West Des Moines weather in April

In April, West Des Moines sees average daytime highs of 61°F and overnight lows near 41°F, with 4.2 in of precipitation across 11.1 wet days and about 13.1 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 57°F in the first days to 65°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in April, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 24 min at the start of April to 13 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, April is West Des Moines's 11th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see West Des Moines's year-round climate.

Daytime high
61°
7th warmest
Overnight low
41°
6th coldest
Precipitation
4.2 in
11.1 wet days
Daylight
13 h 06 min
5:42 AM – 6:49 PM
Cloud cover
63%
11th clearest
Wind
10 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

West Des Moines is city in Polk, Dallas, Warren, and Madison counties, Iowa, United States.

Density
520/km²
people per km²
Founded
1893

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 57°F in the first days to 65°F by the end.

A typical April day in West Des Moines reaches about 61°F in the afternoon and slips back to 41°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 46°F and 75°F. Set against its neighbours, April runs about 13°F warmer than March and about 10°F cooler than May.

20°40°60°80°151015202530
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15636
25636
35737
45737
55737
65837
75838
85838
95938
105939
116039
126040
136040
146140
156141
166141
176242
186242
196242
206243
216343
226343
236344
246444
256444
266445
276445
286546
296546
306546

How April really feels in West Des Moines

Once humidity and wind are folded in, April averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 9 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
9
wind chill below the day's low

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

West Des Moines weather by month

How April compares with the rest of the year at a glance. April is the 7th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 15°1.26.24.69.30.0
Feb35° / 18°1.56.34.810.30.0
Mar48° / 29°2.68.82.511.71.9
Apr61° / 41°4.211.1113.14.8
May71° / 53°5.413.90.114.36.0
Jun81° / 63°5.011.80156.1
Jul84° / 66°3.69.6014.75.6
Aug82° / 64°3.79.3013.76.5
Sep76° / 55°3.48.1012.37.2
Oct63° / 43°2.87.80.410.95.8
Nov48° / 31°2.06.51.39.72.0
Dec35° / 20°1.65.93.990.0

Cloud cover in April

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in April.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of April, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24258
34258
44258
54159
64159
74159
84159
94159
103961
113961
123961
133862
143862
153862
163862
173961
183862
194060
204060
214060
224060
233961
244060
254159
264159
274159
284159
294159
304258

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitationSnow

West Des Moines gets around 4.2 in of rain and snow over 11.1 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 37% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202530
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1324
2324
3334
4334
5334
6344
7344
8355
9365
10365
11375
12385
13385
14394
15394
16394
17404
18403
19393
20393
21392
22392
23392
24392
25391
26401
27401
28401
29401
30401

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 95% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
196400
297300
397300
497300
597300
697300
797300
897300
997300
1095410
1195410
1295410
1395410
1495410
1595410
1695410
1795410
1895410
1995410
2095410
2195410
2295410
2395410
2495410
2594510
2694510
2793520
2892620
2990721
3089731

Wind in April

Winds average 10 mph in April, the windiest month of the year.

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

051015151015202530
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light 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 24 min at the start of April to 13 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 78 minutes over April. Sunrise moves from 6:07 AM to 5:20 AM, and sunset from 6:32 PM to 7:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.46:076:32
212.56:056:33
312.56:046:34
412.66:026:35
512.66:006:36
612.75:586:38
712.75:576:39
812.75:556:40
912.85:536:41
1012.85:526:42
1112.95:506:43
1212.95:486:44
1313.05:476:45
1413.05:456:46
1513.15:436:47
1613.15:426:49
1713.25:406:50
1813.25:386:51
1913.35:376:52
2013.35:356:53
2113.35:346:54
2213.45:326:55
2313.45:316:56
2413.55:296:57
2513.55:286:58
2613.65:267:00
2713.65:257:01
2813.65:237:02
2913.75:227:03
3013.75:207:04

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 5.02 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.82 kWh/m² to a high of 6.48 kWh/m² in July across the year — April's 5.02 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
Planning a trip in April

Is April a good time to visit West Des Moines?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.9
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

April is a reasonable time to visit West Des Moines for sightseeing.

What to pack for West Des Moines in April

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

In April, West Des Moines sees daytime highs around 61°F and nights near 41°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in West Des Moines in April

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in April peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in West Des Moines peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 20UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in West Des Moines 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 West Des Moines is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1915 µg/m³Oct 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Moderate
Feb14Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr10Good
May11Good
Jun12Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct7Good
Nov8Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is West Des Moines?

West Des Moines sits at 41.6°N, 93.7°W, 827 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Clive, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around West Des Moines

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around West Des Moines has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 220 ft around an average of 876 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 315 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 827 ft.

The land around West Des Moines is covered by trees (55%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 2 miles, trees (34%) and grassland (25%) within 10 miles, and cropland (62%) and grassland (21%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
220 ft
10 miles
315 ft
50 miles
827 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
April weather nearby: Clive 1.9 mi · Urbandale 3.7 mi · Des Moines 5.6 mi · Johnston 6.8 mi · Waukee 9.3 mi · Ankeny 12 mi · Altoona 14 mi · Indianola 17 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 West Des Moines (41.5772°, -93.7113°, elevation 827 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).