Palm Desert weather in April

In April, Palm Desert sees average daytime highs of 73°F and overnight lows near 50°F, with 0.4 in of rain across 2.3 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 70°F in the first days to 77°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 68% of the time in April, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of April to 13 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, April is Palm Desert's 7th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Palm Desert's year-round climate.

Daytime high
73°
7th warmest
Overnight low
50°
6th coldest
Rainfall
0.4 in
2.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:21 AM – 6:11 PM
Cloud cover
30%
7th clearest
Wind
5 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
7.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.6
out of 10

Palm Desert is city in Riverside County, California, United States.

Density
741/km²
people per km²
Founded
1973

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 70°F in the first days to 77°F by the end.

A typical April day in Palm Desert reaches about 73°F in the afternoon and slips back to 50°F overnight — a 24°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 60°F and 85°F. Set against its neighbours, April runs about 6°F warmer than March and about 8°F cooler than May.

40°60°80°151015202530
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
17047
27047
37047
47148
57148
67148
77148
87148
97148
107248
117249
127249
137249
147349
157349
167350
177450
187450
197450
207551
217551
227551
237651
247652
257652
267752
277753
287753
297853
307853

How April really feels in Palm Desert

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

April sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Palm Desert weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan60° / 41°1.64.50.2105.8
Feb62° / 42°1.85.10.510.76.2
Mar67° / 46°0.93.50.211.77.5
Apr73° / 50°0.42.3012.88.6
May81° / 56°0.21.2013.78.1
Jun91° / 64°0.00.3014.25.0
Jul96° / 70°0.320143.0
Aug95° / 71°0.42.5013.33.2
Sep89° / 65°0.32012.25.4
Oct79° / 55°0.31.4011.28.6
Nov68° / 46°0.51.80.110.38.0
Dec60° / 40°1.33.80.39.85.6

Cloud cover in April

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 68% 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 18%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17723
27822
37822
47921
57921
67921
78020
88020
98020
108119
118119
128119
138218
148218
158218
168317
178317
188317
198317
208416
218416
228416
238416
248416
258416
268416
278416
288416
298416
308416

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitation

Palm Desert gets around 0.4 in of rain over 2.3 wet days in April. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 7% and peaks near 9% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
19
29
39
49
59
69
79
89
99
109
119
129
138
148
158
168
177
187
197
206
216
226
236
245
255
265
275
285
294
304

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 18 min at the start of April to 13 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over April. Sunrise moves from 5:41 AM to 5:04 AM, and sunset from 6:00 PM to 6:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:416:00
212.35:396:00
312.45:386:01
412.45:376:02
512.55:356:03
612.55:346:03
712.55:326:04
812.65:316:05
912.65:306:06
1012.65:286:06
1112.75:276:07
1212.75:266:08
1312.75:246:09
1412.85:236:09
1512.85:226:10
1612.85:216:11
1712.95:196:12
1812.95:186:12
1912.95:176:13
2013.05:166:14
2113.05:146:15
2213.05:136:15
2313.15:126:16
2413.15:116:17
2513.15:106:18
2613.25:086:19
2713.25:076:19
2813.25:066:20
2913.35:056:21
3013.35:046:22

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 7.24 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.17 kWh/m² to a high of 8.58 kWh/m² in June across the year — April's 7.24 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

02468151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.6Intense
26.7Intense
36.7Intense
46.8Intense
56.8Intense
66.8Intense
76.9Intense
86.9Intense
97.0Intense
107.0Intense
117.1Intense
127.1Intense
137.2Intense
147.2Intense
157.2Intense
167.3Intense
177.3Intense
187.4Intense
197.4Intense
207.4Intense
217.5Intense
227.5Intense
237.5Intense
247.6Intense
257.6Intense
267.6Intense
277.7Intense
287.7Intense
297.7Intense
307.7Intense
Planning a trip in April

Is April a good time to visit Palm Desert?

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

8.6
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.6
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

April is one of the better times to visit Palm Desert for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Palm Desert in April

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

In April, Palm Desert sees daytime highs around 73°F and nights near 50°F. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes.

sun protectionlight clothes

UV index in Palm Desert in April

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in April peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Palm Desert peaks around June 23 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 11Dec 17UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr8Very high
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Palm Desert 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 Palm Desert is worst in September — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.3× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodSep 1419 µg/m³Dec 155 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar8Good
Apr8Good
May7Good
Jun14Moderate
Jul10Good
Aug11Good
Sep20Moderate
Oct6Good
Nov5Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Palm Desert?

Palm Desert sits at 33.7°N, 116.4°W, 220 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Rancho Mirage, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around Palm Desert

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Palm Desert has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 925 ft around an average of 272 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,276 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 11,650 ft.

The land around Palm Desert is covered by artificial surfaces (62%) within 2 miles, bare terrain (47%), artificial surfaces (22%) and shrubs (20%) within 10 miles, and bare terrain (44%) and shrubs (29%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
925 ft
10 miles
5,276 ft
50 miles
11,650 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
April weather nearby: Rancho Mirage 2.5 mi · La Quinta 5.6 mi · Cathedral City 6.2 mi · Indio 9.3 mi · Coachella 12 mi · Palm Springs 12 mi · Desert Hot Springs 18 mi · Yucca Valley 27 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 Palm Desert (33.7225°, -116.377°, elevation 220 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).