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SunnyDays

ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

Dallas in April

Dallas in April is historically a poor month for sun: only 33% of days clear across 8 years (n=240, avg high 76°F). Historical average, not a forecast.

What you are reading: 8-year historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis, not a forecast. A month that is historically 90% clear can still be overcast on your specific trip. For this week’s actual forecast, see the live Dallas page. Both can be true at once: “historically strong in this month; this particular week is not.” We label which is which.

Early vs. Late April

Clear-sky percentage for Dallas in April, split by half-month. “n” is the number of days sampled across 8 years (2018–2025).
Period % Clear days Sample (n) Avg high
Early April
1st–15th		 32% n=120 76°F
Late April
16th–end		 34% n=120 76°F
Full month average 33% n=240 76°F

Sunshine & warmth in April

A second measure using actual sunshine hours (ERA5 sunshine_duration), not the daily weather code. A Lowcountry day with 12 hours of sun and a 25-minute afternoon storm is counted below as a warm, sunny day — because it was. How we define this.

Sunshine-based metrics for Dallas in April. Primary: % of days ≥ 72°F with > 6 h of sunshine.
Period Warm & sunny (≥72°F, >6 h sun) Sample (n)
Early April
1st–15th		 57% n=120
Late April
16th–end		 66% n=120
Full month average 62% n=240
10.6 h median sunshine per day 68% of days exceed 8 h sunshine 34% of days see ≥ 1 mm rain — rain is not hidden
Comparison (old vs new): WMO-code “clear” bar: 33%. Sunshine-based “warm & sunny”: 62%. The 29-point gap is from brief afternoon convective storms that stamp the whole day as “rain” in the WMO code but leave the bulk of the sunshine untouched.

Bottom line

Dallas is mostly overcast in April historically: only 33% of days are clear across 8 years (n=240), avg high 76°F. Most visitors this month will see more clouds than sun.

Every month in Dallas

Compare across all months with data. Numbers are historical clear-sky %.

Historical clear-sky % for Dallas, all months, ERA5 2018–2025.
Month % Clear Sample (n)
January 3% n=248 All destinations →
February 11% n=226 All destinations →
March 23% n=248 All destinations →
April ← this page 33% n=240 All destinations →
May 36% n=248 All destinations →
June 38% n=240 All destinations →
July 47% n=248 All destinations →
August 54% n=248 All destinations →
September 48% n=240 All destinations →
October 49% n=248 All destinations →
November 21% n=240 All destinations →
December 9% n=248 All destinations →

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.