New Orleans (NOLA) weather in April
April in New Orleans: warm, soaked, with clean air — fine if you can take 6 rainy days.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#3 of 12 months in New Orleans · #430 of 1413 destinations to visit in April · comfort 84/100 (tier A)
- Days
- 26°C
- Nights
- 17°C
- Wet days
- 6
- Sun
- 10.1 h
- Humidity
- 75%
- Daylight
- 13 h

Traveller notes on New Orleans in April
Perfect, hot, or monsoon is how one regular sums up April here, and our row explains the third word: 174.7mm falls across just 5.5 days, about thirty millimetres a time, so the rain that comes is a wall rather than a shower. The rest of the month is the reason people pick it - 25.8C reading as 27C, nights at 16.7C, and humidity at 75 percent, which is among the lowest this city manages. The other thing April brings is festivals, the French Quarter one mid-month and Jazz Fest at the end, and with them hotel rates that jump for those weekends. A 22.1 kph wind helps. The record: a dew point of 15.6C, 10.1 hours of sun and AQI 43.
Other months in New Orleans
Regulars call this a genuinely fine time to visit, meaningfully cooler and less humid than the July-September stretch, with late October named as arguably the best weather the city sees until late November. Our row backs the pleasant, still-warm read, 28.1C reading as a hot 30C, over 18.9C nights, with 82.8mm of rain across a modest 4.2 days. Regulars are candid the swing within the month can be dramatic - one visitor's Halloween trip saw an 80-degree Fahrenheit day followed immediately by a 60-degree one - and recommend an umbrella or light rain gear on hand regardless, even though the month overall isn't particularly rainy. The record: humidity 75 percent, 9.4 hours of sun, an 18.5 kph wind and AQI 48.
February here is mid-sixties by day and mid-forties at night - our 20.4C over 11.4C is those two figures - with a better than even chance of rain and no promise about any of it: regulars remember carnival days near 80F and others below freezing. The line worth carrying is that the damp makes forty degrees feel like thirty, and our felt figures agree, 20C and 9C at 79 percent humidity. Rain totals 117.7mm across just 6.4 days, so eighteen millimetres at a time. Carnival moves with Easter, so look up where it falls before booking; the parades roll in the rain regardless. The record: 7.6 hours of sun, a 21.7 kph wind and AQI 36.
New Orleans-forum threads on November weather describe two different months stitched together: early November running full sun, little rain, mid-70s Fahrenheit and genuinely low humidity, while a cold front or two can roll through bringing cooler, breezy, sometimes wet days, with the back half of the month turning colder still. Crowds follow a similar split - early and mid-November are called minimal, but Thanksgiving weekend draws one of the year's bigger crowds, driven partly by the Bayou Classic football game and its famously rowdy college-age visitors. The record: 21.5C days feeling like 22C, 12.9C nights, 102mm of rain across six days and 7.9 hours of sun - book the first half of the month for the 'full sun, little rain' version posters describe, not the tail end.
New Orleans forum threads describe January as genuinely unpredictable, with typical highs around 60F and lows near 45F, but posters were emphatic that anywhere from the mid-30s to the 70s is entirely possible depending on the week. High humidity was flagged repeatedly as making even a moderately cool day feel colder than the number suggests, harder to shake off than similar temperatures in a drier climate. On the practical side, Carnival season officially kicks off January 6th, building gradually through the month before the big parades and peak intensity land in February - meaning January visitors catch the early, calmer stretch of the season rather than the full Mardi Gras crush.
Year-round notes are on New Orleans's overview. Add your own note from New Orleans's card on the map.
New Orleans climate normals — April
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in New Orleans in April
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
Peak crowdsFrench Quarter Festival, Jazz Fest(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for New Orleans's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Best weatherNew Orleans's best weather comes in March, April and November — separate windows, not one continuous season.
April includes French Quarter Festival.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in New Orleans in April
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Festival
French Quarter Festival
5–16 Apr · usuallyMusic festivalCrowdedFour free days of Louisiana music on stages through the Quarter and along the river in early April, before the humidity arrives. Locals rate it above the bigger festival that follows it. Source ↗
- Festival
Jazz Fest
20 Apr – 5 May · usuallyMusic festivalCrowdedBook earlyTwo long weekends at the Fair Grounds at the turn of April into May, gospel tent and brass bands as much as headliners. The city runs at capacity and the ground turns to mud if it rains. Source ↗
Nearby, and something's on
Within 300 km of New Orleans — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.
Where is New Orleans?
New Orleans in April — FAQ
- Is April a good time to visit New Orleans?
- April in New Orleans: warm, soaked, with clean air — fine if you can take 6 rainy days. It ranks #3 of 12 months for New Orleans on SeasonMap's comfort score (84/100).
- What is the weather like in New Orleans in April?
- In April, New Orleans averages a daily high of 25.8°C and a low of 16.7°C, with about 174.7 mm of rain over roughly 5.5 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in New Orleans in April?
- New Orleans has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 43 in April.
Within 300 km: Pensacola's Blue Angels practice days on 31 Mar – 28 Oct.