Places to avoid in April

In April, 133 well-known destinations sit inside a hazard season: cyclone season in 17 (Kakadu, Papeete, Port Douglas and 14 more), dust season in 23 (Sierra Nevada, Delhi, Ulaanbaatar and 20 more), monsoon in 22 (Kakadu, Amboseli, Quito and 19 more) and smoke season in 10 (Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Luang Prabang and 7 more). By the numbers, of 1,387 destinations, 190 feel like 35 °C or more in the afternoon, 236 have 18 or more rainy days, 35 have poor air and 9 sit well below freezing. 14 well-known places are at peak crowds and 2 are partly closed for the season.

Not a forecast: these are the seasons in which the risk exists, and the climate normals for the month. Most weeks pass quietly; the numbers say how often they do not.

Hazard seasons on in April

Curated, sourced windows — hurricane, typhoon and cyclone seasons, the monsoon, smoke, floods, smog. Well-known places first, the month's lowest scores at the top.

Cyclone season on

52 places

The southern-hemisphere storm season.

  1. Kakadu 🇦🇺 AustraliaCyclone season, 1 Nov – 30 Apr — Systems crossing the Top End coast bring days of torrential rain and wind rather than a direct blow. · instead July51
  2. Papeete 🇵🇫 French PolynesiaCyclone season, 1 Nov – 30 Apr — The wet season doubles as the cyclone window. · instead August74
  3. Port Douglas 🇦🇺 AustraliaCyclone season, 1 Nov – 30 Apr — November to April brings the rain and the cyclone risk together. · instead September75
  4. Nadi 🇫🇯 FijiCyclone season, 1 Nov – 30 Apr — The South Pacific storm season, at its most active in January and February. · instead July76
  5. Aitutaki Cook IslandsCyclone season, 1 Nov – 30 Apr — The South Pacific season runs November to April, with the risk highest between December and February. · instead August77
  6. Moorea 🇵🇫 French PolynesiaCyclone season, 1 Nov – 30 Apr — The wet half of the year is also the cyclone window in the Society Islands. · instead August77

…and 46 more, 11 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own April verdict.

Dust season on

32 places

Spring dust and sandstorms; sensitive lungs stay in.

  1. Sierra Nevada 🇪🇸 SpainDust season, 15 Feb – 15 Jun (usually) · instead January37
  2. Delhi 🇮🇳 IndiaDust season, 15 Apr – 20 Jun (usually) · instead February58
  3. Ulaanbaatar 🇲🇳 MongoliaDust season, 15 Mar – 31 May (usually) · instead June70
  4. Luxor 🇪🇬 EgyptDust season, 1 Mar – 15 May (usually) — Spring southerlies fill the valley with sand for a day or two at a time and ground the dawn balloon flights. · instead February71
  5. Abu Dhabi 🇦🇪 United Arab EmiratesDust season, 1 Mar – 15 Jun (usually) · instead January72
  6. Merzouga 🇲🇦 MoroccoDust season, 15 Mar – 31 May (usually) · instead February72

…and 26 more, 17 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own April verdict.

Monsoon on

28 places

The wet season proper — heavy, daily, and the reason prices fall.

  1. Kakadu 🇦🇺 AustraliaMonsoon, 1 Nov – 31 May (usually) · instead July51
  2. Amboseli 🇰🇪 KenyaMonsoon, 15 Mar – 20 May (usually) — The long rains push the game away from the swamps and turn the black-cotton tracks to grease. · instead July57
  3. Quito 🇪🇨 EcuadorMonsoon, 1 Oct – 31 May (usually) · instead August58
  4. Zanzibar 🇹🇿 TanzaniaMonsoon, 20 Mar – 31 May (usually) · instead September59
  5. Lake Toba 🇮🇩 IndonesiaMonsoon, 1 Oct – 30 Apr (usually) — Afternoon and evening storms roll down the crater walls onto the lake, and the ferry to Samosir gets choppy. · instead July62
  6. Yangshuo 🇨🇳 ChinaMonsoon, 15 Apr – 31 Aug (usually) — Guangxi's rain lands between April and August, May heaviest. · instead December62

…and 22 more, 16 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own April verdict.

Smoke season on

26 places

Burning fields or forests; the air, not the weather, is the problem.

  1. Bangkok 🇹🇭 ThailandSmoke season, 25 Jan – 15 Apr (usually) — Agricultural fires north and west of the city put a lid of smoke over Bangkok through the late dry season. · instead December51
  2. Chiang Mai 🇹🇭 ThailandSmoke season, 1 Feb – 20 Apr (usually) · instead January54
  3. Luang Prabang 🇱🇦 LaosSmoke season, 1 Mar – 30 Apr (usually) · instead December56
  4. Vientiane 🇱🇦 LaosSmoke season, 15 Feb – 30 Apr (usually) · instead December56
  5. Margaret River 🇦🇺 AustraliaSmoke season, 15 Nov – 15 Apr (usually) · instead February79
  6. Kangaroo Island 🇦🇺 AustraliaSmoke season, 15 Nov – 15 Apr (usually) — National parks here close on catastrophic fire danger days, which lands squarely in the summer holidays. · instead February81

…and 20 more, 4 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own April verdict.

Sargassum season on

20 places

The months the seaweed comes ashore on Caribbean and Gulf beaches.

  1. San Juan 🇵🇷 Puerto RicoSargassum season, 1 Apr – 31 Aug (usually) · instead January72
  2. Fort Lauderdale 🇺🇸 United StatesSargassum season, 15 Apr – 30 Sep (usually) · instead March88
  3. Samaná 🇩🇴 Dominican RepublicSargassum season, 1 Apr – 31 Aug (usually) — The north-facing beaches around Las Terrenas and the peninsula's eastern end take the weed. · instead January88
  4. Bridgetown 🇧🇧 BarbadosSargassum season, 1 Apr – 30 Sep (usually) · instead February89
  5. Caye Caulker 🇧🇿 BelizeSargassum season, 1 Apr – 30 Sep (usually) — The east shore and the Split collect weed through the summer and crews rake it at dawn. · instead March89
  6. Philipsburg 🇸🇽 Sint MaartenSargassum season, 1 Apr – 31 Aug (usually) · instead March89

…and 14 more, 13 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own April verdict.

Flood season on

19 places

The river comes into the streets most years.

  1. Winnipeg 🇨🇦 CanadaFlood season, 1 Apr – 10 May (usually) · instead June68
  2. Franz Josef 🇳🇿 New ZealandFlood season, 1 Jan – 31 Dec · instead February71
  3. Foz do Iguaçu 🇧🇷 BrazilFlood season, 1 Nov – 30 Apr (usually) · instead July72
  4. Cincinnati 🇺🇸 United StatesFlood season, 1 Feb – 15 Apr (usually) · instead September76
  5. St. Louis 🇺🇸 United StatesFlood season, 1 Apr – 30 Jun (usually) · instead May80
  6. Budapest 🇭🇺 HungaryFlood season, 1 Mar – 30 Apr (usually) — Snowmelt upstream pushes the river over the lower quays most springs. · instead September88

…and 13 more, all lesser-known. Every destination page carries its own April verdict.

Extreme heat on

16 places

The weeks the city lives indoors.

  1. Hyderabad 🇮🇳 IndiaExtreme heat, 20 Mar – 5 Jun (usually) — Heat advisories start in late March and the middle of the day goes indoors until the rains break. · instead January44
  2. Jodhpur 🇮🇳 IndiaExtreme heat, 20 Apr – 25 Jun (usually) · instead January47
  3. Varanasi 🇮🇳 IndiaExtreme heat, 15 Apr – 20 Jun (usually) — The Gangetic plain at its worst: the ghats are empty between ten and five and the stone is too hot to sit on. · instead December51
  4. Yangon 🇲🇲 MyanmarExtreme heat, 1 Mar – 15 May (usually) · instead January51
  5. Jaipur 🇮🇳 IndiaExtreme heat, 25 Apr – 20 Jun (usually) · instead February55
  6. Udaipur 🇮🇳 IndiaExtreme heat, 25 Apr – 20 Jun (usually) · instead January58

…and 10 more, 3 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own April verdict.

Avalanche season on

12 places

Backcountry and passes on forecast; the weeks the road closes after a dump.

  1. Aviemore 🇬🇧 United KingdomAvalanche season, 15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually) · instead January46
  2. Cortina d'Ampezzo 🇮🇹 ItalyAvalanche season, 15 Dec – 10 Apr (usually) · instead January54
  3. Davos 🇨🇭 SwitzerlandAvalanche season, 10 Dec – 15 Apr (usually) — The national avalanche institute is based here, which tells you something. · instead January64
  4. Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United StatesAvalanche season, 15 Oct – 15 Jun (usually) — From mid-autumn into early summer steep snow slopes above popular trails such as Emerald Lake can slide. · instead August69
  5. Mestia 🇬🇪 GeorgiaAvalanche season, 15 Nov – 15 May (usually) · instead September76
  6. Elbrus 🇷🇺 RussiaAvalanche season, 1 Dec – 30 Apr (usually) · instead February77

…and 6 more, 5 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own April verdict.

Storm season on

11 places

Tornadoes, derechos, hail — the afternoons to watch the sky.

  1. Kolkata 🇮🇳 IndiaStorm season, 20 Mar – 20 May (usually) · instead January59
  2. Indianapolis 🇺🇸 United StatesStorm season, 1 Apr – 30 Jun (usually) · instead September74
  3. St. Louis 🇺🇸 United StatesStorm season, 15 Mar – 15 Jun (usually) · instead May80
  4. Nashville 🇺🇸 United StatesStorm season, 15 Mar – 20 May (usually) · instead May82
  5. Austin 🇺🇸 United StatesStorm season, 15 Apr – 15 Jun (usually) · instead March84
  6. Brisbane 🇦🇺 AustraliaStorm season, 1 Nov – 30 Apr — Queensland's storm season runs November to April. · instead September84

…and 5 more, 5 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own April verdict.

Rip currents & big surf on

3 places

Red flags for weeks at a time; the calm-looking water is the one that pulls people out.

  1. Vík 🇮🇸 IcelandRip currents & big surf, 15 Sep – 30 Apr (usually) — The black beach kills people. · instead July51
  2. Destin 🇺🇸 United StatesRip currents & big surf, 1 Mar – 31 Oct · instead May84
  3. Palomino 🇨🇴 ColombiaRip currents & big surf, 1 Jan – 31 Dec · instead January59

Extreme cold on

2 places

The weeks the city stops going outside — dzud, ice storms, minus thirty.

  1. Cradle Mountain 🇦🇺 AustraliaExtreme cold, 1 Jan – 31 Dec — Snow falls on this plateau in every month of the year and the summit track can be a whiteout in January. · instead January71
  2. Murmansk 🇷🇺 RussiaExtreme cold, 15 Nov – 15 Apr (usually) · instead July57

Landslide season on

1 place

The hill roads slip and shut for days; getting there, not being there, is the problem.

  1. Big Sur 🇺🇸 United StatesLandslide season, 1 Dec – 15 Apr (usually) · instead August78

Algae & red tide on

1 place

Blooms that close beaches and clear the water of fish for a few weeks; not the Caribbean weed.

  1. Boracay 🇵🇭 PhilippinesAlgae & red tide, 15 Feb – 31 May (usually) · instead April87

Out of range by the numbers

Every destination whose April normals cross a line the comfort score will not forgive: 18 or more rainy days, afternoons that feel like 35 °C, air in the poor band, or well below freezing. Worst first.

Too wet by the numbers

236 places

Eighteen or more rainy days, or a soaked month by volume — the real rainy season, not afternoon showers.

  1. Quito 🇪🇨 Ecuador30 rainy days, 333 mm · instead August58
  2. Aguas Calientes 🇵🇪 Peru29 rainy days, 183 mm · instead July78
  3. Lake Toba 🇮🇩 Indonesia28 rainy days, 252 mm · instead July62
  4. Darjeeling 🇮🇳 India28 rainy days, 377 mm · instead November70
  5. Kuala Lumpur 🇲🇾 Malaysia28 rainy days, 308 mm · instead February45
  6. Medellín 🇨🇴 Colombia28 rainy days, 357 mm · instead January60
  7. Jacó 🇨🇷 Costa Rica28 rainy days, 243 mm · instead February75
  8. Ollantaytambo 🇵🇪 Peru28 rainy days, 144 mm · instead July84

…and 228 more, 89 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own April verdict.

Too hot by the numbers

190 places

Afternoons that feel like 35 °C or more, or heat the humidity turns sticky. A dry, sunny month cannot average this away.

  1. Bangkok 🇹🇭 Thailand42°C afternoons · instead December51
  2. Chennai 🇮🇳 India42°C afternoons · instead February54
  3. Phnom Penh 🇰🇭 Cambodia42°C afternoons · instead January54
  4. Yangon 🇲🇲 Myanmar42°C afternoons · instead January51
  5. Bagan 🇲🇲 Myanmar41°C afternoons · instead January35
  6. Chiang Mai 🇹🇭 Thailand41°C afternoons · instead January54
  7. Hyderabad 🇮🇳 India41°C afternoons · instead January44
  8. Kochi 🇮🇳 India41°C afternoons · instead January63

…and 182 more, 74 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own April verdict.

Too cold by the numbers

9 places

Afternoons that feel like −5 °C or below. Fine for a ski trip; not for walking a city.

  1. Churchill 🇨🇦 Canada-10°C afternoons · instead July53
  2. Ilulissat 🇬🇱 Greenland-5°C afternoons · instead July55
  3. Gates of the Arctic National Park 🇺🇸 United States-13°C afternoons · instead July53
  4. Wrangell-St Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States-10°C afternoons · instead July55
  5. Kobuk Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States-8°C afternoons · instead June59
  6. Longyearbyen 🇸🇯 Svalbard and Jan Mayen-8°C afternoons · instead July59
  7. Lake Clark National Park 🇺🇸 United States-7°C afternoons · instead July56
  8. Magadan 🇷🇺 Russia-6°C afternoons · instead July53

…and 1 more, all lesser-known. Every destination page carries its own April verdict.

Bad air by the numbers

35 places

A monthly mean air-quality index in the poor or unhealthy bands.

  1. Riyadh 🇸🇦 Saudi ArabiaAQI 150, poor air · instead February74
  2. Chengdu 🇨🇳 ChinaAQI 133, poor air · instead April88
  3. Hanoi 🇻🇳 VietnamAQI 129, poor air · instead December64
  4. Beijing 🇨🇳 ChinaAQI 122, poor air · instead April91
  5. Chongqing 🇨🇳 ChinaAQI 119, poor air · instead March77
  6. Hangzhou 🇨🇳 ChinaAQI 117, poor air · instead October84
  7. Abu Dhabi 🇦🇪 United Arab EmiratesAQI 116, poor air · instead January72
  8. Santiago 🇨🇱 ChileAQI 113, poor air · instead November86

…and 27 more, 4 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own April verdict.

Peak crowds

14 places

The editor's peak month for the place: full, expensive, and booked well ahead.

  1. Cancún 🇲🇽 MexicoPeak crowds — US spring break · instead March92
  2. Marrakesh 🇲🇦 MoroccoPeak crowds — Easter week · instead March92
  3. Mexico City 🇲🇽 MexicoPeak crowds — Semana Santa · instead November88
  4. Rome 🇮🇹 ItalyPeak crowds — Holy Week and Easter · instead May88
  5. Seoul 🇰🇷 South KoreaPeak crowds — Cherry blossom · instead May85
  6. Oaxaca 🇲🇽 MexicoPeak crowds — Semana Santa · instead November84
  7. Osaka 🇯🇵 JapanPeak crowds — Cherry blossom · instead November83
  8. Kathmandu 🇳🇵 NepalPeak crowds — Spring trekking season · instead November82

…and 6 more, 6 of them well-known. Every destination page carries its own April verdict.

Closed for the season

2 places

Hotels, lifts, ferries or the sights themselves shut for the month.

  1. Colombo 🇱🇰 Sri Lankasome of the town shuts for the month · instead February60
  2. Zanzibar 🇹🇿 Tanzaniasome of the town shuts for the month · instead September59