ERA5 almanac comparison — 8 years of real data
Asheville vs Santa Barbara: weather in April
Santa Barbara edges out Asheville for sun in April: 48% clear historically versus 19% (8-year ERA5 average, a 29-point gap). Asheville also sees measurably more rain than Santa Barbara this month (36% vs 10% of days). Both are viable — Santa Barbara is the safer bet.
What you are reading: 8-year historical averages, not a forecast.
Either destination can still surprise you this specific April. For this
week’s actual forecast, each destination links to its live page below.
Asheville
NC
- Clear days, April
- 19%
- Sample size
- n=240 days
- Avg high
- 66°F
- Early April (1st–15th)
- 12%
- Late April (16th–end)
- 26%
- Rain frequency
- 36% of days
Santa Barbara
CA
- Clear days, April
- 48%
- Sample size
- n=240 days
- Avg high
- 72°F
- Early April (1st–15th)
- 46%
- Late April (16th–end)
- 50%
- Rain frequency
- 10% of days
Compare Asheville vs Santa Barbara in another month
All percentages are historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 8 full years (2018–2025). “Clear” means avg high ≥ 72 °F, precipitation < 1 mm, and a non-precipitation weather code. This is history, not a forecast. The live 7-day outlook for any destination is on its own page and may differ from the long-run average. Data from Open-Meteo.