Columbus weather in April

In April, Columbus sees average daytime highs of 61°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 3.5 in of precipitation across 10.2 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 57°F in the first days to 65°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% 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 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, April is Columbus's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Columbus's year-round climate.

Daytime high
61°
7th warmest
Overnight low
40°
6th coldest
Precipitation
3.5 in
10.2 wet days
Daylight
13 h 06 min
5:56 AM – 7:03 PM
Cloud cover
60%
12th clearest
Wind
11 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.23 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Columbus is city in and county seat of Platte County, Nebraska, United States.

Density
831/km²
people per km²
Founded
1856

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 57°F in the first days to 65°F by the end.

A typical April day in Columbus reaches about 61°F in the afternoon and slips back to 40°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 45°F and 76°F. Set against its neighbours, April runs about 12°F warmer than March and about 10°F cooler than May.

20°40°60°80°151015202530
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15635
25735
35735
45735
55836
65836
75837
85937
95937
105938
116038
126038
136039
146139
156139
166140
176240
186240
196241
206241
216342
226342
236342
246442
256443
266443
276444
286544
296544
306545

How April really feels in Columbus

Once humidity and wind are folded in, April averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 14 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
14
wind chill below the day's low

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

Columbus 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
Jan33° / 15°0.94.43.79.30.0
Feb37° / 18°1.05410.30.0
Mar49° / 29°2.07.42.811.72.2
Apr61° / 40°3.510.21.613.15.0
May71° / 51°5.112.4014.36.3
Jun82° / 62°4.410.8014.96.1
Jul86° / 66°2.78.4014.75.4
Aug83° / 64°3.18.8013.76.1
Sep77° / 55°2.67.1012.37.5
Oct63° / 42°2.36.90.610.96.1
Nov49° / 29°1.54.91.89.72.2
Dec36° / 19°1.24.63.79.10.0

Cloud cover in April

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in April, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of April, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
34951
44951
54951
64951
74951
84951
94753
104753
114654
124555
134654
144555
154654
164555
174555
184555
194555
204555
214654
224555
234555
244555
254555
264555
274654
284555
294555
304555

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitationSnow

Columbus gets around 3.5 in of rain and snow over 10.2 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 34% and peaks near 40% 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 (%)
1286
2287
3297
4297
5307
6308
7318
8318
9328
10338
11338
12348
13348
14357
15357
16357
17356
18355
19355
20354
21364
22363
23373
24373
25382
26382
27382
28392
29401
30401

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19910
29910
39910
49910
59910
69910
79910
89910
99910
109910
119910
129910
139910
149910
159910
169910
179820
189820
199820
209820
219820
229820
239820
249820
259730
269631
279631
289541
299442
309352

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
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
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 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 78 minutes over April. Sunrise moves from 6:22 AM to 5:35 AM, and sunset from 6:47 PM to 7:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.46:226:47
212.56:206:48
312.56:186:49
412.66:176:50
512.66:156:51
612.66:136:52
712.76:116:53
812.76:106:54
912.86:086:55
1012.86:066:56
1112.96:056:58
1212.96:036:59
1313.06:017:00
1413.06:007:01
1513.15:587:02
1613.15:567:03
1713.25:557:04
1813.25:537:05
1913.25:527:06
2013.35:507:07
2113.35:487:08
2213.45:477:10
2313.45:457:11
2413.55:447:12
2513.55:427:13
2613.65:417:14
2713.65:407:15
2813.65:387:16
2913.75:377:17
3013.75:357:18

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 5.23 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.97 kWh/m² to a high of 6.72 kWh/m² in July across the year — April's 5.23 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.9Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.1Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
Planning a trip in April

Hazard calendar for Columbus

In seasonPeak

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

Columbus'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 Columbus?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.9
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

April is a reasonable time to visit Columbus for sightseeing.

What to pack for Columbus in April

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

In April, Columbus sees daytime highs around 61°F and nights near 40°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in Columbus 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 Columbus peaks around June 22 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 22UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May6High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7High
Sep6High
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Columbus?

Columbus sits at 41.4°N, 97.4°W, 1,447 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Norfolk, 42 mi away.

Topography around Columbus

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Columbus has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 82 ft around an average of 1,450 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 312 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,024 ft.

The land around Columbus is covered by artificial surfaces (32%), grassland (25%) and trees (21%) within 2 miles, cropland (67%) within 10 miles, and cropland (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
82 ft
10 miles
312 ft
50 miles
1,024 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
April weather nearby: Norfolk 42 mi · Fremont 45 mi · Lincoln 57 mi · Grand Island 62 mi · Papillion 71 mi · La Vista 71 mi · Omaha 75 mi · Hastings 79 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 Columbus (41.4297°, -97.3684°, elevation 1,447 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).