Kolkata weather in March

In March, Kolkata sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 22°C, with 30 mm of rain across 4.3 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 31°C in the first days to 34°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 80% of the time in March, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 30 min at the start of March to 12 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Kolkata's 4th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kolkata's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
4th warmest
Overnight low
22°
5th coldest
Rainfall
30 mm
4.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
5:51 AM – 5:41 PM
Cloud cover
23%
4th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.06 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

Kolkata is capital city of West Bengal, India.

Air quality
Severe
PM2.5 55.8 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
22,474/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 31°C in the first days to 34°C by the end.

A typical March day in Kolkata reaches about 33°C in the afternoon and slips back to 22°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°C and 36°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 4°C warmer than February and about 2°C cooler than April.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13120
23120
33220
43220
53220
63220
73221
83221
93221
103321
113321
123321
133322
143322
153322
163322
173322
183322
193423
203423
213423
223423
233423
243423
253424
263424
273424
283424
293424
303424
313524

How March really feels in Kolkata

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 29 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
29
2 feel dangerously hot (≥ 39°C)
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in March is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Kolkata weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 4th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 14°131.710.88.9
Feb29° / 17°242.711.27.1
Mar33° / 22°304.311.84.3
Apr35° / 26°688.812.52.6
May35° / 27°12211.713.12.3
Jun33° / 27°26521.913.42.2
Jul32° / 27°34828.813.22.2
Aug32° / 27°30829.312.82.2
Sep32° / 26°25024.912.12.5
Oct31° / 24°13112.911.54.3
Nov29° / 19°292.210.96.8
Dec26° / 15°10110.68.7

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 80% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 9% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 11%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1919
2919
39010
49010
58911
68911
78812
88713
98713
108713
118713
128713
138713
148713
158713
168812
178812
188911
198911
208911
219010
229010
23919
24919
25919
26919
279010
289010
299010
308911
318911

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Kolkata gets around 30 mm of rain over 4.3 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 14% and peaks near 22% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
110
210
310
410
510
610
710
810
911
1011
1111
1211
1311
1412
1512
1613
1713
1814
1914
2015
2116
2216
2317
2418
2518
2619
2720
2821
2921
3022
3122

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 35% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 71% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
18202731140
28202731150
37192631160
47182631171
57182532181
66172532201
76162432211
85152432231
95142432241
105132332261
114122332271
124112232292
134102232312
14392132332
15382032353
16371931373
17261831394
18251730405
19251630426
20241529437
21141428449
221313274610
231312264612
241311254713
251210244815
26129234817
27028224919
28027214921
29026214823
30025204825
31015204727

Wind in March

Winds average 9 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 30 min at the start of March to 12 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:04 AM to 5:36 AM, and sunset from 5:35 PM to 5:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.56:045:35
211.56:045:36
311.66:035:36
411.66:025:36
511.66:015:37
611.66:005:37
711.65:595:38
811.75:585:38
911.75:585:39
1011.75:575:39
1111.75:565:39
1211.75:555:40
1311.85:545:40
1411.85:535:41
1511.85:525:41
1611.85:515:41
1711.95:505:42
1811.95:495:42
1911.95:485:42
2011.95:475:43
2111.95:465:43
2212.05:455:44
2312.05:445:44
2412.05:435:44
2512.05:425:45
2612.15:415:45
2712.15:405:45
2812.15:395:46
2912.15:385:46
3012.25:375:46
3112.25:365:47

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 6.06 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.9 kWh/m² to a high of 6.32 kWh/m² in April across the year — March's 6.06 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
116.0Bright
126.0Bright
136.0Intense
146.0Intense
156.0Intense
166.1Intense
176.1Intense
186.1Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.2Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.2Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Kolkata

In seasonPeak

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

Kolkata sits in the North Indian Ocean cyclone zone; the season peaks May and October–November.

Kolkata's monsoon runs June–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is March a good time to visit Kolkata?

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

4.3
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
7.5
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Kolkata for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Kolkata in March

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

In March, Kolkata sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 22°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection. About 4 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Kolkata in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 8 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kolkata peaks around July 19 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 15 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateModerateJul 19UV 12Jan 15UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5High
Mar8Very high
Apr8Very high
May10Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul13Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct5Moderate
Nov5High
Dec5Moderate

Air quality in Kolkata 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 Kolkata is worst in January — around 112 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 6.8× the cleanest month (July, 17 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Kolkata's WHO annual average of 55.8 µg/m³.

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyModerateUnhealthyJan 10112 µg/m³Jul 1417 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan112Unhealthy
Feb91Unhealthy
Mar58Unhealthy
Apr30Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug21Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct58Unhealthy
Nov103Unhealthy
Dec111Unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Kolkata?

Kolkata sits at 22.6°N, 88.4°E, 11 m above sea level, in India. The nearest listed city is Jessore, 110 km away.

RajshahiBarisalDhakaPaharpurMymensingh

Topography around Kolkata

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kolkata has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 24 m around an average of 9 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 34 m; within 80 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 39 m.

The land around Kolkata is covered by artificial surfaces (75%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (42%) and trees (39%) within 16 km, and cropland (50%) and trees (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
24 m
16 km
34 m
80 km
39 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
March weather nearby: Jessore 110 km · Khulna 126 km · Bagerhat 147 km · Rajshahi 203 km · Barisal 207 km · Dhaka 245 km · Paharpur 281 km · Mymensingh 321 km

India travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / D / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 23% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$2,702
2025
Happiness
4.5 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
76%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
2.8
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
15.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 484
Religion
Hindu 80%Muslim 14%Christian 2%other and unspecified 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 Kolkata (22.5626°, 88.363°, elevation 11 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).