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April Weather in Arcata California, United States

Daily high temperatures increase by 2°F, from 57°F to 59°F, rarely falling below 52°F or exceeding 65°F.

Daily low temperatures increase by 2°F, from 43°F to 45°F, rarely falling below 35°F or exceeding 52°F.

For reference, on September 10, the hottest day of the year, temperatures in Arcata typically range from 51°F to 67°F, while on December 22, the coldest day of the year, they range from 41°F to 55°F.

Average High and Low Temperature in April in Arcata

The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the hourly average temperatures for the quarter of the year centered on April. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.

Average Hourly Temperature in April in Arcata

Average Hourly Temperature in April in ArcataApr11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303012 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMMarMayNowNowvery coldcoldcool
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Cygnet, Australia (8,015 miles away) is the far-away foreign place with temperatures most similar to Arcata (view comparison).

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The month of April in Arcata experiences decreasing cloud cover, with the percentage of time that the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy decreasing from 61% to 52%.

The clearest day of the month is April 30, with clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy conditions 47% of the time.

For reference, on January 9, the cloudiest day of the year, the chance of overcast or mostly cloudy conditions is 68%, while on August 2, the clearest day of the year, the chance of clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy skies is 89%.

Cloud Cover Categories in April in Arcata

Cloud Cover Categories in April in ArcataApr1122334455667788991010111112121313141415151616171718181919202021212222232324242525262627272828292930300%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%MarMayApr 139%Apr 139%Apr 3047%Apr 3047%Apr 1142%Apr 1142%Apr 2145%Apr 2145%NowNowclearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercast
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. In Arcata, the chance of a wet day over the course of April is very rapidly decreasing, starting the month at 35% and ending it at 21%.

For reference, the year's highest daily chance of a wet day is 47% on December 3, and its lowest chance is 1% on August 2.

Probability of Precipitation in April in Arcata

Probability of Precipitation in April in ArcataApr1122334455667788991010111112121313141415151616171718181919202021212222232324242525262627272828292930300%0%5%5%10%10%15%15%20%20%25%25%30%30%35%35%40%40%45%45%50%50%MarMayApr 135%Apr 135%Apr 3021%Apr 3021%Apr 1130%Apr 1130%Apr 2126%Apr 2126%NowNowrain
The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).

Rainfall

To show variation within the month and not just the monthly total, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day.

The average sliding 31-day rainfall during April in Arcata is very rapidly decreasing, starting the month at 4.5 inches, when it rarely exceeds 9.5 inches or falls below 1.1 inches, and ending the month at 2.1 inches, when it rarely exceeds 4.4 inches or falls below 0.4 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall in April in Arcata

The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.

Over the course of April in Arcata, the length of the day is rapidly increasing. From the start to the end of the month, the length of the day increases by 1 hour, 14 minutes, implying an average daily increase of 2 minutes, 33 seconds, and weekly increase of 17 minutes, 54 seconds.

The shortest day of the month is April 1, with 12 hours, 43 minutes of daylight and the longest day is April 30, with 13 hours, 57 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in April in Arcata

The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.

The latest sunrise of the month in Arcata is 6:58 AM on April 1 and the earliest sunrise is 44 minutes earlier at 6:15 AM on April 30.

The earliest sunset is 7:41 PM on April 1 and the latest sunset is 31 minutes later at 8:12 PM on April 30.

Daylight saving time is observed in Arcata during 2024, but it neither starts nor ends during April, so the entire month is in standard time.

For reference, on June 20, the longest day of the year, the Sun rises at 5:44 AM and sets 15 hours, 7 minutes later, at 8:51 PM, while on December 21, the shortest day of the year, it rises at 7:37 AM and sets 9 hours, 14 minutes later, at 4:51 PM.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time in April in Arcata

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time in April in ArcataApr1122334455667788991010111112121313141415151616171718181919202021212222232324242525262627272828292930302 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMMarMay6:15 AM6:15 AMApr 308:12 PMApr 308:12 PM6:58 AM6:58 AMApr 17:41 PMApr 17:41 PM6:42 AM6:42 AMApr 117:52 PMApr 117:52 PMSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunsetNowNow
The solar day over the course of April. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray.

The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in April in Arcata

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in April in ArcataApr11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303012 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMMarMay001010202020303040405050600001010202030303040405060NowNow
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of April 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for April 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases. The label associated with each bar indicates the date and time that the phase is obtained, and the companion time labels indicate the rise and set times of the Moon for the nearest time interval in which the moon is above the horizon.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in April in Arcata

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in April in ArcataApr11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303012 AM12 AM4 AM4 AM8 AM8 AM12 PM12 PM4 PM4 PM8 PM8 PM12 AM12 AMMarMayMar 101:01 AMMar 101:01 AMMar 2512:01 AMMar 2512:01 AMApr 811:22 AMApr 811:22 AMApr 234:50 PMApr 234:50 PMMay 78:23 PMMay 78:23 PMMay 236:54 AMMay 236:54 AM7:56 AM7:56 AM8:06 PM8:06 PM7:16 PM7:16 PM7:25 AM7:25 AM6:44 AM6:44 AM8:12 PM8:12 PM8:12 PM8:12 PM6:33 AM6:33 AM5:37 AM5:37 AM8:22 PM8:22 PM8:13 PM8:13 PM5:35 AM5:35 AM
The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.
Apr 2024IlluminationMoonriseMoonsetMoonriseMeridian PassingDistance
1
50%2:41 AMSE11:17 AMSW-6:59 AMS237,397 mi
2
45%3:35 AMSE12:25 PMSW-8:00 AMS234,024 mi
3
33%4:20 AMSE1:39 PMWSW-9:00 AMS230,667 mi
4
22%4:57 AMESE2:58 PMWSW-9:57 AMS227,595 mi
5
13%5:28 AMESE4:17 PMWSW-10:52 AMS225,108 mi
6
6%5:55 AME5:35 PMW-11:43 AMS223,496 mi
7
1%6:20 AME6:53 PMW-12:34 PMS222,983 mi
8
0%6:44 AME8:12 PMWNW-1:25 PMS223,679 mi
9
2%7:11 AMENE9:32 PMWNW-2:16 PMS225,551 mi
10
7%7:41 AMENE10:50 PMWNW-3:11 PMS228,424 mi
11
14%8:17 AMENE--4:07 PMS232,012 mi
12
23%-12:06 AMNW9:00 AMNE5:05 PMS235,965 mi
13
33%-1:15 AMNW9:52 AMNE6:03 PMS239,929 mi
14
43%-2:13 AMNW10:51 AMNE6:59 PMS243,594 mi
15
50%-3:01 AMNW11:55 AMNE7:51 PMS246,724 mi
16
63%-3:38 AMWNW1:00 PMENE8:38 PMS249,170 mi
17
72%-4:08 AMWNW2:04 PMENE9:22 PMS250,863 mi
18
81%-4:32 AMWNW3:07 PMENE10:04 PMS251,801 mi
19
88%-4:53 AMWNW4:08 PME10:43 PMS252,036 mi
20
93%-5:13 AMW5:08 PME11:21 PMS251,653 mi
21
96%-5:31 AMW6:08 PME--
22
97%-5:50 AMW7:09 PMESE12:00 AMS250,755 mi
23
100%-6:10 AMWSW8:12 PMESE12:40 AMS249,447 mi
24
100%-6:33 AMWSW9:18 PMESE1:23 AMS247,820 mi
25
98%-7:01 AMWSW10:25 PMESE2:09 AMS245,950 mi
26
94%-7:35 AMSW11:32 PMSE3:00 AMS243,886 mi
27
88%-8:18 AMSW-3:55 AMS241,662 mi
28
81%12:36 AMSE9:11 AMSW-4:53 AMS239,301 mi
29
71%1:32 AMSE10:15 AMSW-5:53 AMS236,831 mi
30
60%2:19 AMSE11:27 AMWSW-6:53 AMS234,311 mi

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

The chance that a given day will be muggy in Arcata is essentially constant during April, remaining around 0% throughout.

For reference, on May 12, the muggiest day of the year, there are muggy conditions 0% of the time, while on January 1, the least muggy day of the year, there are muggy conditions 0% of the time.

Humidity Comfort Levels in April in Arcata

Humidity Comfort Levels in April in ArcataApr1122334455667788991010111112121313141415151616171718181919202021212222232324242525262627272828292930300%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%MarMayApr 10%Apr 10%Apr 300%Apr 300%Apr 110%Apr 110%Apr 210%Apr 210%NowNowdrydrycomfortablecomfortable
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Arcata is essentially constant during April, remaining within 0.2 miles per hour of 8.0 miles per hour throughout.

For reference, on December 12, the windiest day of the year, the daily average wind speed is 8.8 miles per hour, while on September 24, the calmest day of the year, the daily average wind speed is 6.8 miles per hour.

The lowest daily average wind speed during April is 7.8 miles per hour on April 18.

Average Wind Speed in April in Arcata

Average Wind Speed in April in ArcataApr1122334455667788991010111112121313141415151616171718181919202021212222232324242525262627272828292930300 mph0 mph2 mph2 mph4 mph4 mph6 mph6 mph8 mph8 mph10 mph10 mph12 mph12 mph14 mph14 mphMarMayApr 187.8 mphApr 187.8 mphApr 18.1 mphApr 18.1 mphApr 308.0 mphApr 308.0 mphNowNow
The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

The hourly average wind direction in Arcata throughout April is predominantly from the north, with a peak proportion of 60% on April 30.

Wind Direction in April in Arcata

Wind Direction in April in ArcataSNApr1122334455667788991010111112121313141415151616171718181919202021212222232324242525262627272828292930300%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%MarMayNowNowsouthnorthwesteast
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

Arcata is located near a large body of water (e.g., ocean, sea, or large lake). This section reports on the wide-area average surface temperature of that water.

The average surface water temperature in Arcata is essentially constant during April, remaining around 52°F throughout.

Average Water Temperature in April in Arcata

Average Water Temperature in April in ArcataApr11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303049°F49°F50°F50°F51°F51°F52°F52°F53°F53°F54°F54°F55°F55°F56°F56°FMarMayApr 152°FApr 152°FApr 3052°FApr 3052°FApr 1152°FApr 1152°FApr 2152°FApr 2152°FNowNow
The daily average water temperature (purple line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season in Arcata typically lasts for 9.3 months (283 days), from around February 27 to around December 6, rarely starting after April 3, or ending before November 6.

The month of April in Arcata is more likely than not fully within the growing season, with the chance that a given day is in the growing season increasing from 88% to 100% over the course of the month.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in April in Arcata

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in April in Arcatagrowing seasonApr1122334455667788991010111112121313141415151616171718181919202021212222232324242525262627272828292930300%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%MarMay88%Apr 188%Apr 1100%Apr 30100%Apr 3096%Apr 1196%Apr 11100%Apr 21100%Apr 21NowNowvery coldcoldcoolcomfortable
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

The average accumulated growing degree days in Arcata are gradually increasing during April, increasing by 81°F, from 188°F to 269°F, over the course of the month.

Growing Degree Days in April in Arcata

The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of April, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy in Arcata is increasing during April, rising by 1.4 kWh, from 4.7 kWh to 6.1 kWh, over the course of the month.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in April in Arcata

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in April in ArcataApr1122334455667788991010111112121313141415151616171718181919202021212222232324242525262627272828292930300 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWh7 kWh7 kWh8 kWh8 kWh9 kWh9 kWhMarMayApr 14.7 kWhApr 14.7 kWhApr 306.1 kWhApr 306.1 kWhApr 115.2 kWhApr 115.2 kWhNowNow
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Arcata are 40.867 deg latitude, -124.083 deg longitude, and 20 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Arcata contains very significant variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 1,050 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 132 feet. Within 10 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (2,635 feet). Within 50 miles contains large variations in elevation (7,454 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Arcata is covered by herbaceous vegetation (53%), trees (25%), and cropland (12%), within 10 miles by trees (46%) and water (28%), and within 50 miles by trees (42%) and water (42%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in Arcata, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

There are 2 weather stations near enough to contribute to our estimation of the temperature and dew point in Arcata.

For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Arcata according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations.

The estimated value at Arcata is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Arcata and a given station.

The stations contributing to this reconstruction are:

  • Arcata-Eureka Airport (KACV, 96%, 8 mi, north, 180 ft elevation change)
  • Lonnie Pool Field Weaverville Airport (KO54, 3.7%, 61 mi, east, 2,329 ft elevation change)

Sources mapKACV, 96%8 mi, 180 ftKO54, 4%61 mi, 2,329 ft© OpenStreetMap contributors

To get a sense of how much these sources agree with each other, you can view a comparison of Arcata and the stations that contribute to our estimates of its temperature history and climate. Please note that each source's contribution is adjusted for elevation and the relative change present in the MERRA-2 data.

Other Data

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus.

All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.

Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database .

Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site.

We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands.

We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader.

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