Traverse City weather in April

In April, Traverse City sees average daytime highs of 50°F and overnight lows near 34°F, with 3.2 in of precipitation across 11 wet days and about 13.2 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 45°F in the first days to 55°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 13 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, April is Traverse City's 6th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Traverse City's year-round climate.

Daytime high
50°
7th warmest
Overnight low
34°
6th coldest
Precipitation
3.2 in
11 wet days
Daylight
13 h 12 min
6:05 AM – 7:20 PM
Cloud cover
64%
6th clearest
Wind
9 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.06 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.3
out of 10

Traverse City is city in and seat of Grand Traverse County, Michigan, United States.

Density
679/km²
people per km²
Founded
1891

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 45°F in the first days to 55°F by the end.

A typical April day in Traverse City reaches about 50°F in the afternoon and slips back to 34°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 38°F and 64°F. Set against its neighbours, April runs about 13°F warmer than March and about 12°F cooler than May.

20°40°60°80°151015202530
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14429
24429
34530
44530
54631
64631
74631
84732
94732
104832
114833
124933
134934
145034
155034
165135
175135
185235
195236
205236
215337
225337
235337
245437
255438
265538
275538
285539
295639
305640

How April really feels in Traverse City

Once humidity and wind are folded in, April averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 25 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
25
wind chill below the day's low

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

Traverse City weather by month

How April compares with the rest of the year at a glance. April is the 7th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 17°2.111.813.990.0
Feb28° / 16°1.68.58.810.10.0
Mar38° / 23°2.18.76.211.60.1
Apr50° / 34°3.2113.513.22.3
May62° / 45°3.210.90.214.65.1
Jun71° / 55°3.110015.36.6
Jul76° / 61°3.3110156.9
Aug75° / 60°3.310.6013.97.0
Sep69° / 53°3.211.6012.36.1
Oct56° / 43°3.7140.410.73.4
Nov43° / 34°2.813.36.69.40.6
Dec34° / 26°2.413.313.38.70.0

Cloud cover in April

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23664
33664
43664
53664
63664
73664
83664
93664
103664
113763
123862
133961
144060
154060
164060
174060
184159
194159
204159
214258
224456
234456
244456
254456
264456
274357
284357
294456
304456

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitationSnow

Traverse City gets around 3.2 in of rain and snow over 11 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 36% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202530
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13315
23416
33516
43616
53616
63716
73816
83816
93815
103815
113814
123814
133813
143812
153712
163711
173710
183710
19379
20368
21368
22367
23367
24366
25366
26355
27355
28354
29354
30344

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991

Wind in April

Winds average 9 mph in April.

Across April, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202530
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in April

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min at the start of April to 13 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 84 minutes over April. Sunrise moves from 6:33 AM to 5:42 AM, and sunset from 7:01 PM to 7:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.56:337:01
212.56:317:02
312.66:297:04
412.66:277:05
512.76:267:06
612.76:247:07
712.86:227:09
812.86:207:10
912.96:187:11
1012.96:167:13
1113.06:147:14
1213.06:127:15
1313.16:117:16
1413.16:097:18
1513.26:077:19
1613.26:057:20
1713.36:037:21
1813.46:027:23
1913.46:007:24
2013.55:587:25
2113.55:567:27
2213.65:557:28
2313.65:537:29
2413.65:517:30
2513.75:507:32
2613.75:487:33
2713.85:467:34
2813.85:457:35
2913.95:437:37
3013.95:427:38

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 5.06 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.13 kWh/m² to a high of 6.49 kWh/m² in June across the year — April's 5.06 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.4Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.6Bright
Planning a trip in April

Is April a good time to visit Traverse City?

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

2.3
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 Traverse City.

What to pack for Traverse City in April

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

In April, Traverse City sees daytime highs around 50°F and nights near 34°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Traverse City in April

The nearest coast averages about 37°F in April — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 68°F and coldest in March near 35°F.

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

30°40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan38Bracing
Feb36Bracing
Mar35Bracing
Apr37Bracing
May40Bracing
Jun50Bracing
Jul64Cool
Aug68Refreshing
Sep65Cool
Oct56Bracing
Nov48Bracing
Dec42Bracing

UV index in Traverse City 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 Traverse City peaks around June 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 18UV 9Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Traverse City?

Traverse City sits at 44.8°N, 85.6°W, 597 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Mackinac Island, 89 mi away.

Topography around Traverse City

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Traverse City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 404 ft around an average of 627 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 679 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,224 ft.

The land around Traverse City is covered by water (33%), trees (32%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 2 miles, trees (48%), water (25%) and grassland (22%) within 10 miles, and trees (49%) and water (37%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
404 ft
10 miles
679 ft
50 miles
1,224 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
April weather nearby: Mackinac Island 89 mi · Mount Pleasant 91 mi · Midland 104 mi · Muskegon 110 mi · Manitowoc 111 mi · Norton Shores 115 mi · Bellevue 115 mi · Bay City 118 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 Traverse City (44.7631°, -85.6206°, elevation 597 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).