Kunming weather in March

In March, Kunming sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 42 mm of precipitation across 6.7 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 19°C in the first days to 22°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of March to 12 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Kunming's 2nd-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kunming's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
7th warmest
Overnight low
10°
5th coldest
Precipitation
42 mm
6.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
7:24 AM – 7:13 PM
Cloud cover
39%
2nd clearest
Wind
15 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
5.68 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.3
out of 10

Kunming is capital of Yunnan province, China.

Air quality
High
PM2.5 29.9 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
183/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

Highs climb over the month, from about 19°C in the first days to 22°C by the end.

A typical March day in Kunming reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 4°C warmer than February and about 3°C cooler than April.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1198
2198
3198
4198
5208
6209
7209
8209
9209
10209
11219
12219
132110
142110
152110
162110
172110
182110
192110
202110
212110
222210
232211
242211
252211
262211
272211
282211
292211
302211
312211

Kunming weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 7th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan15° / 355.4110.65.1
Feb17° / 305.30.511.16.5
Mar21° / 10°426.70.311.87.3
Apr24° / 13°699.4012.67.2
May24° / 16°13915.1013.26.2
Jun24° / 17°27823.8013.54.4
Jul24° / 18°27426.6013.44.1
Aug24° / 17°23824.9012.94.4
Sep22° / 16°16520.3012.24.8
Oct20° / 13°11316.2011.45.4
Nov17° / 346.30.110.86.2
Dec15° / 244.50.710.55.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 57% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 23%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17822
27822
37921
48020
58020
68020
78119
88119
98119
108119
118119
128119
138020
148020
158020
168020
177921
187921
197723
207624
217624
227525
237327
247327
257228
267228
277228
287129
297129
307129
317129

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Kunming gets around 42 mm of rain and snow over 6.7 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 22% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1202
2202
3192
4192
5182
6172
7172
8161
9161
10161
11161
12161
13171
14171
15181
16191
17201
18211
19231
20241
21251
22261
23271
24281
25291
26291
27301
28301
29301
30311
31311

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 15 km/h in March, the windiest month of the year.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min at the start of March to 12 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:39 AM to 7:08 AM, and sunset from 7:06 PM to 7:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.47:397:06
211.57:387:06
311.57:377:07
411.57:367:07
511.57:357:08
611.67:347:08
711.67:337:09
811.67:327:09
911.67:317:10
1011.77:307:10
1111.77:297:11
1211.77:287:11
1311.77:277:12
1411.87:267:12
1511.87:257:13
1611.87:247:13
1711.87:237:14
1811.97:227:14
1911.97:217:15
2011.97:207:15
2111.97:197:16
2212.07:187:16
2312.07:177:16
2412.07:167:17
2512.07:157:17
2612.17:147:18
2712.17:137:18
2812.17:117:19
2912.17:107:19
3012.27:097:20
3112.27:087:20

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.68 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.11 kWh/m² to a high of 6.21 kWh/m² in April across the year — March's 5.68 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.8Bright
295.9Bright
305.9Bright
315.9Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Kunming

In seasonPeak

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

Kunming sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Kunming's monsoon runs May–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is March a good time to visit Kunming?

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

7.3
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

March is one of the better times to visit Kunming for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Kunming in March

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

In March, Kunming sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

sun protection

UV index in Kunming in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kunming peaks around July 12 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHighVery highExtremeVery highHighJul 12UV 13Dec 21UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan6High
Feb8Very high
Mar11Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep10Extreme
Oct9Very high
Nov8Very high
Dec6High

Air quality in Kunming 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 Kunming is worst in March — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Kunming's WHO annual average of 29.9 µg/m³.

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMar 2235 µg/m³Jun 1824 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan29Moderate
Feb30Moderate
Mar35Moderate
Apr34Moderate
May28Moderate
Jun24Moderate
Jul26Moderate
Aug29Moderate
Sep31Moderate
Oct31Moderate
Nov32Moderate
Dec30Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Kunming?

Kunming sits at 25.0°N, 102.7°E, 1,895 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Dali, 259 km away.

SapaHà GiangThị Trấn Phố LuMường Lay

Topography around Kunming

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kunming has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 56 m around an average of 1,899 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 665 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,814 m.

The land around Kunming is covered by artificial surfaces (88%) within 3 km, trees (42%) and artificial surfaces (34%) within 16 km, and trees (59%) and cropland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
56 m
16 km
665 m
80 km
1,814 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Dali 259 km · Lai Châu 303 km · Lào Cai 311 km · Sapa 321 km · Lijiang 322 km · Hà Giang 337 km · Thị Trấn Phố Lu 337 km · Mường Lay 341 km

China travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / I
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 47% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$13,862
2025
Happiness
6.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
0.5
per 100k, 2020
Road deaths
17.4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 464
Religion
unaffiliated 52%folk religion 22%Buddhist 18%Christian 5%

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 Kunming (25.0389°, 102.7183°, elevation 1,895 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).