Shanghai weather in March

In March, Shanghai sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 96 mm of precipitation across 11.3 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 12°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 18 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Shanghai's 10th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Shanghai's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
96 mm
11.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
6:11 AM – 5:57 PM
Cloud cover
67%
10th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
3.99 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.8
out of 10

Shanghai is provincial-level municipality in China.

Air quality
Very high
PM2.5 37.7 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
3,923/km²
people per km²
Founded
1292

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 12°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical March day in Shanghai reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 7°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 9°C and 20°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 4°C warmer than February and about 6°C cooler than April.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1125
2126
3126
4126
5126
6126
7136
8136
9136
10137
11137
12137
13137
14147
15147
16147
17147
18148
19148
20148
21158
22158
23158
24158
25158
26159
27169
28169
29169
30169
31169

How March really feels in Shanghai

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.

Shanghai weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 9th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 638.40.510.21.5
Feb10° / 628.70.510.92.2
Mar14° / 9611.30.111.83.8
Apr19° / 12°10410.2012.75.9
May24° / 17°12710013.66.7
Jun27° / 22°27014.50145.4
Jul31° / 26°15713.9013.83.8
Aug31° / 26°15414.8013.13.9
Sep27° / 22°10610.9012.26.1
Oct23° / 17°616011.27.4
Nov17° / 11°567.4010.45.8
Dec11° / 456.70.3103.0

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 11% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23763
33664
43664
53763
63763
73763
83763
93664
103664
113565
123565
133664
143565
153565
163466
173466
183466
193367
203367
213466
223466
233466
243466
253466
263466
273565
283763
293763
303763
313763

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Shanghai gets around 96 mm of rain and snow over 11.3 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 37% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
134
234
334
434
534
634
734
834
934
1034
1134
1235
1335
1436
1537
1637
1738
1839
1939
2040
2140
2240
2340
2439
2539
2639
2738
2838
2937
3037
3136

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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19820
29820
39820
49820
59820
69820
79820
89820
99820
109820
119820
129730
139730
149730
159730
169730
179730
189730
199730
209640
219640
229640
239541
249451
259451
269451
279262
289262
299172
308983
318983

Wind in March

Winds average 14 km/h in March, the windiest month of the year.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 14 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
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 60 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:29 AM to 5:52 AM, and sunset from 5:46 PM to 6:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.36:295:46
211.36:285:47
311.36:275:47
411.46:255:48
511.46:245:49
611.46:235:50
711.56:225:50
811.56:215:51
911.56:205:52
1011.66:185:53
1111.66:175:53
1211.66:165:54
1311.76:155:55
1411.76:135:55
1511.76:125:56
1611.86:115:57
1711.86:105:57
1811.86:085:58
1911.96:075:59
2011.96:065:59
2111.96:056:00
2212.06:036:01
2312.06:026:01
2412.06:016:02
2512.15:596:03
2612.15:586:03
2712.15:576:04
2812.25:556:05
2912.25:546:05
3012.25:536:06
3112.35:526:07

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 3.99 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.47 kWh/m² to a high of 5.31 kWh/m² in July across the year — March's 3.99 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.5Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.6Moderate
43.7Moderate
53.7Moderate
63.7Moderate
73.8Moderate
83.8Moderate
93.8Moderate
103.9Moderate
113.9Moderate
123.9Moderate
133.9Moderate
143.9Moderate
153.9Moderate
164.0Moderate
174.0Moderate
184.0Bright
194.0Bright
204.0Bright
214.1Bright
224.1Bright
234.1Bright
244.2Bright
254.2Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.4Bright
294.4Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Shanghai

In seasonPeak

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

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

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

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

Is March a good time to visit Shanghai?

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

3.8
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Shanghai.

What to pack for Shanghai in March

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

In March, Shanghai sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Shanghai in March

The nearest coast averages about 10°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 23 km away) is warmest in August at about 28°C and coldest in February near 7°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 27 to Oct 25 — about 5 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan8Bracing
Feb7Bracing
Mar10Bracing
Apr14Bracing
May19Cool
Jun22Refreshing
Jul26Warm
Aug28Warm
Sep26Warm
Oct21Refreshing
Nov17Cool
Dec12Bracing

UV index in Shanghai in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Shanghai peaks around August 16 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateAug 16UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Shanghai 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 Shanghai is worst in December — around 53 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.2× the cleanest month (August, 25 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Shanghai's WHO annual average of 37.7 µg/m³.

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecPoorModeratePoorDec 2153 µg/m³Aug 1625 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan51Poor
Feb45Poor
Mar44Poor
Apr40Poor
May34Moderate
Jun29Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug25Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct32Moderate
Nov43Poor
Dec53Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Shanghai?

Shanghai sits at 31.2°N, 121.5°E, 12 m above sea level, in China. The nearest listed city is Suzhou, 83 km away.

TunxiGaigeturi

Topography around Shanghai

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Shanghai has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 30 m around an average of 6 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 55 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 158 m.

The land around Shanghai is covered by artificial surfaces (86%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (73%) within 16 km, and water (39%), cropland (29%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
30 m
16 km
55 m
80 km
158 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
March weather nearby: Suzhou 83 km · Wuxi 118 km · Ningbo 150 km · Hangzhou 161 km · Pingyao 169 km · Nanjing 270 km · Tunxi 345 km · Gaigeturi 520 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 Shanghai (31.2222°, 121.4581°, elevation 12 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).