April in Duck Creek Village averages 54 to 55F afternoons and 23 to 29F nights near 8,400 feet. Snow leaves the ground at village height around April 15, while the Highway 14 summit still holds three feet on April 30. Station data on melt-out, cold snaps, Cedar Breaks and the valley towns.
What Is the Weather Like in Duck Creek Village in April?
April in Duck Creek Village averages 54 to 55F in the afternoon and 23 to 29F at night, measured at stations near village elevation. About two of every three nights freeze. Snow leaves the ground at village height around April 15 in a typical year, while the Highway 14 summit, 1,400 feet higher, still holds about three feet of snow on April 30.
April is also the second driest month of the year near the village.
| April in Duck Creek Village | Number |
|---|---|
| Average daytime high | 54 to 55F, 44F at the summit |
| Average overnight low | 29F on slopes, 23F in meadows |
| Nights at or below freezing | About 20 of 30 on slopes |
| Precipitation | 0.7 to 0.8 in, 2 in at the summit |
| Daylight | 12 h 37 m on Apr 1, 13 h 43 m on Apr 30 |
Four stations near the village set the April numbers
A rain gauge stood at the Duck Creek ranger station from 1934 to 1936, and the village has had no working station since. The numbers here come from four neighbors. The Assay fire weather station sits at 8,100 feet, six miles east. Panguitch Lake reports from 8,300 feet, Harris Flat from a meadow at 7,800 feet, and Midway Valley from 9,830 feet near the Highway 14 summit.
The afternoons line up. Assay averages 55.3F, Harris Flat 53.9F and Panguitch Lake 53.2F. Midway Valley runs ten degrees colder at 44.4F, and about three April afternoons a year there never reach freezing.
The nights split by ground, the same pattern our March weather post traced. Assay and Panguitch Lake both average a 29F low and freeze on about 20 April nights. Harris Flat averages 23.1F and freezes on 28, because cold air drains off the slopes after dark and pools in the flat meadow.
The month warms as it goes. At Harris Flat, the first ten days average 52F highs and 21F lows, and the last ten average 57F and 26F. Harris Flat reaches 60F on about eight April afternoons.
Sunset moves from 7:53 pm on April 1 to 8:19 pm on April 30, and sunrise comes forward from 7:15 to 6:36 am. Next to October, April runs about five degrees cooler in the afternoon at Harris Flat, 54F against 59F.
April is the month the snow leaves village height
| April snow | Number |
|---|---|
| Snow depth on Apr 1, median | About 1 in near village height, 54 in at the summit |
| Typical melt-out at village height | April 14 to 15 |
| Bare ground on Apr 30 | 14 of 16 years at Harris Flat |
| Typical melt-out at the summit | About May 21 |
Near village height, the median snow depth falls from about an inch on April 1 to zero within the first week. Harris Flat had bare ground on April 1 in 8 of 16 years. The median day the last snow melts off comes on April 15 at Harris Flat and April 14 at Panguitch Lake.
Median snow depth by date at NRCS SNOTEL stations 626, 1148 and 514, 2011 to 2026. Chart by Duck Creek Village Inn.
The range runs wide. Harris Flat lost its snow on March 20 in 2015 and held it to May 23 in 2019. In 2023, with the deepest April 1 snow in the record, Harris Flat started April under 61 inches and Panguitch Lake under 42, and both stayed white until the last days of April.
The summit keeps winter longer. Midway Valley holds a median 54 to 56 inches from April 1 through April 20, then loses a third of it by April 30. Its median melt-out comes around May 21, with a range from May 5 in 2026 to June 23 in 2011. New snow still falls up there, too: about three April nights a year add two inches or more at the summit, against fewer than one at Harris Flat.
April brings 0.73 inches of water at Harris Flat and 0.77 at Panguitch Lake, and only June comes in drier. Expect two or three days with a tenth of an inch or more. Check our snow report and road conditions before you drive up.
Cold snaps, warm days and Cedar Breaks in April
| April extremes | Record |
|---|---|
| Warmest April day | 77F at Assay, Apr 30, 2021 |
| Coldest April night at the summit | Minus 6.7F, Apr 6, 2023 |
| Coldest April night on the slopes | 4F at Assay, Apr 5, 2023 |
A cold snap from April 4 to 6, 2023 held Assay to a 26F high on April 4, then took it to 4F the next night. Panguitch Lake fell to 0.7F, and Midway Valley hit minus 6.7F. At the other end, April 30, 2021 reached 77F at Assay and 73F at Harris Flat and Panguitch Lake.
Cedar Breaks stays closed to cars all April. The National Park Service closes SR-148 from mid November to mid May on average, and the visitor center stays shut from mid October to late May. SR-143 from the Brian Head side stays open almost all year, though heavy storms and wind can close it for several days.
April in the valley towns below
| April normal, 1991 to 2020 | High and low |
|---|---|
| Cedar City, 5,590 ft | 62.6F and 31.9F |
| Kanab, 4,900 ft | 69.2F and 37.3F |
| St. George, 2,857 ft | 75.0F and 45.7F |
| Las Vegas | 78.5F and 56.9F |
| Phoenix | 85.5F and 60.8F |
St. George runs about 20 degrees warmer than the village in an April afternoon, and the Las Vegas April low of 56.9F lands two to three degrees above the average high near the village. Cedar City, 2,700 feet below Panguitch Lake, runs about nine degrees warmer by day.
One valley runs the other way. Panguitch, at 6,615 feet on the Bryce road, averages an April low of 23.2F, six degrees colder than Panguitch Lake 1,700 feet higher. Our May weather post picks up the story as the summit melts out. For a base on the plateau, our cabins and rooms sit at 8,464 feet on Highway 14.
Quick answers about April in Duck Creek Village
Is there snow in Duck Creek Village in April? At the start of the month, often a little. The median depth near village height runs about an inch on April 1 and the snow melts off around April 15, while the Highway 14 summit holds 54 to 56 inches through April 20.
How cold does it get at night in April? Lows average 29F on the slopes and 23F in the Harris Flat meadow, and about 20 of 30 nights freeze on the slopes. The April 2023 cold snap took the summit to minus 6.7F.
Does it rain much in April? No. April brings about three quarters of an inch of water near village height, the second driest month after June, with two or three wet days.
Can you drive to Cedar Breaks in April? SR-148 stays closed to cars until mid May on average. North View Overlook on SR-143 stays reachable in most weather.
Is April warmer than October in Duck Creek Village? No. April afternoons average about 54F at Harris Flat, five degrees cooler than October’s 59F.
Hero photo: evening light over water and a spruce and fir ridge, from the Duck Creek Village Inn image library.
