Tshikapa weather in March

In March, Tshikapa sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 163 mm of rain across 22.5 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% of the time in March, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 06 min at the start of March to 12 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Tshikapa's 9th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tshikapa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
7th warmest
Overnight low
22°
12th coldest
Rainfall
163 mm
22.5 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:45 AM – 6:48 PM
Cloud cover
82%
9th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.3 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.2
out of 10

Tshikapa is capital city of Kasaï province.

Founded
2003

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 31°C through the month.

A typical March day in Tshikapa reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and on par with April.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13122
23122
33122
43122
53122
63122
73122
83122
93122
103122
113122
123122
133122
143122
153122
163122
173122
183122
193122
203122
213122
223122
233022
243022
253022
263022
273022
283022
293022
303022
313022

How March really feels in Tshikapa

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.

Tshikapa weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 7th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 22°13720.212.33.6
Feb31° / 22°12718.712.23.3
Mar31° / 22°16322.5123.2
Apr31° / 22°1532011.93.5
May32° / 21°396.911.74.4
Jun33° / 20°61.311.64.7
Jul33° / 19°20.511.74.5
Aug32° / 21°336.211.84.2
Sep31° / 22°9315.5123.7
Oct31° / 21°13422.212.13.3
Nov30° / 21°17723.412.33.4
Dec30° / 21°17423.612.43.5

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 4% 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 86%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11486
21585
31585
41585
51585
61585
71684
81684
91585
101585
111585
121585
131585
141585
151486
161486
171486
181486
191486
201387
211387
221387
231387
241486
251486
261486
271486
281585
291585
301684
311684

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Tshikapa gets around 163 mm of rain over 22.5 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 72% and peaks near 74% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
169
269
370
470
571
671
771
872
972
1072
1172
1272
1373
1473
1573
1673
1773
1873
1973
2073
2173
2273
2373
2473
2574
2674
2774
2873
2973
3073
3173

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 87% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
12080
22080
31981
41981
51882
61783
71684
81585
91585
101486
111387
121387
131387
141288
151288
161189
171189
181189
191189
201090
211090
221090
231090
241090
251090
261090
271090
281090
291090
301090
311090

Wind in March

Winds average 4 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 4 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 06 min at the start of March to 12 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 6 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:46 AM to 6:43 AM, and sunset from 6:54 PM to 6:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:466:54
212.16:466:54
312.16:466:53
412.16:466:53
512.16:466:53
612.16:466:52
712.16:466:52
812.16:466:51
912.16:466:51
1012.16:466:50
1112.16:466:50
1212.16:466:50
1312.16:456:49
1412.16:456:49
1512.06:456:48
1612.06:456:48
1712.06:456:47
1812.06:456:47
1912.06:456:46
2012.06:456:46
2112.06:456:45
2212.06:446:45
2312.06:446:44
2412.06:446:44
2512.06:446:43
2612.06:446:43
2712.06:446:42
2812.06:446:42
2912.06:436:41
3012.06:436:41
3112.06:436:40

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.3 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.06 kWh/m² to a high of 5.48 kWh/m² in October across the year — March's 5.3 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.4Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.4Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Tshikapa

In seasonPeak

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

Tshikapa's rainy season runs September–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is March a good time to visit Tshikapa?

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

3.2
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
4.6
Beach & pool
11th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Tshikapa.

What to pack for Tshikapa in March

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

In March, Tshikapa sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 23 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Tshikapa 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 Tshikapa peaks around March 16 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near August 13 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighExtremeMar 16UV 15Aug 13UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr13Extreme
May9Very high
Jun7Very high
Jul7High
Aug4Moderate
Sep11Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Tshikapa 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 Tshikapa is worst in August — around 151 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 12.7× the cleanest month (November, 12 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateUnhealthyModerateAug 11148 µg/m³Nov 2012 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan19Moderate
Feb23Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May59Unhealthy
Jun140Unhealthy
Jul136Unhealthy
Aug151Very unhealthy
Sep38Poor
Oct17Moderate
Nov12Good
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Tshikapa?

Tshikapa sits at 6.4°S, 20.8°E, 484 m above sea level, in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nearest listed city is Chitato, 99 km away.

CassanguidiLueboKanangaDembaMwekaIdiofa

Topography around Tshikapa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tshikapa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 117 m around an average of 477 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 230 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 495 m.

The land around Tshikapa is covered by grassland (30%), trees (29%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, grassland (54%) and shrubs (27%) within 16 km, and trees (40%), grassland (31%) and shrubs (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
117 m
16 km
230 m
80 km
495 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
March weather nearby: Chitato 99 km · Dundo 106 km · Cassanguidi 131 km · Luebo 137 km · Kananga 188 km · Demba 192 km · Mweka 193 km · Idiofa 209 km

Democratic Republic of the Congo travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / E
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 42% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$807
2025
Happiness
3.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
12%
of population, 2024
Road deaths
34.9
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 400

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 Tshikapa (-6.4162°, 20.7999°, elevation 484 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. 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).