Ostend weather in March

In March, Ostend sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 55 mm of precipitation across 11.4 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 8°C in the first days to 10°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 30 min at the start of March to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Ostend's 7th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ostend's year-round climate.

Daytime high
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
55 mm
11.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
7:12 AM – 6:43 PM
Cloud cover
67%
7th clearest
Wind
22 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
2.89 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.6
out of 10

Ostend is city in Ostend municipality, Belgium.

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

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 8°C in the first days to 10°C by the end.

A typical March day in Ostend reaches about 9°C in the afternoon and slips back to 5°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 5°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 2°C warmer than February and about 3°C cooler than April.

10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
184
284
384
485
585
685
785
885
985
1085
1185
1285
1395
1495
1595
1695
1795
1895
1995
2095
2196
2296
2396
2496
2596
2696
27106
28106
29106
30106
31106

How March really feels in Ostend

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 3 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
3
wind chill below the day's low

The story in March is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Ostend weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 9th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 7313.90.88.20.7
Feb / 6011.41.19.60.7
Mar / 5511.40.511.51.6
Apr11° / 4610.4013.52.8
May14° / 11°5710.9015.34.2
Jun17° / 14°6010.5016.35.4
Jul20° / 16°7012015.96.0
Aug20° / 16°8012014.46.0
Sep18° / 14°7812012.45.4
Oct15° / 11°9214010.43.8
Nov11° / 9515.40.28.72.1
Dec / 9314.90.77.71.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12971
22971
33070
43169
53169
63169
73367
83367
93565
103565
113664
123664
133565
143664
153763
163763
173763
183862
193862
203961
213961
223961
233961
244060
254159
264159
274258
284258
294357
304456
314456

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Ostend gets around 55 mm of rain and snow over 11.4 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 36% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1463
2463
3463
4453
5443
6432
7422
8402
9392
10382
11362
12351
13351
14341
15331
16331
17321
18321
19321
20321
21321
22331
23331
24331
25331
26331
27341
28341
29341
30341
31340

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in March

Winds average 22 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 20 km/h on the calmest days to 24 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
124breezy
223breezy
323breezy
423breezy
523breezy
623breezy
723breezy
823breezy
923breezy
1022breezy
1122breezy
1222breezy
1322breezy
1422breezy
1522breezy
1622breezy
1722breezy
1822breezy
1921breezy
2021breezy
2121breezy
2221breezy
2321breezy
2421breezy
2521breezy
2621breezy
2721breezy
2821breezy
2921breezy
3020breezy
3120breezy

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 30 min at the start of March to 12 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 120 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:46 AM to 6:38 AM, and sunset from 6:17 PM to 7:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.57:466:17
210.67:446:19
310.77:416:21
410.77:396:23
510.87:376:24
610.97:356:26
710.97:336:28
811.07:316:30
911.07:286:31
1011.17:266:33
1111.27:246:35
1211.27:226:37
1311.37:196:38
1411.47:176:40
1511.47:156:42
1611.57:126:43
1711.67:106:45
1811.67:086:47
1911.77:066:49
2011.87:036:50
2111.87:016:52
2211.96:596:54
2312.06:566:55
2412.16:546:57
2512.16:526:59
2612.26:497:00
2712.36:477:02
2812.36:457:04
2912.46:427:05
3012.56:407:07
3112.56:387:09

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 2.89 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.65 kWh/m² to a high of 5.72 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 2.89 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.1Moderate
22.2Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.5Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.6Moderate
112.6Moderate
122.7Moderate
132.7Moderate
142.8Moderate
152.8Moderate
162.9Moderate
173.0Moderate
183.0Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.1Moderate
213.2Moderate
223.2Moderate
233.3Moderate
243.3Moderate
253.4Moderate
263.5Moderate
273.5Moderate
283.6Moderate
293.6Moderate
303.7Moderate
313.8Moderate
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Ostend?

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

1.6
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Ostend.

What to pack for Ostend in March

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

In March, Ostend sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 5°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear and a windbreaker. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Ostend in March

The nearest coast averages about 7°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 18 km away) is warmest in August at about 19°C and coldest in February near 6°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul17Cool
Aug19Cool
Sep18Cool
Oct15Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec9Bracing

UV index in Ostend in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ostend peaks around June 22 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJun 22UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Ostend?

Ostend sits at 51.2°N, 2.9°E, 6 m above sea level, in Belgium. The nearest listed city is Middelkerke, 8.0 km away.

ZedelgemSint-AndriesBlankenbergeTorhoutBrugesDiksmuideOostkamp

Topography around Ostend

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ostend has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 25 m around an average of 3 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 49 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 318 m.

The land around Ostend is covered by artificial surfaces (40%) and grassland (22%) within 3 km, water (43%), cropland (23%) and grassland (22%) within 16 km, and cropland (35%) and water (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
25 m
16 km
49 m
80 km
318 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
March weather nearby: Middelkerke 8.0 km · Zedelgem 17 km · Sint-Andries 18 km · Blankenberge 18 km · Torhout 21 km · Bruges 21 km · Diksmuide 21 km · Oostkamp 22 km

Belgium travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / E
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 81% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$60,750
2025
Happiness
6.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
5.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 608
Religion
Roman Catholic 57%nonbeliever/agnostic 20%atheist 9%Muslim 7%

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 Ostend (51.2155°, 2.927°, elevation 6 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. 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).