West Island weather in March

In March, West Island sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 26°C, with 201 mm of rain across 20.6 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in March, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is West Island's 12th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see West Island's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
1st warmest
Overnight low
26°
11th coldest
Rainfall
201 mm
20.6 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:10 AM – 6:15 PM
Cloud cover
63%
12th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.82 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 28°C through the month.

A typical March day in West Island reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 26°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 28°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)
12826
22826
32826
42826
52826
62826
72826
82826
92826
102826
112826
122826
132826
142826
152826
162826
172826
182826
192826
202826
212826
222826
232826
242826
252826
262826
272826
282826
292826
302826
312826

West Island weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 1st-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 26°11413.312.66.0
Feb27° / 26°17715.612.45.4
Mar28° / 26°20120.612.14.9
Apr28° / 26°19620.211.74.9
May27° / 26°13218.711.45.3
Jun27° / 26°13317.311.35.4
Jul26° / 25°12017.611.45.6
Aug26° / 25°6214.111.66.2
Sep26° / 25°588.711.96.9
Oct26° / 25°48712.37.2
Nov26° / 25°948.212.66.9
Dec27° / 26°11210.512.76.5

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in March, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
34951
44951
54951
64951
74951
84951
94951
104753
114753
124753
134654
144555
154456
164456
174555
184357
194357
204357
214456
224456
234357
244357
254357
264357
274357
284357
294456
304456
314555

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

West Island gets around 201 mm of rain over 20.6 wet days in March, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 66% and peaks near 68% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
158
259
360
461
562
663
764
865
966
1066
1167
1267
1367
1468
1568
1668
1768
1868
1968
2068
2168
2268
2368
2468
2568
2668
2768
2868
2968
3068
3168

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the oppressive band about 65% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
157421
257421
357322
447422
547323
647224
737324
837225
937225
1037126
1137027
1236928
1336829
1436730
1536631
1636532
1736433
1836334
1936235
2036136
2136037
2235938
2335839
2425840
2525840
2625741
2725741
2825741
2925642
3025741
3125741

Wind in March

Winds average 20 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 22 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1120light breeze
1220light breeze
1320light breeze
1420breezy
1520breezy
1621breezy
1721breezy
1821breezy
1921breezy
2021breezy
2121breezy
2222breezy
2322breezy
2422breezy
2522breezy
2622breezy
2722breezy
2822breezy
2922breezy
3022breezy
3122breezy

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:08 AM to 6:10 AM, and sunset from 6:24 PM to 6:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:086:24
212.26:086:23
312.26:096:23
412.26:096:22
512.26:096:21
612.26:096:21
712.26:096:20
812.26:096:20
912.26:096:19
1012.26:096:19
1112.16:106:18
1212.16:106:17
1312.16:106:17
1412.16:106:16
1512.16:106:16
1612.16:106:15
1712.16:106:14
1812.16:106:14
1912.06:106:13
2012.06:106:12
2112.06:106:12
2212.06:106:11
2312.06:106:10
2412.06:106:10
2512.06:106:09
2612.06:106:08
2712.06:106:08
2811.96:106:07
2911.96:106:06
3011.96:106:06
3111.96:106:05

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 4.25 kWh/m² to a high of 6.46 kWh/m² in January across the year — March's 5.82 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.1Intense
36.1Intense
46.1Intense
56.1Intense
66.0Intense
76.0Intense
86.0Intense
96.0Bright
106.0Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.7Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit West Island?

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

4.9
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
5.2
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit West Island for sightseeing.

What to pack for West Island in March

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

In March, West Island sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 26°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection and a windbreaker. About 21 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near West Island 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 March at about 29°C and coldest in September near 27°C.

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

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan28Tropical
Feb28Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May28Tropical
Jun28Warm
Jul27Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep27Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov27Warm
Dec27Warm

UV index in West Island in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in West Island peaks around January 24 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 24UV 15Jun 19UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May10Extreme
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug11Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct14Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is West Island?

West Island sits at 12.2°S, 96.8°E, 12 m above sea level, in Cocos Islands. The nearest listed city is Flying Fish Cove, 985 km away.

Topography around West Island

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around West Island has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 18 m around an average of 1 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 18 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 15 m.

3 km
18 m
16 km
18 m
80 km
15 m
March weather nearby: Flying Fish Cove 985 km · Bengkulu 1,105 km · Pagar Alam 1,148 km · Curup 1,152 km · Labuan 1,179 km · Lubuklinggau 1,189 km · Lahat 1,189 km · Bandar Lampung 1,191 km

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for West Island (-12.1568°, 96.8225°, 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. 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).