Mekele weather in March

In March, Mekele sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 60 mm of rain across 11.4 wet days and about 11.9 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 42 min at the start of March to 12 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Mekele's 7th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mekele's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
4th warmest
Overnight low
12°
6th coldest
Rainfall
60 mm
11.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 54 min
6:35 AM – 6:29 PM
Cloud cover
40%
7th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.71 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.1
out of 10

Mekele is the capital city in the northern Tigray Region of Ethiopia.

Density
18,736/km²
people per km²

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 25°C through the month.

A typical March day in Mekele reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 27°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 1°C warmer than February and on par with April.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12411
22411
32411
42411
52412
62512
72512
82512
92512
102512
112512
122512
132512
142512
152512
162512
172512
182512
192512
202512
212512
222512
232512
242512
252513
262513
272513
282513
292513
302513
312513

Mekele weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 4th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 10°236.111.37.8
Feb24° / 11°215.611.68.1
Mar25° / 12°6011.411.97.1
Apr25° / 13°6111.612.36.9
May26° / 14°265.612.67.7
Jun26° / 14°7211.712.86.6
Jul23° / 14°22829.112.74.0
Aug22° / 14°28430.112.43.8
Sep24° / 12°6711.212.17.1
Oct23° / 12°122.411.78.7
Nov23° / 10°133.111.48.6
Dec22° / 102.711.28.5

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 29% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 21%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18218
28218
38317
48317
58317
68317
78317
88317
98218
108218
118119
127921
137921
147822
157822
167822
177723
187624
197624
207624
217624
227723
237723
247723
257723
267723
277723
287822
297822
307822
317921

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Mekele gets around 60 mm of rain over 11.4 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 36% and peaks near 44% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
124
224
325
426
527
627
728
829
931
1032
1133
1234
1335
1436
1537
1638
1739
1840
1940
2041
2142
2242
2343
2443
2543
2644
2744
2844
2943
3043
3143

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 87% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1955
2955
3955
4955
5955
6946
7946
8937
9928
10919
118911
128812
138713
148614
158515
168416
178317
188218
198218
208218
218119
228119
238119
248218
258218
268218
278317
288317
298317
308416
318416

Wind in March

Winds average 8 km/h in March.

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

0246810151015202531
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
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 42 min at the start of March to 12 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 24 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:44 AM to 6:24 AM, and sunset from 6:27 PM to 6:30 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.76:446:27
211.76:436:27
311.76:436:27
411.86:426:27
511.86:426:28
611.86:416:28
711.86:406:28
811.86:406:28
911.86:396:28
1011.86:386:28
1111.86:386:28
1211.96:376:29
1311.96:376:29
1411.96:366:29
1511.96:356:29
1611.96:356:29
1711.96:346:29
1811.96:336:29
1911.96:336:29
2012.06:326:29
2112.06:316:29
2212.06:306:29
2312.06:306:30
2412.06:296:30
2512.06:286:30
2612.06:286:30
2712.06:276:30
2812.16:266:30
2912.16:256:30
3012.16:256:30
3112.16:246:30

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 6.71 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 5.16 kWh/m² to a high of 6.99 kWh/m² in April across the year — March's 6.71 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.5Intense
26.6Intense
36.6Intense
46.6Intense
56.6Intense
66.6Intense
76.6Intense
86.6Intense
96.7Intense
106.7Intense
116.7Intense
126.7Intense
136.7Intense
146.7Intense
156.7Intense
166.7Intense
176.7Intense
186.7Intense
196.7Intense
206.7Intense
216.7Intense
226.7Intense
236.8Intense
246.8Intense
256.8Intense
266.8Intense
276.8Intense
286.8Intense
296.9Intense
306.9Intense
316.9Intense
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Mekele

In seasonPeak

None of Mekele's seasonal hazards are active in March. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Mekele's monsoon runs July–August, when most of the year's rain falls.

Mekele sees seasonal dust haze (June–August), heaviest in July.

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

Is March a good time to visit Mekele?

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

7.1
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

March is one of the better times to visit Mekele for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Mekele in March

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

In March, Mekele sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 12°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

UV index in Mekele 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 Mekele peaks around March 20 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 12 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 highMar 20UV 15Dec 12UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May13Extreme
Jun12Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug13Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec9Very high

Air quality in Mekele 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 Mekele is worst in June — around 31 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJun 1731 µg/m³Nov 1422 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan26Moderate
Feb26Moderate
Mar28Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May25Moderate
Jun31Moderate
Jul27Moderate
Aug28Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct23Moderate
Nov21Moderate
Dec23Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mekele?

Mekele sits at 13.5°N, 39.5°E, 2,068 m above sea level, in Ethiopia. The nearest listed city is Dolo, 18 km away.

Intich’o

Topography around Mekele

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mekele has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 341 m around an average of 2,104 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 905 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,776 m.

The land around Mekele is covered by artificial surfaces (50%) and cropland (25%) within 3 km, cropland (61%) within 16 km, and grassland (33%), cropland (30%) and shrubs (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
341 m
16 km
905 m
80 km
3,776 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
March weather nearby: Dolo 18 km · Wik’ro 36 km · Ābīy Ādī 55 km · Idaga Hamus 77 km · Maych’ew 79 km · Mehoni 80 km · Ādīgrat 87 km · Intich’o 94 km

Ethiopia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type C / E / F / L
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 37% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$933
2025
Happiness
4.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
14%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
8.5
per 100k, 2012
Road deaths
28.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Low
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 499
Religion
Ethiopian Orthodox 44%Muslim 31%Protestant 23%other 1%

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 Mekele (13.4967°, 39.4753°, elevation 2,068 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).