Rancho Santa Margarita weather in April

In April, Rancho Santa Margarita sees average daytime highs of 71°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 1.2 in of rain across 3.9 wet days and about 12.8 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 68°F in the first days to 73°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% 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 Rancho Santa Margarita's 8th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rancho Santa Margarita's year-round climate.

Daytime high
71°
7th warmest
Overnight low
51°
6th coldest
Rainfall
1.2 in
3.9 wet days
Daylight
12 h 48 min
5:26 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
38%
8th clearest
Wind
4 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
6.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.9
out of 10

Rancho Santa Margarita is city in Orange County, California, United States.

Density
1,466/km²
people per km²
Founded
2000

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 68°F in the first days to 73°F by the end.

A typical April day in Rancho Santa Margarita reaches about 71°F in the afternoon and slips back to 51°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 60°F and 82°F. Set against its neighbours, April runs about 4°F warmer than March and about 4°F cooler than May.

40°50°60°70°80°151015202530
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16850
26850
36850
46850
56850
66950
76950
86950
96950
106951
116951
127051
137051
147051
157051
167151
177151
187152
197152
207152
217252
227253
237253
247253
257353
267353
277353
287354
297354
307354

Rancho Santa Margarita weather by month

How April compares with the rest of the year at a glance. April is the 7th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan64° / 44°3.66.4106.5
Feb64° / 46°4.46.810.76.4
Mar67° / 48°2.66.511.76.9
Apr71° / 51°1.23.912.87.9
May74° / 56°0.62.313.78.7
Jun80° / 60°0.10.614.28.6
Jul86° / 65°0.10.6146.7
Aug88° / 66°0.10.313.26.1
Sep85° / 64°0.21.312.26.9
Oct79° / 57°0.92.811.28.5
Nov70° / 49°1.23.210.38.0
Dec64° / 44°2.55.39.86.6

Cloud cover in April

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time in April.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of April, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 30%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16436
26436
36535
46634
56634
66634
76733
86733
96832
106832
116832
126832
136931
147030
157129
167129
177129
187129
197228
207228
217327
227327
237327
247327
257327
267327
277327
287327
297327
307327

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitation

Rancho Santa Margarita gets around 1.2 in of rain over 3.9 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 13% and peaks near 17% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
117
216
316
415
515
615
714
814
914
1014
1113
1213
1313
1413
1513
1612
1712
1812
1912
2012
2112
2211
2311
2411
2511
2611
2711
2811
2911
3011

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 93% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1973
2973
3973
4973
5973
6973
7973
8973
9973
10973
11964
12964
13955
14955
15946
16946
17937
18937
19928
20919
21919
229010
238911
248812
258812
268713
278713
288614
298614
308515

Wind in April

Winds average 4 mph in April, the windiest month of the year.

Across April, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 4 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202530
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm

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 5:46 AM to 5:09 AM, and sunset from 6:04 PM to 6:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:466:04
212.35:446:05
312.45:436:06
412.45:426:07
512.55:406:07
612.55:396:08
712.55:376:09
812.65:366:10
912.65:356:10
1012.65:336:11
1112.75:326:12
1212.75:316:13
1312.75:296:13
1412.85:286:14
1512.85:276:15
1612.85:266:16
1712.95:246:16
1812.95:236:17
1912.95:226:18
2013.05:216:19
2113.05:196:20
2213.05:186:20
2313.15:176:21
2413.15:166:22
2513.15:156:23
2613.25:136:23
2713.25:126:24
2813.25:116:25
2913.35:106:26
3013.35:096:26

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 6.6 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.99 kWh/m² to a high of 7.98 kWh/m² in June across the year — April's 6.6 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

02468151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.1Intense
56.2Intense
66.2Intense
76.3Intense
86.3Intense
96.3Intense
106.4Intense
116.4Intense
126.5Intense
136.5Intense
146.6Intense
156.6Intense
166.6Intense
176.7Intense
186.7Intense
196.7Intense
206.8Intense
216.8Intense
226.8Intense
236.9Intense
246.9Intense
256.9Intense
266.9Intense
277.0Intense
287.0Intense
297.0Intense
307.0Intense
Planning a trip in April

Is April a good time to visit Rancho Santa Margarita?

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

7.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

April is one of the better times to visit Rancho Santa Margarita for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Rancho Santa Margarita in April

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

In April, Rancho Santa Margarita sees daytime highs around 71°F and nights near 51°F. Pack sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

sun protection

Sea temperature near Rancho Santa Margarita in April

The nearest coast averages about 60°F in April — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 16 mi away) is warmest in August at about 69°F and coldest in February near 59°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 13 to Sep 28 — about 2.6 months when the water holds above 68°F.

60°65°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan59Cool
Feb59Cool
Mar59Cool
Apr60Cool
May63Cool
Jun65Cool
Jul68Refreshing
Aug69Refreshing
Sep69Refreshing
Oct67Cool
Nov64Cool
Dec60Cool

UV index in Rancho Santa Margarita 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 Rancho Santa Margarita peaks around June 23 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 10Dec 16UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Rancho Santa Margarita 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 Rancho Santa Margarita is worst in September — around 49 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.0× the cleanest month (May, 12 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateSep 1447 µg/m³May 1713 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan18Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr17Moderate
May12Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug32Moderate
Sep49Poor
Oct21Moderate
Nov21Moderate
Dec18Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Rancho Santa Margarita?

Rancho Santa Margarita sits at 33.6°N, 117.6°W, 948 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Mission Viejo, 5.0 mi away.

Topography around Rancho Santa Margarita

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Rancho Santa Margarita has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 764 ft around an average of 1,007 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,564 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9,967 ft.

The land around Rancho Santa Margarita is covered by artificial surfaces (41%) and trees (35%) within 2 miles, trees (43%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 10 miles, and water (27%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
764 ft
10 miles
5,564 ft
50 miles
9,967 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
April weather nearby: Mission Viejo 5.0 mi · Lake Forest 5.0 mi · Ladera Ranch 5.0 mi · Laguna Hills 6.8 mi · Laguna Woods 7.5 mi · Aliso Viejo 8.7 mi · Stonegate 9.3 mi · Laguna Niguel 9.9 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 Rancho Santa Margarita (33.6409°, -117.6031°, elevation 948 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).