Canberra weather in March

In March, Canberra sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 38 mm of rain across 5.3 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 24°C in the first days to 21°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of March to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Canberra's 1st-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Canberra's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
4th warmest
Overnight low
11°
9th coldest
Rainfall
38 mm
5.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
7:05 AM – 7:21 PM
Cloud cover
48%
1st clearest
Wind
10 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.1 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.8
out of 10

Canberra is capital city of Australia.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 13.9 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
779/km²
people per km²
Founded
1913

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 24°C in the first days to 21°C by the end.

A typical March day in Canberra reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 3°C cooler than February and about 4°C warmer than April.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12513
22513
32513
42413
52413
62412
72412
82412
92412
102412
112412
122412
132412
142412
152312
162312
172311
182311
192311
202311
212311
222311
232211
242210
252210
262210
272210
282210
292110
302110
31219

How March really feels in Canberra

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

March sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Canberra weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 4th-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 14°496.614.17.2
Feb26° / 14°51613.37.4
Mar23° / 11°385.312.37.8
Apr19° / 27411.17.1
May15° / 284.310.25.3
Jun12° / 516.89.73.3
Jul11° / 386.79.92.9
Aug12° / 497.510.73.6
Sep16° / 517.411.85.2
Oct19° / 567.312.96.6
Nov22° / 588.413.97.0
Dec25° / 12°566.914.37.5

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% of the time in March, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 39%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
25941
36040
45941
56040
66139
76139
86139
96238
106238
116238
126238
136238
146238
156238
166238
176139
186238
196139
206139
216139
226040
236040
245941
256040
266040
276040
286139
296040
306040
316040

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Canberra gets around 38 mm of rain over 5.3 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 17% and peaks near 18% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
118
218
318
418
518
618
718
818
918
1018
1118
1218
1318
1418
1518
1617
1717
1817
1917
2017
2117
2217
2317
2417
2516
2616
2716
2816
2915
3015
3115

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of March feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, March lands in the dry band about 75% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
160337
261327
362317
463316
564306
665296
766286
867276
968266
1069256
1170246
1271236
1372226
1473216
1574206
1676195
1777185
1878175
1978175
2079165
2180164
2281154
2381154
2483143
2583143
2684133
2785132
2886122
2986122
3088111
3188111

Wind in March

Winds average 10 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min at the start of March to 11 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 66 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:52 AM to 7:17 AM, and sunset from 7:42 PM to 7:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.86:527:42
212.86:537:40
312.86:547:39
412.76:547:38
512.76:557:37
612.76:567:35
712.66:577:34
812.66:587:33
912.56:597:31
1012.57:007:30
1112.57:017:28
1212.47:017:27
1312.47:027:26
1412.47:037:24
1512.37:047:23
1612.37:057:21
1712.27:067:20
1812.27:077:19
1912.27:077:17
2012.17:087:16
2112.17:097:14
2212.07:107:13
2312.07:117:11
2412.07:127:10
2511.97:127:08
2611.97:137:07
2711.97:147:05
2811.87:157:04
2911.87:167:03
3011.77:167:01
3111.77:177:00

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.1 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.17 kWh/m² to a high of 7.23 kWh/m² in January across the year — March's 5.1 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
204.9Bright
214.9Bright
224.8Bright
234.8Bright
244.8Bright
254.7Bright
264.7Bright
274.7Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Canberra

In seasonPeak

In March, Canberra sits inside its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Canberra sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Cyclone
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is March a good time to visit Canberra?

Our two travel scores rate March for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

7.8
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

March is one of the better times to visit Canberra for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Canberra in March

From March's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In March, Canberra sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 5 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Canberra in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Canberra peaks around December 23 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateVery highExtremeDec 23UV 13Jun 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May3Moderate
Jun2Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep5Moderate
Oct9Very high
Nov10Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Canberra in March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where March falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Canberra is worst in December — around 36 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 7.2× the cleanest month (July, 5 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Canberra's WHO annual average of 13.9 µg/m³.

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateDec 2235 µg/m³Jul 135 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan33Moderate
Feb16Moderate
Mar10Good
Apr12Good
May9Good
Jun6Good
Jul5Good
Aug7Good
Sep8Good
Oct9Good
Nov17Moderate
Dec36Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Canberra?

Canberra sits at 35.3°S, 149.1°E, 571 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Tuggeranong, 16 km away.

Topography around Canberra

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Canberra.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Canberra has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 282 m around an average of 589 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 489 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,796 m.

The land around Canberra is covered by trees (48%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 3 km, grassland (45%) and trees (36%) within 16 km, and trees (51%) and grassland (47%) within 80 km.

3 km
282 m
16 km
489 m
80 km
1,796 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
March weather nearby: Tuggeranong 16 km · Goulburn 80 km · Batemans Bay 106 km · Wollongong city centre 187 km · Wollongong 187 km · Katoomba 205 km · Blue Mountains 206 km · Bathurst 212 km

Australia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 90% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$65,130
2025
Happiness
6.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
0.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
4.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
none 38%Roman Catholic 20%Protestant 18%other Christian 4%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Canberra (-35.2835°, 149.1281°, elevation 571 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).