50+ Lifestyles

April in Paris – and Other Cities

By Eloise Graham

I have never been to Paris, in April or any other time, but there is something magical about the phrase, “April in Paris.” It seems so upbeat, romantic, positive… that is probably because of the Doris Day movie by that name that came out in 1952. I decided to find out what April in Paris is really like. On an average, there are 9 hours of daylight. I would have said “sunshine” instead of “daylight” but for the fact that there is an 83 percent chance of clouds and rain. That only leaves 17 percent sunshine. The average temperature is 52 degrees.

April in Copenhagen is a little cool. The average high temperature is 45 degrees, but daylight hours are 14 plus. Average sunshine is 37 percent. That makes it more than 1/3 of the time compared to less that 1/5 of the time in Paris.

April in Washington D.C. can be a treat. Early in the month, the days begin with temperatures in the low to mid 40s, rising to the low 60s by mid afternoon. By month’s end, the days will start with early morning temperatures in the 50s and reaching into the high 70s by afternoon. At least half of the month should see sunny days with rain possibly on 10 or 11 days. It is also Cherry Blossom time in the early part of the month!

April in Johannesburg, South Africa has an average temperature of 6i degrees, with an average low of 50 and a high going to 72. Remember, the days will be warmer at the beginning of the month, rather than the end of the month. This is in the southern hemisphere. Average daylight is 9 hours and a 52 percent chance of having a sunny day.
April in Phoenix has rapidly rising temperatures. The average high for April 1st is 77 degrees, rising to 87 degrees by month’s end. Average lows for this area is 54 at the beginning of the month and a pleasant 62 by April 30th. Daylight is about 12 and a 1/2 to 13 and a 1/2 hours. The sky is clear or mostly clear 84 percent of the time.

April in Portland, Maine offers a 15 percent to 18 percent chance of snow during the first week. The average high is 48 degrees to 58 degrees, while the low is 31 degrees going up to 41 degrees. Two-thirds of April is predominantly cloudy:  overcast/very cloudy 38 percent of the time; mostly cloudy 11 percent of the time; partly cloudy 14 percent; and clear 34 percent.

April in Honolulu, Hawaii is fairly constant. Average high temperatures are in the low 80s and the average low is 70 degrees. There are just about 15 hours of daylight/twilight from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Chances of a light shower at some point during the day are about 40 percent, but only a 3 percent chance of moderate to heavy rain during the month of April.

April in the Quad Cities has an average high of 57 degrees going to 67 degrees by month’s end. Highs in the 70s are quite common. The average lows go from high 30s to mid 40s. The daylight hours go from 12 and 3/4 on April 1st to 14 hours on the 30th. The month is 56 percent clear but at the other extreme, 35 percent quite overcast.