Riobamba weather in March

In March, Riobamba sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 205 mm of precipitation across 27.6 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 14°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

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 Riobamba's 12th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Riobamba's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
6th warmest
Overnight low
12th coldest
Precipitation
205 mm
27.6 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:24 AM – 6:25 PM
Cloud cover
90%
12th clearest
Wind
5 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.16 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.3
out of 10

Riobamba is city in Ecuador, capital of the Chimborazo Province.

Density
6,573/km²
people per km²
Founded
1534

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 14°C through the month.

A typical March day in Riobamba reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 5°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 16°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and on par with April.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1145
2145
3145
4145
5145
6145
7145
8145
9145
10145
11145
12145
13145
14145
15145
16145
17145
18145
19145
20145
21145
22145
23145
24145
25145
26145
27145
28145
29145
30145
31145

How March really feels in Riobamba

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.

Riobamba weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 6th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan14° / 13421.712.12.9
Feb14° / 15722.712.12.6
Mar14° / 20527.6122.3
Apr14° / 17726.4122.4
May14° / 11522.211.92.8
Jun13° / 7416.911.93.1
Jul13° / 4912.411.93.5
Aug14° / 298.111.94.2
Sep15° / 4912.2124.1
Oct14° / 11421.9123.0
Nov14° / 14223.512.12.6
Dec14° / 13723.312.12.8

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 0% of the time in March, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 1% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 98%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1298
2298
3298
4298
5298
6298
7298
8199
9199
10199
11199
12199
13199
14199
15199
16199
17199
18199
19199
20199
21199
22199
23199
24298
25298
26298
27298
28298
29298
30298
31298

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Riobamba gets around 205 mm of rain and snow over 27.6 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 precipitation averages around 89% and peaks near 92% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
187
287
387
487
586
686
786
886
986
1086
1187
1287
1387
1487
1588
1688
1789
1889
1990
2090
2191
2291
2392
2492
2592
2692
2792
2892
2992
3091
3191

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in March

Winds average 5 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 5 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
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

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 6:27 AM to 6:20 AM, and sunset from 6:29 PM to 6:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.06:276:29
212.06:276:29
312.06:276:28
412.06:266:28
512.06:266:28
612.06:266:28
712.06:266:27
812.06:266:27
912.06:266:27
1012.06:256:27
1112.06:256:26
1212.06:256:26
1312.06:256:26
1412.06:246:25
1512.06:246:25
1612.06:246:25
1712.06:246:24
1812.06:236:24
1912.06:236:24
2012.06:236:23
2112.06:236:23
2212.06:226:23
2312.06:226:22
2412.06:226:22
2512.06:226:21
2612.06:216:21
2712.06:216:21
2812.06:216:20
2912.06:216:20
3012.06:206:20
3112.06:206:19

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.16 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.06 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in September across the year — March's 5.16 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.3Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.2Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.1Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Riobamba?

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

2.3
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Riobamba.

What to pack for Riobamba in March

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

In March, Riobamba sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 5°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer and sun protection. About 28 days see rain.

rain geara warm layersun protection

UV index in Riobamba in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 19 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Riobamba peaks around February 19 at about 19 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 15 at about 13 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 19UV 19Jul 15UV 13
UV index (midday)Level
Jan18Extreme
Feb19Extreme
Mar19Extreme
Apr16Extreme
May15Extreme
Jun13Extreme
Jul13Extreme
Aug14Extreme
Sep15Extreme
Oct16Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Riobamba 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 Riobamba is worst in September — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.7× the cleanest month (July, 13 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateSep 1921 µg/m³Jul 1113 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan19Moderate
Feb21Moderate
Mar21Moderate
Apr19Moderate
May16Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep21Moderate
Oct20Moderate
Nov21Moderate
Dec18Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Riobamba?

Riobamba sits at 1.7°S, 78.7°W, 2,777 m above sea level, in Ecuador. The nearest listed city is Guamote, 31 km away.

Topography around Riobamba

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Riobamba has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 288 m around an average of 2,786 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,033 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,236 m.

The land around Riobamba is covered by artificial surfaces (62%) and cropland (23%) within 3 km, cropland (56%) within 16 km, and trees (48%) and grassland (32%) within 80 km.

3 km
288 m
16 km
2,033 m
80 km
6,236 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
March weather nearby: Guamote 31 km · Guaranda 39 km · Pelileo 39 km · Banos 40 km · Ambato 46 km · Montalvo 71 km · Puyo 75 km · Pujilí 79 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 Riobamba (-1.6651°, -78.6589°, elevation 2,777 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).