Weather in Wellington in April

A good month. April is a solid month to be in Wellington. Highs average 16.2 °C, lows 12.6 °C, and rain falls on 10 days — nothing in the month is working against you.

April ranks 5 of 12 in Wellington: past the worst of the year but short of February, which is the month to book if the dates are open.

Rain on 10 days, 2 of them heavy. Enough to need a plan B, not enough to need a plan around it. Pack for 16.2 °C days and 12.6 °C nights; the spread matters more here than any single number.

What the averages hide

Averages flatten a month, and this one hides a few things: the day barely swings — 3.6 °C between the overnight low and the afternoon high. Across the twenty years measured, the hottest April day reached 20.9 °C and the coldest night fell to 8.6 °C, and the wettest single day dropped 46 mm — roughly 66% of the month's rain in one day.

April is moderately variable: 17 mm in the driest year against 171 mm in the wettest, around an average of 70 mm. Roughly two Aprils in three land near that average, and the third does something else entirely.

Wind sits around 18.1 km/h — a steady breeze rather than a nuisance, and welcome on the warmer days, and humidity runs at 83%, high enough to notice on the warm days without dominating them.

How April sits in the year

The month is on the way down: 2.1 °C cooler than March, with May dropping another 1.8 °C. The first week and the last are not the same trip.

Daylight in April

11 hours of daylight, losing 1.3 hours across the month. That is between Wellington's extremes of 15.1 and 9.2 hours, so days are long enough not to constrain the plan.

Sea temperature

The sea sits at about 15 °C in April — cold — a quick dip rather than a swim, and a wetsuit if you are in for longer. The sea peaks at 16.8 °C in February and bottoms out at 11.6 °C — water lags the air by a month or two, which is why the best swimming often comes after the best weather.

How busy it gets

Shoulder. The value months — prices ease off and you get the place closer to itself.

Crowd levels are estimated from climate desirability and school-holiday calendars, not from visitor numbers.

April in Wellington versus nearby

If Wellington is one option among several, the nearby comparison is worth making. Nelson is close enough to be a coin toss — 2.9 °C warmer, 2 days more rain. Palmerston North is close enough to be a coin toss — 2.4 °C warmer, 1 day more rain.

So: April works, with February the better month by 15 points if the dates can move. If they cannot, nothing here should stop you booking.

Every month in Wellington

See all twelve months in Wellington, or where else to go in April.