Helena weather in April

In April, Helena sees average daytime highs of 48°F and overnight lows near 28°F, with 2.4 in of precipitation across 11.9 wet days and about 13.3 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 44°F in the first days to 52°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% 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 14 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, April is Helena's 12th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Helena's year-round climate.

Daytime high
48°
7th warmest
Overnight low
28°
6th coldest
Precipitation
2.4 in
11.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 18 min
5:48 AM – 7:08 PM
Cloud cover
68%
12th clearest
Wind
5 mph
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.65 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.7
out of 10

Helena is capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and seat of Lewis and Clark County.

Density
749/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 44°F in the first days to 52°F by the end.

A typical April day in Helena reaches about 48°F in the afternoon and slips back to 28°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 36°F and 62°F. Set against its neighbours, April runs about 9°F warmer than March and about 10°F cooler than May.

20°40°60°151015202530
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14424
24424
34424
44424
54525
64525
74525
84625
94626
104626
114726
124726
134727
144827
154827
164828
174928
184928
194928
205029
215029
225029
235129
245130
255130
265230
275231
285231
295331
305331

How April really feels in Helena

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.

Helena 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° / 12°0.977.68.80.0
Feb31° / 13°0.977.6100.0
Mar39° / 20°1.49.77.711.60.1
Apr48° / 28°2.411.97.213.31.7
May59° / 37°3.213.82.714.84.0
Jun67° / 44°3.813.50.615.65.7
Jul78° / 50°1.78.8015.27.2
Aug78° / 49°1.57.50.1147.4
Sep67° / 42°1.66.80.912.46.7
Oct52° / 32°1.58.33.810.72.9
Nov37° / 21°1.27.76.29.20.1
Dec27° / 12°1.17.37.88.40.0

Cloud cover in April

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in April, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of April, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 65%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
23070
33070
43169
53169
63169
73169
83169
93169
103268
113367
123367
133466
143466
153466
163565
173565
183664
193664
203664
213763
223862
233862
243961
253961
264060
274060
284159
294159
304159

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitationSnow

Helena gets around 2.4 in of rain and snow over 11.9 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 39% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days, and about 7 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202530
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13829
23829
33829
43828
53828
63827
73827
83826
93826
103826
113825
123825
133824
143923
153923
163923
173922
183922
194022
204021
214021
224021
234020
243920
253919
263918
273818
283817
293816
303816

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 6 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
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm

Sunrise & sunset in April

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min at the start of April to 14 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 96 minutes over April. Sunrise moves from 6:18 AM to 5:24 AM, and sunset from 6:48 PM to 7:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.56:186:48
212.66:166:49
312.66:146:50
412.76:126:52
512.76:106:53
612.86:086:55
712.86:066:56
812.96:046:57
912.96:026:59
1013.06:007:00
1113.15:587:01
1213.15:567:03
1313.25:547:04
1413.25:527:06
1513.35:507:07
1613.35:487:08
1713.45:477:10
1813.45:457:11
1913.55:437:12
2013.55:417:14
2113.65:397:15
2213.75:377:17
2313.75:367:18
2413.85:347:19
2513.85:327:21
2613.95:307:22
2713.95:297:23
2814.05:277:25
2914.05:257:26
3014.15:247:27

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 5.65 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.55 kWh/m² to a high of 7.45 kWh/m² in July across the year — April's 5.65 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
246.0Bright
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.2Intense
Planning a trip in April

Hazard calendar for Helena

In seasonPeak

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

Helena's rainy season runs April–June, 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 Helena?

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

1.7
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 Helena.

What to pack for Helena in April

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

In April, Helena sees daytime highs around 48°F and nights near 28°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in Helena 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 Helena peaks around July 15 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 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 highHighModerateLowJul 15UV 9Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar5Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7High
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Helena 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 Helena is worst in August — around 25 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.1× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1225 µg/m³Dec 178 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May11Good
Jun9Good
Jul23Moderate
Aug25Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov9Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Helena?

Helena sits at 46.6°N, 112.0°W, 4,058 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Butte, 47 mi away.

Topography around Helena

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Helena has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,588 ft around an average of 4,219 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,481 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,729 ft.

The land around Helena is covered by artificial surfaces (45%), trees (28%) and grassland (25%) within 2 miles, grassland (53%) and trees (31%) within 10 miles, and grassland (53%) and trees (42%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,588 ft
10 miles
3,481 ft
50 miles
6,729 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
April weather nearby: Butte 47 mi · Great Falls 71 mi · Bozeman 79 mi · Missoula 94 mi · Kalispell 153 mi · Whitefish 165 mi · Billings 178 mi · Rexburg 191 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 Helena (46.5927°, -112.0361°, elevation 4,058 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).