Francistown weather in March

In March, Francistown sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 45 mm of rain across 6.8 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in March, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 30 min at the start of March to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Francistown's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Francistown's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
7th warmest
Overnight low
19°
8th coldest
Rainfall
45 mm
6.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:15 AM – 6:24 PM
Cloud cover
45%
8th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.82 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.8
out of 10

Francistown is city in northern Botswana.

Founded
1897

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 30°C through the month.

A typical March day in Francistown reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 25°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and about 1°C warmer than April.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13019
23019
33019
43019
53019
63019
73019
83019
93019
103019
113019
123019
133019
143019
153019
163019
173019
183019
193019
203019
213019
223018
232918
242918
252918
262918
272918
282918
292918
302918
312917

How March really feels in Francistown

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.

Francistown weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 7th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan31° / 20°9511.713.14.6
Feb30° / 20°879.512.74.9
Mar30° / 19°456.812.15.8
Apr28° / 16°112.511.57.4
May26° / 11°40.9118.9
Jun24° / 40.510.79.3
Jul23° / 40.410.89.2
Aug27° / 11°10.111.39.0
Sep30° / 15°61.111.96.6
Oct32° / 18°153.412.55.0
Nov32° / 20°559.3134.3
Dec31° / 20°9612.813.34.4

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 33%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16535
26535
36634
46733
56832
66832
76931
86832
96931
106931
116931
126931
136931
146931
156832
166832
176733
186733
196634
206634
216634
226634
236634
246634
256634
266535
276436
286436
296436
306535
316535

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Francistown gets around 45 mm of rain over 6.8 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 22% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
129
228
327
426
525
624
723
822
922
1021
1121
1220
1320
1419
1519
1619
1720
1820
1920
2021
2121
2221
2321
2421
2521
2621
2721
2821
2921
3020
3120

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the comfortable band about 31% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 15% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
116302924
217312923
317312922
418322921
519332920
619332919
720332918
820332917
921332916
1021332916
1122333015
1222333015
1322333014
1423323114
1524323113
1624313213
1724303213
1825303313
1925293312
2025293312
2126293312
2226293312
2326293212
2427293212
2528293112
2628293012
2729302911
2830302911
2932302811
3033302710
3134302610

Wind in March

Winds average 13 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min at the start of March to 11 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 42 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:10 AM to 6:20 AM, and sunset from 6:37 PM to 6:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.56:106:37
212.46:106:36
312.46:106:35
412.46:116:35
512.46:116:34
612.46:126:33
712.36:126:32
812.36:126:31
912.36:136:30
1012.36:136:29
1112.36:136:29
1212.26:146:28
1312.26:146:27
1412.26:146:26
1512.26:156:25
1612.26:156:24
1712.16:156:23
1812.16:166:22
1912.16:166:21
2012.16:166:20
2112.06:176:20
2212.06:176:19
2312.06:176:18
2412.06:186:17
2512.06:186:16
2611.96:186:15
2711.96:196:14
2811.96:196:13
2911.96:196:12
3011.96:196:11
3111.86:206:10

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.82 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.24 kWh/m² to a high of 6.85 kWh/m² in October across the year — March's 5.82 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Intense
26.0Bright
36.0Bright
46.0Bright
56.0Bright
66.0Bright
76.0Bright
86.0Bright
96.0Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Francistown?

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

5.8
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
7.7
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Francistown in March

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

In March, Francistown sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Francistown 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 Francistown peaks around January 18 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 18UV 15Jun 20UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr10Very high
May8Very high
Jun6High
Jul7High
Aug8Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Francistown?

Francistown sits at 21.2°S, 27.5°E, 989 m above sea level, in Botswana. The nearest listed city is Tonota, 31 km away.

TutumeSelebi-PhikweBobonongGwandaPalapyeSeroweBulawayo

Topography around Francistown

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Francistown has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 110 m around an average of 993 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 138 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 588 m.

The land around Francistown is covered by artificial surfaces (39%), shrubs (25%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, shrubs (74%) within 16 km, and shrubs (75%) within 80 km.

3 km
110 m
16 km
138 m
80 km
588 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
March weather nearby: Tonota 31 km · Tutume 90 km · Selebi-Phikwe 96 km · Bobonong 131 km · Gwanda 158 km · Palapye 158 km · Serowe 158 km · Bulawayo 159 km

Botswana travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 38% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$7,778
2025
Happiness
3.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
63%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
11.4
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
26.4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
Religion
Christian 79%none 15%Badimo 4%other 1%

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 Francistown (-21.17°, 27.5078°, elevation 989 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. 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).