Machala weather in March

In March, Machala sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 350 mm of rain across 24.7 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% 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 Machala's 12th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Machala's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
1st warmest
Overnight low
24°
12th coldest
Rainfall
350 mm
24.7 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:29 AM – 6:30 PM
Cloud cover
88%
12th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.01 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

Machala is city in Ecuador, capital of the El Oro Province.

Density
4,825/km²
people per km²
Founded
1573

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 27°C through the month.

A typical March day in Machala reaches about 27°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
62724
72724
82724
92724
102724
112724
122724
132724
142724
152724
162724
172724
182724
192724
202724
212724
222724
232724
242724
252724
262724
272724
282724
292724
302724
312724

Machala 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° / 23°20024.712.24.2
Feb27° / 24°27723.512.13.9
Mar27° / 24°35024.7124.0
Apr27° / 24°21122.911.94.2
May26° / 23°15422.511.94.5
Jun25° / 22°7017.111.85.4
Jul24° / 21°4111.711.86.4
Aug24° / 21°288.711.96.8
Sep24° / 21°379.9126.5
Oct24° / 21°5516.912.15.5
Nov24° / 21°721712.15.4
Dec26° / 22°12321.112.24.8

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 1% of the time in March, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 5% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 95%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1595
2595
3595
4595
5595
6595
7595
8595
9595
10595
11595
12595
13496
14496
15496
16496
17496
18496
19496
20595
21595
22595
23595
24595
25694
26793
27793
28793
29793
30793
31793

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Machala gets around 350 mm of rain over 24.7 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 80% and peaks near 84% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
183
283
383
483
584
684
784
884
983
1083
1182
1282
1381
1481
1580
1680
1779
1879
1978
2078
2177
2277
2376
2476
2576
2676
2776
2876
2976
3076
3176

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 92% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
12926
22917
32917
42917
51927
61927
71927
81927
91927
101927
111927
121927
131918
141927
151927
161927
171927
181927
191927
201927
211927
221927
231927
241936
251936
261936
271936
281936
291936
301936
311936

Wind in March

Winds average 6 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 6:31 AM to 6:26 AM, and sunset from 6:35 PM to 6:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.16:316:35
212.16:316:35
312.16:316:35
412.16:316:34
512.16:316:34
612.16:316:34
712.06:306:33
812.06:306:33
912.06:306:33
1012.06:306:32
1112.06:306:32
1212.06:306:32
1312.06:296:31
1412.06:296:31
1512.06:296:31
1612.06:296:30
1712.06:296:30
1812.06:286:29
1912.06:286:29
2012.06:286:29
2112.06:286:28
2212.06:286:28
2312.06:276:27
2412.06:276:27
2512.06:276:27
2612.06:276:26
2712.06:266:26
2812.06:266:25
2912.06:266:25
3012.06:266:25
3112.06:266:24

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.01 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.73 kWh/m² to a high of 5.65 kWh/m² in September across the year — March's 5.01 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Machala

In seasonPeak

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

Machala's monsoon runs January–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is March a good time to visit Machala?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
4.2
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Machala for sightseeing.

What to pack for Machala in March

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

In March, Machala sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 25 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Machala 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 18 km away) is warmest in March at about 27°C and coldest in September near 23°C.

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

22°24°26°28°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan26Warm
Feb27Warm
Mar27Warm
Apr26Warm
May26Warm
Jun25Warm
Jul24Refreshing
Aug23Refreshing
Sep23Refreshing
Oct24Refreshing
Nov24Refreshing
Dec25Warm

UV index in Machala 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 Machala peaks around March 10 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 14 at about 10 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeMar 10UV 15Jul 14UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep12Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Machala?

Machala sits at 3.3°S, 80.0°W, 16 m above sea level, in Ecuador. The nearest listed city is Guabo, 15 km away.

Topography around Machala

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Machala has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 18 m around an average of 7 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 97 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,137 m.

The land around Machala is covered by artificial surfaces (64%) within 3 km, water (46%) and trees (31%) within 16 km, and trees (35%), water (34%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
18 m
16 km
97 m
80 km
4,137 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
March weather nearby: Guabo 15 km · Pasaje 18 km · Santa Rosa 22 km · Arenillas 35 km · Huaquillas 39 km · Zarumilla 44 km · Piñas 56 km · Tumbes 63 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 Machala (-3.2589°, -79.9588°, elevation 16 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).