Cotonou weather in March

In March, Cotonou sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 27°C, with 48 mm of rain across 12.5 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in March, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 54 min at the start of March to 12 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Cotonou's 5th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cotonou's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
27°
12th coldest
Rainfall
48 mm
12.5 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
7:01 AM – 6:59 PM
Cloud cover
63%
5th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.3
out of 10

Cotonou is city in Benin, seat of the government.

Density
8,595/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 29°C through the month.

A typical March day in Cotonou reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 27°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and on par with April.

24°26°28°30°32°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12827
22827
32827
42827
52827
62927
72927
82927
92927
102927
112927
122927
132927
142927
152927
162927
172927
182927
192927
202927
212927
222927
232927
242927
252927
262927
272927
282927
292927
302927
312927

How March really feels in Cotonou

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
heat index over the day's high
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.

Cotonou weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 2nd-warmest and 9th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 26°216.611.77.1
Feb28° / 27°277.811.86.4
Mar29° / 27°4812.5125.3
Apr29° / 27°7315.712.14.8
May28° / 27°16423.412.34.0
Jun27° / 26°25926.112.43.9
Jul26° / 25°13218.912.35.2
Aug25° / 24°7313.312.26.1
Sep26° / 25°10518125.2
Oct27° / 26°11020.211.95.0
Nov28° / 27°4913.811.75.7
Dec28° / 27°277.611.66.9

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35050
45050
55050
65050
75050
84951
94951
104852
114753
124753
134555
144456
154357
164258
174258
184060
194060
204060
213961
223961
233961
243961
254060
264060
274060
284060
294159
304258
314258

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Cotonou gets around 48 mm of rain over 12.5 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 40% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
337
438
538
639
739
839
940
1040
1140
1241
1341
1441
1542
1642
1742
1841
1941
2041
2141
2241
2341
2441
2541
2641
2741
2842
2942
3042
3142

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 98% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1298
2298
3298
4298
5298
6298
7298
8298
9298
10298
11298
12298
13298
14298
15298
16298
17298
18298
19298
20298
21298
22298
23298
24298
25298
26298
27298
28298
29298
30298
31298

Wind in March

Winds average 20 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 20 km/h on the calmest days to 21 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120breezy
220breezy
320breezy
420breezy
520breezy
620breezy
720breezy
820breezy
920breezy
1020breezy
1120breezy
1221breezy
1321breezy
1421breezy
1521breezy
1621breezy
1721breezy
1821breezy
1921breezy
2021breezy
2121breezy
2221breezy
2321breezy
2421breezy
2521breezy
2621breezy
2721breezy
2821breezy
2921breezy
3020breezy
3120breezy

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 6 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:08 AM to 6:54 AM, and sunset from 7:00 PM to 6:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.97:087:00
211.97:077:00
311.97:077:00
411.97:067:00
511.97:067:00
611.97:066:59
711.97:056:59
811.97:056:59
911.97:046:59
1011.97:046:59
1111.97:046:59
1211.97:036:59
1311.97:036:59
1411.97:026:59
1512.07:026:59
1612.07:016:59
1712.07:016:59
1812.07:006:58
1912.07:006:58
2012.06:596:58
2112.06:596:58
2212.06:586:58
2312.06:586:58
2412.06:576:58
2512.06:576:58
2612.06:566:57
2712.06:566:57
2812.06:556:57
2912.06:556:57
3012.06:546:57
3112.06:546:57

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.6 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.22 kWh/m² to a high of 5.6 kWh/m² in March across the year — March's 5.6 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.6Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.6Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Cotonou

In seasonPeak

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

Cotonou's rainy season runs May–July, when most of the year's rain falls.

Cotonou sees seasonal dust haze (January–April), heaviest in February.

Rainy season
Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is March a good time to visit Cotonou?

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

5.3
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
6.5
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Cotonou for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Cotonou in March

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

In March, Cotonou sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 27°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear, sun protection and a windbreaker. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near Cotonou in March

The nearest coast averages about 29°C in March — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in May at about 29°C and coldest in August near 25°C.

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

24°26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Warm
Feb28Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun28Warm
Jul26Warm
Aug25Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov29Tropical
Dec28Tropical

UV index in Cotonou in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Cotonou peaks around April 10 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highExtremeExtremeVery highApr 10UV 13Dec 17UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan9Very high
Feb10Very high
Mar13Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov9Very high
Dec8Very high

Air quality in Cotonou 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 Cotonou is worst in January — around 78 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 7.7× the cleanest month (September, 10 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

020406080JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyModerateGoodModerateJan 1676 µg/m³Sep 1810 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan78Unhealthy
Feb61Unhealthy
Mar28Moderate
Apr24Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct12Good
Nov19Moderate
Dec61Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Cotonou?

Cotonou sits at 6.4°N, 2.4°E, 7 m above sea level, in Benin. The nearest listed city is Godomè, 8.0 km away.

Topography around Cotonou

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Cotonou has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 13 m around an average of 5 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 33 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 171 m.

The land around Cotonou is covered by artificial surfaces (76%) within 3 km, water (66%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 16 km, and trees (37%) and water (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
13 m
16 km
33 m
80 km
171 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
March weather nearby: Godomè 8.0 km · Ganvié 11 km · Abomey-Calavi 12 km · Ekpé 13 km · Semi 22 km · Porto-Novo 25 km · Missérété 29 km · Zinvié 29 km

Benin travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / E
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,658
2025
Happiness
4.4 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
18%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2017
Road deaths
26.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 406
Religion
Muslim 28%Roman Catholic 26%Protestant 14%Vodoun 12%

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 Cotonou (6.3654°, 2.4183°, elevation 7 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. 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).