Palmerston weather in March

In March, Palmerston sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 304 mm of rain across 23.7 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in March, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Palmerston's 9th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Palmerston's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
8th warmest
Overnight low
25°
8th coldest
Rainfall
304 mm
23.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:53 AM – 6:58 PM
Cloud cover
74%
9th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.5
out of 10

Palmerston is planned satellite city of Darwin, in the Northern Territory, Australia.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 9.8 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
637/km²
people per km²

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

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 33°C through the month.

A typical March day in Palmerston reaches about 33°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 1°C warmer than February and about 1°C cooler than April.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13225
23225
33225
43225
53225
63225
73225
83225
93225
103225
113225
123225
133225
143225
153325
163325
173325
183324
193324
203324
213324
223324
233324
243324
253324
263324
273324
283324
293324
303324
313324

How March really feels in Palmerston

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 31 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
31
31 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in March is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Palmerston weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 25°43928.312.72.2
Feb32° / 25°39325.912.42.3
Mar33° / 25°30423.712.12.5
Apr33° / 23°1009.511.73.3
May33° / 21°152.611.44.3
Jun32° / 19°20.411.35.3
Jul32° / 18°10.211.35.3
Aug33° / 19°10.211.64.5
Sep35° / 22°122.711.93.1
Oct35° / 24°589.312.32.4
Nov35° / 25°17519.312.62.1
Dec33° / 25°33225.312.72.2

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 14% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 72%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11585
21585
31684
41783
51783
61882
71981
82080
92179
102278
112377
122476
132575
142674
152872
162872
172971
183070
193169
203268
213466
223565
233565
243664
253664
263763
273862
283862
293961
303961
313961

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Palmerston gets around 304 mm of rain over 23.7 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 76% and peaks near 91% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
191
291
391
490
589
689
788
887
986
1085
1184
1283
1381
1480
1578
1677
1775
1874
1973
2071
2170
2268
2367
2465
2564
2662
2761
2860
2958
3057
3156

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the miserable band about 72% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1001288
2001387
3001387
4001486
5001486
6001585
7001585
8001684
9001783
10011881
11011980
12012079
13012178
14012277
15012376
16022474
17022672
18022771
19022870
20022969
21023068
22123166
23133363
24133462
25133660
26133759
27133957
28134056
29134254
30134452
31144550

Wind in March

Winds average 7 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:51 AM to 6:54 AM, and sunset from 7:07 PM to 6:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:517:07
212.26:527:07
312.26:527:06
412.26:527:06
512.26:527:05
612.26:527:04
712.26:527:04
812.26:527:03
912.26:537:03
1012.26:537:02
1112.16:537:01
1212.16:537:01
1312.16:537:00
1412.16:537:00
1512.16:536:59
1612.16:536:58
1712.16:536:58
1812.16:536:57
1912.16:536:56
2012.06:536:56
2112.06:536:55
2212.06:536:54
2312.06:546:54
2412.06:546:53
2512.06:546:52
2612.06:546:52
2712.06:546:51
2811.96:546:50
2911.96:546:50
3011.96:546:49
3111.96:546:48

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.67 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.31 kWh/m² to a high of 6.88 kWh/m² in October across the year — March's 5.67 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.8Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Palmerston

In seasonPeak

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

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

Palmerston's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is March a good time to visit Palmerston?

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

2.5
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Palmerston.

What to pack for Palmerston in March

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

In March, Palmerston sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 24 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Palmerston in March

The nearest coast averages about 30°C in March — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 17 km away) is warmest in December at about 31°C and coldest in July near 26°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

24°26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan30Tropical
Feb30Tropical
Mar30Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun27Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct30Tropical
Nov31Tropical
Dec31Tropical

UV index in Palmerston in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 16 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Palmerston peaks around February 20 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 9 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeFeb 20UV 16Jun 18UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Palmerston 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 Palmerston is worst in May — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (March, 6 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Palmerston's WHO annual average of 9.8 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodMay 1918 µg/m³Mar 126 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb6Good
Mar6Good
Apr8Good
May19Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep9Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Palmerston?

Palmerston sits at 12.5°S, 131.0°E, 36 m above sea level, in Australia. The nearest listed city is Darwin, 16 km away.

SuaiAileuAtsabe

Topography around Palmerston

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Palmerston has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 47 m around an average of 25 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 57 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 229 m.

The land around Palmerston is covered by trees (47%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 3 km, trees (49%) within 16 km, and trees (40%) and water (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
47 m
16 km
57 m
80 km
229 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmangroves
March weather nearby: Darwin 16 km · Lospalos 620 km · Venilale 660 km · Baucau 666 km · Suai 718 km · Aileu 725 km · Atsabe 727 km · Dili 735 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 Palmerston (-12.486°, 130.9833°, elevation 36 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). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).