San Luis Obispo weather in April

In April, San Luis Obispo sees average daytime highs of 63°F and overnight lows near 51°F, with 1.0 in of rain across 3.4 wet days and about 12.9 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 62°F in the first days to 65°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, April is San Luis Obispo's 7th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see San Luis Obispo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
63°
8th warmest
Overnight low
51°
5th coldest
Rainfall
1.0 in
3.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 54 min
5:36 AM – 6:30 PM
Cloud cover
35%
7th clearest
Wind
8 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
6.79 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
out of 10

San Luis Obispo is county seat of San Luis Obispo County, California, United States.

Density
1,414/km²
people per km²
Founded
1772

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 62°F in the first days to 65°F by the end.

A typical April day in San Luis Obispo reaches about 63°F in the afternoon and slips back to 51°F overnight — a 13°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 56°F and 71°F. Set against its neighbours, April runs about 2°F warmer than March and about 2°F cooler than May.

40°50°60°70°80°151015202530
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16249
26249
36250
46250
56250
66250
76250
86250
96250
106250
116250
126250
136350
146350
156350
166350
176351
186351
196451
206451
216451
226451
236451
246451
256551
266552
276552
286552
296552
306552

San Luis Obispo weather by month

How April compares with the rest of the year at a glance. April is the 8th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan60° / 47°3.97.29.95.2
Feb60° / 48°3.77.610.75.1
Mar61° / 49°2.86.211.75.8
Apr63° / 51°1.03.412.96.9
May65° / 53°0.41.513.87.8
Jun69° / 56°0.10.414.38.6
Jul71° / 58°0.00.114.19.0
Aug72° / 59°0.00.113.39.2
Sep72° / 59°0.00.412.29.1
Oct70° / 56°0.8211.18.5
Nov64° / 51°1.33.610.17.1
Dec60° / 47°3.06.69.75.3

Cloud cover in April

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% 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 26%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17327
27327
37426
47426
57426
67426
77327
87327
97327
107228
117327
127327
137327
147228
157327
167327
177426
187426
197426
207525
217525
227525
237525
247723
257723
267723
277723
287723
297822
307822

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitation

San Luis Obispo gets around 1.0 in of rain over 3.4 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 11% and peaks near 16% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
116
215
315
415
515
614
714
814
914
1014
1113
1213
1313
1412
1512
1611
1711
1810
1910
2010
219
229
239
248
258
268
278
287
297
307

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 (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12982
13982
14982
15982
16982
17982
18982
19982
20982
21982
22982
23982
24982
25973
26973
27973
28973
29973
30973

Wind in April

Winds average 8 mph in April, the windiest month of the year.

Across April, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202530
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67light breeze
77light breeze
87light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
287light breeze
297light breeze
307light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in April

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of April to 13 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over April. Sunrise moves from 5:57 AM to 5:19 AM, and sunset from 6:17 PM to 6:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:576:17
212.45:566:18
312.45:546:19
412.45:536:20
512.55:526:21
612.55:506:21
712.65:496:22
812.65:476:23
912.65:466:24
1012.75:446:25
1112.75:436:25
1212.75:426:26
1312.85:406:27
1412.85:396:28
1512.95:386:29
1612.95:366:30
1712.95:356:30
1813.05:346:31
1913.05:326:32
2013.05:316:33
2113.15:306:34
2213.15:286:35
2313.15:276:35
2413.25:266:36
2513.25:256:37
2613.25:236:38
2713.35:226:39
2813.35:216:40
2913.35:206:40
3013.45:196:41

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 6.79 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.76 kWh/m² to a high of 8.19 kWh/m² in June across the year — April's 6.79 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

02468151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.2Intense
36.2Intense
46.3Intense
56.3Intense
66.4Intense
76.4Intense
86.5Intense
96.5Intense
106.5Intense
116.6Intense
126.6Intense
136.7Intense
146.7Intense
156.8Intense
166.8Intense
176.8Intense
186.9Intense
196.9Intense
207.0Intense
217.0Intense
227.0Intense
237.1Intense
247.1Intense
257.2Intense
267.2Intense
277.2Intense
287.3Intense
297.3Intense
307.3Intense
Planning a trip in April

Is April a good time to visit San Luis Obispo?

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

6.9
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
1.9
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

April is a reasonable time to visit San Luis Obispo for sightseeing.

What to pack for San Luis Obispo in April

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

In April, San Luis Obispo sees daytime highs around 63°F and nights near 51°F. Pack sun protection. About 3 days see rain.

sun protection

Sea temperature near San Luis Obispo in April

The nearest coast averages about 54°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 11 mi away) is warmest in September at about 60°F and coldest in April near 54°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

52°54°56°58°60°62°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan56Bracing
Feb56Bracing
Mar55Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May54Bracing
Jun55Bracing
Jul58Bracing
Aug59Cool
Sep60Cool
Oct60Cool
Nov58Bracing
Dec57Bracing

UV index in San Luis Obispo in April

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in April peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in San Luis Obispo peaks around June 22 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 11Dec 15UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo is worst in August — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.5× the cleanest month (June, 4 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 2218 µg/m³Jun 124 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb6Good
Mar7Good
Apr6Good
May5Good
Jun4Good
Jul7Good
Aug19Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is San Luis Obispo?

San Luis Obispo sits at 35.3°N, 120.7°W, 233 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Arroyo Grande, 12 mi away.

Topography around San Luis Obispo

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around San Luis Obispo has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,572 ft around an average of 420 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,861 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,407 ft.

The land around San Luis Obispo is covered by grassland (39%), artificial surfaces (36%) and trees (20%) within 2 miles, grassland (44%) and trees (41%) within 10 miles, and grassland (50%) and water (25%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,572 ft
10 miles
2,861 ft
50 miles
5,407 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
April weather nearby: Arroyo Grande 12 mi · Atascadero 14 mi · Nipomo 19 mi · Paso Robles 24 mi · Santa Maria 26 mi · Orcutt 32 mi · Lompoc 46 mi · Coalinga 62 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 San Luis Obispo (35.2828°, -120.6596°, elevation 233 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).