Rethymno weather in March

In March, Rethymno sees average daytime highs of 14°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 62 mm of precipitation across 9.5 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 15°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% 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 Rethymno's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rethymno's year-round climate.

Daytime high
14°
9th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
62 mm
9.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:40 AM – 6:23 PM
Cloud cover
50%
8th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
4.93 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.4
out of 10

Rethymno is city in Crete, Greece.

Density
82/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

Highs climb over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 15°C by the end.

A typical March day in Rethymno reaches about 14°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 2°C warmer than February and about 3°C cooler than April.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1149
2149
3149
4149
5149
6149
7149
8149
9149
10149
11149
12149
13149
14149
15149
16149
17149
18149
19149
20159
21159
22159
23159
241510
251510
261510
271510
281510
291510
301510
311610

Rethymno weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 9th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan13° / 9714.10.59.93.2
Feb13° / 8712.30.610.73.3
Mar14° / 629.50.211.74.4
Apr17° / 12°346012.96.5
May22° / 15°233.7013.88.2
Jun26° / 19°61.3014.39.1
Jul27° / 22°30.6014.19.0
Aug28° / 22°30.7013.38.9
Sep26° / 20°172.8012.28.7
Oct22° / 16°486.4011.17.6
Nov18° / 13°699.6010.15.8
Dec14° / 10°10113.70.19.73.8

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 41%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15644
25644
35644
45644
55644
65644
75545
85545
95545
105545
115644
125644
135743
145842
155941
165941
176040
186139
196139
206139
216139
226238
236238
246238
256139
266139
276139
286139
296040
306040
316139

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Rethymno gets around 62 mm of rain and snow over 9.5 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 31% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1342
2332
3332
4321
5321
6321
7321
8321
9331
10331
11331
12331
13331
14331
15321
16321
17311
18311
19300
20300
21290
22290
23290
24290
25300
26300
27300
28300
29310
30310
31310

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 8 km/h in March.

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
19calm
29calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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 7:00 AM to 6:18 AM, and sunset from 6:10 PM to 6:36 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.27:006:10
211.26:596:11
311.26:586:12
411.36:576:13
511.36:556:14
611.36:546:15
711.46:536:16
811.46:516:17
911.56:506:17
1011.56:486:18
1111.56:476:19
1211.66:466:20
1311.66:446:21
1411.66:436:22
1511.76:416:23
1611.76:406:23
1711.86:396:24
1811.86:376:25
1911.86:366:26
2011.96:346:27
2111.96:336:28
2212.06:316:28
2312.06:306:29
2412.06:286:30
2512.16:276:31
2612.16:256:32
2712.16:246:33
2812.26:236:33
2912.26:216:34
3012.36:206:35
3112.36:186:36

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.93 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.22 kWh/m² to a high of 7.92 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.93 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.2Bright
24.3Bright
34.3Bright
44.4Bright
54.4Bright
64.5Bright
74.5Bright
84.5Bright
94.6Bright
104.6Bright
114.7Bright
124.7Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.9Bright
164.9Bright
175.0Bright
185.0Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.2Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.4Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Rethymno

In seasonPeak

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

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

Rethymno sees seasonal dust haze (May), heaviest in May.

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

Is March a good time to visit Rethymno?

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

4.4
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Rethymno for sightseeing.

What to pack for Rethymno in March

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

In March, Rethymno sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Rethymno 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 offshore is warmest in August at about 26°C and coldest in February near 16°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from May 25 to Nov 24 — about 6 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan16Cool
Feb16Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr17Cool
May19Cool
Jun22Refreshing
Jul25Warm
Aug26Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct23Refreshing
Nov21Refreshing
Dec18Cool

UV index in Rethymno in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Rethymno peaks around July 13 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 10Jan 11UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar6High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Rethymno 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 Rethymno is worst in April — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (September, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1215 µg/m³Sep 218 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May12Good
Jun9Good
Jul9Good
Aug10Good
Sep8Good
Oct8Good
Nov11Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Rethymno?

Rethymno sits at 35.4°N, 24.5°E, 14 m above sea level, in Greece. The nearest listed city is Chania, 44 km away.

ChaniaHeraklionFiraOiaParosNaxosMykonosSparta

Topography around Rethymno

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Rethymno has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 329 m around an average of 64 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 842 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,432 m.

The land around Rethymno is covered by water (44%) and trees (29%) within 3 km, water (47%), trees (25%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and water (66%) within 80 km.

3 km
329 m
16 km
842 m
80 km
2,432 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Chania 44 km · Heraklion 60 km · Fira 145 km · Oia 146 km · Paros 200 km · Naxos 209 km · Mykonos 243 km · Sparta 265 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 Rethymno (35.3655°, 24.4823°, elevation 14 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).