Esmeraldas weather in March

In March, Esmeraldas sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 203 mm of rain across 21.4 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 4th-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 4% of the time in March, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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

Daytime high
28°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
24°
10th coldest
Rainfall
203 mm
21.4 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:28 AM – 6:28 PM
Cloud cover
82%
9th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
4.78 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Esmeraldas is city in Ecuador, capital of the Esmeraldas Province.

Density
7,680/km²
people per km²
Founded
1526

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 28°C through the month.

A typical March day in Esmeraldas reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 29°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and on par with April.

20°23°25°28°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12724
22724
32724
42724
52724
62824
72824
82824
92824
102824
112824
122824
132824
142824
152824
162824
172824
182824
192824
202824
212824
222824
232824
242824
252824
262824
272824
282824
292824
302824
312824

Esmeraldas weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 2nd-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 24°25624.2124.3
Feb27° / 24°24122124.1
Mar28° / 24°20321.4124.5
Apr28° / 24°20420.3124.6
May28° / 24°14920.2124.7
Jun27° / 24°10916.412.15.1
Jul27° / 23°9816.2125.3
Aug27° / 23°7614.4125.6
Sep27° / 23°6713.3125.6
Oct27° / 23°6211.8125.8
Nov27° / 23°7610.8126.0
Dec27° / 24°13816.211.95.4

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 85%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11486
21486
31387
41387
51486
61387
71387
81387
91387
101288
111288
121288
131288
141288
151288
161387
171486
181486
191486
201486
211486
221585
231684
241684
251783
261783
271882
281981
291981
301981
312080

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Esmeraldas gets around 203 mm of rain over 21.4 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 68% and peaks near 74% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
173
273
373
474
574
674
774
874
974
1073
1173
1272
1371
1470
1569
1668
1768
1867
1966
2065
2165
2264
2364
2463
2563
2663
2762
2862
2962
3062
3163

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 86% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
18416
28416
38416
48416
58416
68416
78416
88416
98416
108416
118416
128416
138515
148515
158515
168515
178614
188614
198614
208713
218713
228713
238812
248812
258812
268812
278812
288812
298812
308812
318713

Wind in March

Winds average 8 km/h in March, the calmest month.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 0 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:32 AM to 6:23 AM, and sunset from 6:31 PM to 6:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.06:326:31
212.06:326:31
312.06:326:31
412.06:326:31
512.06:326:31
612.06:316:30
712.06:316:30
812.06:316:30
912.06:316:30
1012.06:306:30
1112.06:306:29
1212.06:306:29
1312.06:296:29
1412.06:296:29
1512.06:296:28
1612.06:286:28
1712.06:286:28
1812.06:286:28
1912.06:276:27
2012.06:276:27
2112.06:276:27
2212.06:266:26
2312.06:266:26
2412.06:266:26
2512.06:256:26
2612.06:256:25
2712.06:256:25
2812.06:246:25
2912.06:246:24
3012.06:246:24
3112.06:236:24

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.78 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.92 kWh/m² to a high of 4.78 kWh/m² in March across the year — March's 4.78 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.7Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.7Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.9Bright
194.9Bright
204.9Bright
214.9Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Esmeraldas

In seasonPeak

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

Esmeraldas's rainy season runs December–May, 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 Esmeraldas?

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

4.5
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Esmeraldas for sightseeing.

What to pack for Esmeraldas in March

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

In March, Esmeraldas sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 21 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Esmeraldas in March

The nearest coast averages about 27°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 19 km away) is warmest in May at about 27°C and coldest in January near 26°C.

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

24°26°28°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan26Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr27Warm
May27Warm
Jun27Warm
Jul27Warm
Aug27Warm
Sep27Warm
Oct27Warm
Nov26Warm
Dec26Warm

UV index in Esmeraldas 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 Esmeraldas peaks around March 12 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 19 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeMar 12UV 15Jul 19UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Esmeraldas 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 Esmeraldas is worst in March — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (July, 9 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateMar 1618 µg/m³Jul 199 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb15Moderate
Mar18Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May12Good
Jun10Good
Jul9Good
Aug10Good
Sep11Good
Oct12Moderate
Nov16Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Esmeraldas?

Esmeraldas sits at 1.0°N, 79.7°W, 18 m above sea level, in Ecuador. The nearest listed city is Rosa Zarate, 73 km away.

TumacoSanto Domingo de los ColoradosMindoAtuntaquiOtavaloPomasqui

Topography around Esmeraldas

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Esmeraldas has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 261 m around an average of 57 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 628 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 762 m.

The land around Esmeraldas is covered by trees (33%), artificial surfaces (24%) and grassland (23%) within 3 km, trees (45%) and water (44%) within 16 km, and trees (52%) and water (42%) within 80 km.

3 km
261 m
16 km
628 m
80 km
762 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswaterwetlandmangroves
March weather nearby: Rosa Zarate 73 km · San Lorenzo de Esmeraldas 98 km · Tumaco 133 km · Santo Domingo de los Colorados 145 km · Mindo 149 km · Atuntaqui 174 km · Otavalo 174 km · Pomasqui 175 km

Ecuador travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 43% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$7,125
2025
Happiness
6.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
70%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
45.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
20.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 466
Religion
Roman Catholic 68%Protestant 19%none 8%other 2%

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 Esmeraldas (0.9592°, -79.654°, elevation 18 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. 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).