Watertown weather in April

In April, Watertown sees average daytime highs of 53°F and overnight lows near 33°F, with 2.8 in of precipitation across 9.5 wet days and about 13.2 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 47°F in the first days to 59°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 Watertown's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Watertown's year-round climate.

Daytime high
53°
7th warmest
Overnight low
33°
6th coldest
Precipitation
2.8 in
9.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 18 min
5:51 AM – 7:06 PM
Cloud cover
63%
8th clearest
Wind
11 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.28 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.0
out of 10

Watertown is city in and county seat of Codington County, South Dakota, United States.

Density
329/km²
people per km²
Founded
1879

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 47°F in the first days to 59°F by the end.

A typical April day in Watertown reaches about 53°F in the afternoon and slips back to 33°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 36°F and 69°F. Set against its neighbours, April runs about 15°F warmer than March and about 13°F cooler than May.

20°40°60°80°151015202530
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14628
24728
34729
44729
54829
64830
74930
84930
95031
105031
115132
125132
135232
145233
155333
165334
175434
185435
195535
205535
215636
225636
235636
245737
255737
265838
275838
285938
295939
305939

How April really feels in Watertown

Once humidity and wind are folded in, April averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 29 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
29
wind chill below the day's low

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

Watertown weather by month

How April compares with the rest of the year at a glance. April is the 7th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan21° / 0.95.25.490.0
Feb25° / 10°0.84.64.610.10.0
Mar38° / 21°1.663.811.60.2
Apr53° / 33°2.89.5313.23.0
May66° / 46°3.411.40.114.65.7
Jun75° / 57°4.412.2015.36.5
Jul80° / 62°3.19.4015.16.9
Aug78° / 59°3.29.3013.97.1
Sep71° / 50°2.58012.37.0
Oct56° / 37°2.26.91.210.74.1
Nov40° / 24°1.353.69.40.4
Dec26° / 13°0.955.48.70.0

Cloud cover in April

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24258
34258
44258
54258
64258
74258
84258
94258
104258
114258
124258
134258
144258
154159
164159
174159
184159
194258
204258
214258
224258
234357
244456
254456
264456
274456
284456
294456
304456

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitationSnow

Watertown gets around 2.8 in of rain and snow over 9.5 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 31% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202530
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12411
22511
32611
42712
52712
62813
72913
82913
93013
103013
113113
123112
133212
143312
153311
163311
173410
183410
19349
20348
21348
22347
23347
24336
25336
26335
27335
28334
29334
30343

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
27991
28991
29991
30982

Wind in April

Winds average 11 mph in April.

Across April, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 11 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202530
Wind speed (mph)Feels
111light breeze
211light breeze
311light breeze
411light breeze
511light breeze
611light breeze
711light breeze
811light breeze
911light breeze
1011light breeze
1111light breeze
1211light breeze
1311light breeze
1411light breeze
1511light breeze
1611light breeze
1711light breeze
1811light breeze
1911light breeze
2011light breeze
2111light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light 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 6:19 AM to 5:27 AM, and sunset from 6:47 PM to 7:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.56:196:47
212.56:176:48
312.66:156:50
412.66:136:51
512.76:116:52
612.76:106:54
712.86:086:55
812.86:066:56
912.96:046:57
1012.96:026:59
1113.06:007:00
1213.05:587:01
1313.15:567:02
1413.25:557:04
1513.25:537:05
1613.35:517:06
1713.35:497:08
1813.45:477:09
1913.45:467:10
2013.55:447:11
2113.55:427:13
2213.65:417:14
2313.65:397:15
2413.75:377:17
2513.75:357:18
2613.85:347:19
2713.85:327:20
2813.95:317:22
2913.95:297:23
3013.95:277:24

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 5.28 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.56 kWh/m² to a high of 6.64 kWh/m² in July across the year — April's 5.28 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.8Bright
24.8Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.1Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
Planning a trip in April

Hazard calendar for Watertown

In seasonPeak

In April, Watertown sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Watertown sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

Watertown's rainy season runs April–October, when most of the year's rain falls.

Atlantic hurricane
Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is April a good time to visit Watertown?

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

3.0
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 Watertown.

What to pack for Watertown in April

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

In April, Watertown sees daytime highs around 53°F and nights near 33°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in Watertown 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 Watertown peaks around June 19 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 19UV 9Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May6High
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Watertown?

Watertown sits at 44.9°N, 97.1°W, 1,732 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Brookings, 43 mi away.

Topography around Watertown

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Watertown has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 115 ft around an average of 1,736 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 344 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,237 ft.

The land around Watertown is covered by grassland (38%) and artificial surfaces (29%) within 2 miles, cropland (58%) and grassland (28%) within 10 miles, and cropland (62%) and grassland (29%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
115 ft
10 miles
344 ft
50 miles
1,237 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
April weather nearby: Brookings 43 mi · Aberdeen 78 mi · Mitchell 94 mi · Sioux Falls 96 mi · Willmar 103 mi · West Fargo 137 mi · Moorhead 137 mi · Fargo 137 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 Watertown (44.8994°, -97.1151°, elevation 1,732 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).