Chania weather in March

In March, Chania sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 86 mm of precipitation across 10.2 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 5th-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 48% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 12 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Chania's 8th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chania's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
10th warmest
Overnight low
11°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
86 mm
10.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:42 AM – 6:25 PM
Cloud cover
44%
8th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
4.79 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

Chania is city in Crete, Greece.

Density
4,292/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 14°C through the month.

A typical March day in Chania reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 16°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 1°C warmer than February and about 2°C cooler than April.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11311
21311
31311
41311
51311
61311
71311
81311
91311
101311
111311
121311
131311
141311
151311
161311
171311
181411
191411
201411
211411
221412
231412
241412
251412
261412
271412
281412
291412
301412
311412

Chania weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 10th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan13° / 10°15714.79.93.1
Feb12° / 10°13313.210.73.1
Mar14° / 11°8610.211.74.0
Apr16° / 14°38612.95.7
May19° / 17°254.113.87.6
Jun23° / 21°51.614.49.1
Jul25° / 23°30.714.29.5
Aug25° / 24°51.113.39.3
Sep23° / 22°263.512.28.8
Oct20° / 19°798.311.17.1
Nov17° / 15°1101110.15.5
Dec14° / 12°16615.19.63.7

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 33%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16337
26337
36337
46337
56337
66337
76436
86436
96436
106535
116535
126733
136733
146733
156931
166931
177030
187129
197228
207228
217228
227129
237129
247030
257030
266931
276931
286832
296832
306832
316832

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Chania gets around 86 mm of rain and snow over 10.2 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 33% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
237
336
436
536
636
736
835
935
1035
1135
1234
1334
1434
1533
1633
1732
1832
1932
2031
2131
2231
2331
2431
2531
2632
2732
2832
2932
3032
3132

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 (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
31991

Wind in March

Winds average 19 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:02 AM to 6:20 AM, and sunset from 6:12 PM to 6:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.27:026:12
211.27:016:13
311.27:006:14
411.36:586:15
511.36:576:16
611.36:566:16
711.46:546:17
811.46:536:18
911.56:526:19
1011.56:506:20
1111.56:496:21
1211.66:486:22
1311.66:466:23
1411.66:456:23
1511.76:436:24
1611.76:426:25
1711.86:406:26
1811.86:396:27
1911.86:386:28
2011.96:366:29
2111.96:356:29
2212.06:336:30
2312.06:326:31
2412.06:306:32
2512.16:296:33
2612.16:276:34
2712.16:266:34
2812.26:246:35
2912.26:236:36
3012.36:216:37
3112.36:206:38

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.79 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.1 kWh/m² to a high of 7.87 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.79 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.1Bright
24.1Bright
34.2Bright
44.2Bright
54.3Bright
64.3Bright
74.4Bright
84.4Bright
94.5Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.9Bright
194.9Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Chania

In seasonPeak

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

Chania's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Chania sees seasonal dust haze (April–May), heaviest in April.

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

Is March a good time to visit Chania?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Chania for sightseeing.

What to pack for Chania in March

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

In March, Chania sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Chania in March

The nearest coast averages about 16°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 15 km away) is warmest in August at about 26°C and coldest in February near 16°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 26 to Nov 19 — about 5.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan16Cool
Feb16Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr17Cool
May19Cool
Jun22Refreshing
Jul25Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct23Refreshing
Nov20Refreshing
Dec18Cool

UV index in Chania in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Chania peaks around July 15 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 15UV 10Jan 10UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr8Very high
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Chania 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 Chania is worst in April — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (September, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1015 µg/m³Sep 208 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May11Good
Jun9Good
Jul8Good
Aug10Good
Sep7Good
Oct8Good
Nov11Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Chania?

Chania sits at 35.5°N, 24.0°E, 24 m above sea level, in Greece. The nearest listed city is Rethymno, 44 km away.

RethymnoHeraklionOiaFiraParosNaxosSpartaKalamata

Topography around Chania

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chania has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 215 m around an average of 31 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,795 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,432 m.

The land around Chania is covered by water (31%), artificial surfaces (30%) and trees (26%) within 3 km, water (41%) and trees (33%) within 16 km, and water (76%) within 80 km.

3 km
215 m
16 km
1,795 m
80 km
2,432 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Rethymno 44 km · Heraklion 103 km · Oia 161 km · Fira 162 km · Paros 202 km · Naxos 214 km · Sparta 225 km · Kalamata 242 km

Greece travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 60% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$26,948
2025
Happiness
5.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
97%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
8.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 592
Religion
other 3%Muslim 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 Chania (35.5112°, 24.0292°, elevation 24 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).