / 11°0.84.54.510.20.0
Mar40° / 22°1.76.43.811.60.5
Apr55° / 34°3.19.72.413.23.5
May67° / 47°3.711.20.114.55.9
Jun77° / 58°4.512.2015.36.5
Jul81° / 62°3.18.70156.9
Aug79° / 59°3.28.4013.87.2
Sep71° / 50°2.87.5012.37.2
Oct57° / 37°2.27.31.110.84.4
Nov41° / 24°1.453.49.40.5
Dec28° / 13°0.94.95.18.70.0

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 16% of April, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24357
34357
44357
54357
64357
74357
84258
94258
104159
114159
124258
134258
144258
154258
164159
174258
184258
194258
204357
214357
224456
234456
244456
254456
264456
274456
284456
294456
304456

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitationSnow

Brookings gets around 3.1 in of rain and snow over 9.7 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 32% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202530
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1269
22610
32710
42810
52911
62911
73011
83111
93211
103211
113311
123311
133410
143410
153410
16349
17349
18348
19347
20347
21346
22345
23345
24344
25344
26344
27343
28343
29342
30352

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 (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27982
28982
29982
30973

Wind in April

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

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

051015151015202530
Wind speed (mph)Feels
111light 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
2311light breeze
2411light breeze
2511light breeze
2611light breeze
2711light breeze
2811light breeze
2911light breeze
3011light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in April

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min at the start of April to 13 h 54 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 6:18 AM to 5:27 AM, and sunset from 6:46 PM to 7:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.56:186:46
212.56:166:47
312.66:146:48
412.66:126:49
512.76:116:51
612.76:096:52
712.86:076:53
812.86:056:54
912.96:036:56
1012.96:016:57
1113.06:006:58
1213.05:586:59
1313.15:567:01
1413.15:547:02
1513.25:527:03
1613.25:517:04
1713.35:497:06
1813.35:477:07
1913.45:457:08
2013.45:447:09
2113.55:427:11
2213.55:407:12
2313.65:397:13
2413.65:377:14
2513.75:357:15
2613.75:347:17
2713.85:327:18
2813.85:307:19
2913.95:297:20
3013.95:277:22

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 5.21 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.64 kWh/m² to a high of 6.64 kWh/m² in July across the year — April's 5.21 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
74.9Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
Planning a trip in April

Hazard calendar for Brookings

In seasonPeak

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

Brookings's rainy season runs April–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 Brookings?

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

3.5
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

April is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Brookings.

What to pack for Brookings in April

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

In April, Brookings sees daytime highs around 55°F and nights near 34°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in Brookings in April

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in April peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Brookings peaks around June 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 18UV 9Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May6High
Jun9Very high
Jul7Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Brookings?

Brookings sits at 44.3°N, 96.8°W, 1,621 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Watertown, 43 mi away.

Topography around Brookings

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Brookings has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 118 ft around an average of 1,627 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 246 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 974 ft.

The land around Brookings is covered by grassland (42%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 2 miles, cropland (63%) and grassland (29%) within 10 miles, and cropland (72%) and grassland (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
118 ft
10 miles
246 ft
50 miles
974 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
April weather nearby: Watertown 43 mi · Sioux Falls 53 mi · Mitchell 74 mi · Willmar 103 mi · Aberdeen 115 mi · Sioux City 127 mi · Mankato 139 mi · Saint Cloud 155 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 Brookings (44.3114°, -96.7984°, elevation 1,621 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).