Fort Lauderdale in April: Weather, Sea Temperature, Crowds and Things to Do

FLORIDA · FORT LAUDERDALE · APRIL

April is the last month of Florida’s dry season in Fort Lauderdale, and the wet season has not yet started. NOAA’s normals put the average high at 82.9°F and the low at 69.9°F. The Atlantic off the beach averages 79.7°F, and by mid-month the sun stays up until about 7:45 pm. Hurricane season does not open until June 1.

Timing within the month matters for your trip more than the weather does. Port Everglades starts and ends its cruises on the same two days of each week, and those days fill the airport and the beach hotels together. Before booking anything, find out which weekdays the ships turn around. Our March and May pages use the same measurements for the weeks on either side.

On this page

• Fort Lauderdale weather in April82.9°F highs, 69.9°F lows, 4.1 rain days
• Can you swim in Fort Lauderdale in April?Sea at 79.7°F off the beach
• Crowds, cruise days and hotel tax in AprilPort Everglades turnarounds and the 6.0% county tax
• Things to do in Fort Lauderdale in AprilThree state parks with beach, trail and paddle launches
• Two-day Fort Lauderdale itinerary for AprilSunrise at 6:55 am to sunset at 7:45 pm
• Fort Lauderdale in April vs March and MayHow the three months compare on heat, rain and sea
• Is April a good time to visit Fort Lauderdale?Who should go in April and who should pick March or May

Flights, neighborhoods and local transport are the same in every month, so our Florida guides cover them: flying into FLL and the other Florida airports, where to stay and getting around.

Fort Lauderdale weather in April: average highs, lows and rain days

NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information publish the official 1991-2020 normals for station USW00012849. For April they give Fort Lauderdale an average high of 82.9°F, a low of 69.9°F and 3.02 inches of precipitation. The station is a single thermometer at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, about three miles inland from the sand, rather than a modeled grid cell. Every figure here describes that airport gauge. The beach sees the same broad picture, with local differences we have not measured.

By Florida standards, April rain is light. In an average April, 4.1 days record at least a tenth of an inch, which is roughly one day in seven. Only 0.8 day brings an inch or more. For a four-day stay, that means about one chance in ten of a real soaking. A tenth of an inch can fall in a single shower, so one of these statistical rain days seldom costs you a whole day outside. Keep one flexible slot in your plan for it.

Nights average 13°F cooler than afternoons, running from 82.9°F at the top of the day to 69.9°F at the bottom. Plan on two outfits a day. For the hours near the high, pack swimwear, a hat and reef-friendly sunscreen. Add a long-sleeved shirt or light sweater for dinner outdoors and for early starts before sunrise, when the air is closest to the low.

On April 15 the sun rises at 6:55 am and sets at 7:45 pm Eastern Daylight Time, giving about 12 hours 50 minutes of daylight. For most visitors the long evening is the useful part. A beach session that starts at 4 pm still gets more than three hours of sun, and an 8 pm dinner booking falls just after dark.

Can you swim in Fort Lauderdale in April? Sea temperature and what it feels like

Open-Meteo’s Marine API puts the April sea surface off Fort Lauderdale at 79.7°F, averaged over 2015 to 2024. The figure is a mean of daily maxima, meaning the warmest reading of each day. That makes it a shade warmer than a 24-hour average. It also comes from a different source and a different decade than NOAA’s air normals, so compare the two with care.

At 79.7°F, the water sits 3.2°F below the average afternoon high, so a midday swim cools you without a shock. At dawn it works the other way. With the air near its 69.9°F low, the sea feels warmer than the air around you. Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson and Hugh Taylor Birch state parks each have one designated swimming area, which are good places to start if you want a marked zone.

We could not verify wind or wave data for April off Fort Lauderdale, so we give no surf figure. Check the beach warning flags when you arrive, and read our Florida safety guide for the ocean basics before your first swim.

How busy is Fort Lauderdale in April? Crowds and prices

April closes Florida’s dry season, which the National Weather Service sets at November through April. It also falls two months before hurricane season starts on June 1. Both are calendar facts. We found no monthly hotel-rate or occupancy series for Fort Lauderdale, so we do not rank any month as cheapest or most expensive. For the statewide view of when demand rises, see the best time to visit Florida.

Port Everglades handled over 4.7 million cruise passengers in fiscal 2025. As a homeport, it starts and ends voyages in Fort Lauderdale, so the airport and the beach hotels fill on the same two days of the week. FLL boarded 17,096,131 passengers in 2024, enough for the FAA to class it a large hub. Check which weekdays the ships turn around before you fix your flights. If your dates overlap them, book about six weeks ahead (est.).

Room bills carry two taxes we could verify. Broward County levies a 6.0% transient rental tax, filed and paid together with Florida’s 6% state sales tax. Together they add 12 percentage points to the quoted nightly rate. We could not verify any further local surtax or resort fee, so compare total prices rather than nightly rates when you book.

If you have extra to spend, spend it on location. With the sun up until 7:45 pm, a room within walking distance of the sand lets you use the long evening at the beach without driving. Staying inland works on a tighter budget. A Broward County Transit ride costs $2.00, an All Day Pass bought on the bus is $5.00, and a 7-day pass is $20.00. Our Florida trip-cost breakdown covers the rest of the budget.

Things to do in Fort Lauderdale in April

In April, the dry season and a sea near 80°F overlap. March has fewer rain days, 3.4, but its water averages 78.6°F. May brings water at 83.1°F along with 7.4 rain days. April holds 79.7°F water with 4.1 rain days. You can plan beach mornings and paddling afternoons on back-to-back days and expect few weather changes.

Start with the state parks. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s 2024 inventory credits Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park with 2.2 miles of beach, 2.6 miles of hiking trail, 4,531 feet of boardwalk and 1,410 parking spaces. Hugh Taylor Birch State Park is smaller, with 0.1 mile of beach, 0.3 mile of trail, 60 feet of boardwalk, 275 spaces and one canoe, kayak and tube launch. Oleta River State Park sits on the bay side rather than the ocean, with 0.3 mile of beach, two launches and 925 spaces.

At 82.9°F, the April afternoon high sits 3.2°F above the water. In March the gap is only 1.1°F, so an April midday swim does more to cool you down. Walk the 2.6 miles of trail at Mizell-Eula Johnson early, while the air is near 69.9°F. Save the launches at Hugh Taylor Birch and Oleta for late afternoon, since daylight lasts until 7:45 pm.

We could not read entrance fees for the state parks, so we do not call any of them free. Broward County also runs more than 50 regional parks, nature centers, neighborhood parks, natural areas and specialty parks, and we could not verify their fees either. Between sunrise at 6:55 am and sunset at 7:45 pm you have close to 13 hours of daylight, enough to fit a county park and a state park into one day.

Fort Lauderdale in April: a two-day itinerary

Day one. Reach Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park close to the 6:55 am sunrise. Walk part of the 2.6 miles of trail and the boardwalk while the air is near its 69.9°F low, then swim in the designated area before the midday peak. Take lunch indoors between noon and 3 pm, when the day climbs toward 82.9°F. Around 4 pm, move to Hugh Taylor Birch for its canoe and kayak launch, and stay out until sunset at 7:45 pm. Confirm park hours before you leave, because we could not read them.

Day two. Drive south to Oleta River State Park for a morning paddle from one of its two bay-side launches. Spend the afternoon on the ocean beach nearest your hotel. If a heavy downpour hits (an average April has 0.8 day with an inch or more), move the paddle to the next clear morning and keep the beach for the afternoon. For the beach half without a car, a $5.00 Broward County Transit All Day Pass covers your bus rides, and our getting-around guide explains the rest.

Fort Lauderdale in April vs March and May

NOAA’s airport normals climb steadily across the three months. Average highs run 79.7°F in March, 82.9°F in April and 85.8°F in May, with lows of 65.6°F, 69.9°F and 73.5°F. The bigger jump is in rain. March brings 2.38 inches over 3.4 days, April 3.02 inches over 4.1 days, and May 5.56 inches over 7.4 days, close to double April’s wet days. Open-Meteo’s sea readings go from 78.6°F to 79.7°F to 83.1°F.

Going four weeks earlier gives you drier days and nights 4.3°F cooler on average, but water 1.1°F cooler. It also puts you in the March spring-break stretch, which our Florida overview warns makes beach towns loud and pricey. Going four weeks later adds 3.4°F to the water and still lands before the June 1 hurricane start. In exchange, you get 7.4 rain days instead of 4.1, and a 73.5°F low that keeps evenings warm. For more detail, see Fort Lauderdale in March and Fort Lauderdale in May.

Is April a good time to visit Fort Lauderdale?

Yes, for most beach vacations. Swimmers, paddlers and anyone who wants long evenings outdoors get 79.7°F water, 4.1 rain days and light until 7:45 pm. If you want cool air for long walks, or dislike afternoons above 80°F, the 82.9°F high will feel warm. If your trip is tied to cruise turnaround days, expect full hotels on those dates.

If April does not suit you, choose by what matters most. March is best for walkers and anyone who wants the driest of the three months, with 3.4 rain days and a 79.7°F high. May is best for swimmers who want water above 83°F and can accept nearly twice the rain days. Our Florida best-time guide covers every season of the year.

Of the three months, only April keeps the sea within a degree of 80°F while holding rain to fewer than five days.

The last word

Settle the cruise calendar first. Pick arrival and departure days that avoid the Port Everglades turnarounds, since April’s 82.9°F highs and 4.1 rain days leave little else to plan around. If you would like to wake up inside a park, Oleta River State Park has 14 cabins on its bay side. There are only 14, so reserve one as soon as your dates are firm.

Sources & data

• Air normals, precipitation and rain days for March, April and May · NOAA NCEI monthly normals 1991-2020, station USW00012849 (Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International) · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Station identity, airport gauge about three miles inland · NOAA NCEI Search service · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Sea surface temperature for March, April and May, mean of daily maxima 2015-2024 · Open-Meteo Marine API · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Sunrise, sunset and daylight on April 15 · sunrise-sunset.org, converted from UTC to Eastern Daylight Time · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Hurricane season June 1 to November 30 · NOAA National Hurricane Center · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Dry season November through April · National Weather Service, via our Florida overview · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Broward County 6.0% transient rental tax and 6% state sales tax · Florida Department of Revenue, form DR-15TDT · checked Sep 24, 2026
• State park beaches, trails, boardwalks, launches, parking and cabins · Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Recreational Facilities Inventory 2024 · checked Sep 24, 2026
• FLL passenger boardings 2024 and large-hub class · Federal Aviation Administration · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Cruise passengers FY2025 and homeport status · Broward County, Port Everglades · checked Sep 24, 2026
• Bus fares and passes · Broward County Transit · checked Sep 24, 2026
• More than 50 county parks · Broward County Parks and Recreation · checked Sep 24, 2026
• We could not read state park entrance fees or opening hours, and we found no wind or surf data and no hotel-rate series. Our booking lead time is an estimate. Check operators when you book.

To plan your stay

• Things to Do in Fort Lauderdale: Three State Parks, 14 Cabins and $2.00 Bus Fares
• Best Time to Visit Fort Lauderdale: Weather, Sea Temperature and the Quiet Months
• Fort Lauderdale in March: Weather, Sea Temperature, Crowds and a Two-Day Itinerary
• Fort Lauderdale in May: Weather, Sea Temperature, Crowds and Things to Do

Nearby places

• Big Cypress National Preserve: Dark Sky Park, Swamp Buggies and the $100 ORV Permit
• Biscayne National Park: Boat Access, Docking Fees and the Northernmost Keys
• Miami Travel Guide: Miami or Miami Beach, Neighborhoods, Beaches and Getting Around Without a Car