Ottawa weather in April

In April, Ottawa sees average daytime highs of 61°F and overnight lows near 41°F, with 4.3 in of precipitation across 11.9 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 22% 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 Ottawa's 9th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ottawa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
61°
7th warmest
Overnight low
41°
6th coldest
Precipitation
4.3 in
11.9 wet days
Daylight
13 h 06 min
5:22 AM – 6:29 PM
Cloud cover
66%
9th clearest
Wind
10 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
4.96 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Ottawa is city in Illinois, United States.

Density
553/km²
people per km²
Founded
1853

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 Ottawa reaches about 61°F in the afternoon and slips back to 41°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 47°F and 75°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)
15637
25637
35737
45738
55838
65838
75838
85939
95939
106040
116040
126040
136141
146141
156141
166242
176242
186242
196343
206343
216343
226444
236444
246444
256445
266545
276545
286546
296546
306646

How April really feels in Ottawa

Once humidity and wind are folded in, April averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 7 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
7
wind chill below the day's low

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

Ottawa 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
Jan32° / 18°2.28.25.49.40.0
Feb37° / 21°2.07.24.210.30.0
Mar49° / 31°2.89.92.411.71.9
Apr61° / 41°4.311.90.613.14.8
May71° / 52°4.713014.36.1
Jun80° / 62°4.411.7014.96.2
Jul83° / 66°3.811.3014.75.7
Aug82° / 64°3.59.7013.76.6
Sep76° / 56°3.18.4012.37.1
Oct63° / 44°3.190.110.95.7
Nov49° / 33°2.78.61.19.72.1
Dec37° / 23°2.28.13.79.10.0

Cloud cover in April

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% of the time in April.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of April, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23466
33466
43466
53466
63466
73664
83664
93565
103565
113664
123763
133763
143763
153961
163961
173862
183862
193862
203862
213862
223862
233862
243862
253763
263763
273763
283763
293763
303763

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitationSnow

Ottawa gets around 4.3 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 40% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202530
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1374
2373
3373
4373
5373
6373
7373
8373
9383
10383
11383
12393
13393
14393
15392
16402
17402
18402
19411
20411
21421
22421
23421
24421
25420
26420
27420
28420
29420
30420

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 95% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
196310
296310
396310
497210
597210
697210
797210
897210
996310
1096310
1196310
1295320
1395320
1495320
1595320
1695320
1795320
1895410
1995410
2095410
2194510
2294510
2394510
2493610
2593610
2693610
2792710
2891720
2990820
3088921

Wind in April

Winds average 10 mph in April, the windiest month of the year.

Across April, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202530
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light 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 5:48 AM to 5:01 AM, and sunset from 6:12 PM to 6:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.45:486:12
212.55:466:14
312.55:446:15
412.65:426:16
512.65:416:17
612.65:396:18
712.75:376:19
812.75:366:20
912.85:346:21
1012.85:326:22
1112.95:316:23
1212.95:296:24
1313.05:276:26
1413.05:266:27
1513.15:246:28
1613.15:226:29
1713.25:216:30
1813.25:196:31
1913.25:186:32
2013.35:166:33
2113.35:146:34
2213.45:136:35
2313.45:116:36
2413.55:106:38
2513.55:086:39
2613.55:076:40
2713.65:066:41
2813.65:046:42
2913.75:036:43
3013.75:016:44

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 4.96 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.72 kWh/m² to a high of 6.31 kWh/m² in June across the year — April's 4.96 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.6Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
Planning a trip in April

Is April a good time to visit Ottawa?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
1.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

April is a reasonable time to visit Ottawa for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ottawa in April

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

In April, Ottawa sees daytime highs around 61°F and nights near 41°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in Ottawa 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 Ottawa peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 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 20UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Ottawa 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 Ottawa is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (October, 9 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodJul 1917 µg/m³Oct 229 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov9Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ottawa?

Ottawa sits at 41.3°N, 88.8°W, 482 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Yorkville, 29 mi away.

Topography around Ottawa

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Ottawa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 295 ft around an average of 531 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 417 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 692 ft.

The land around Ottawa is covered by trees (36%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 2 miles, cropland (69%) within 10 miles, and cropland (78%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
295 ft
10 miles
417 ft
50 miles
692 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
April weather nearby: Yorkville 29 mi · Oswego 34 mi · Shorewood 35 mi · Montgomery 37 mi · Plainfield 39 mi · Aurora 39 mi · DeKalb 40 mi · Crest Hill 41 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 Ottawa (41.3456°, -88.8426°, elevation 482 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).