Varanasi weather in March

In March, Varanasi sees average daytime highs of 33°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 12 mm of rain across 2.1 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 30°C in the first days to 36°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 82% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of March to 12 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Varanasi's 5th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Varanasi's year-round climate.

Daytime high
33°
5th warmest
Overnight low
18°
5th coldest
Rainfall
12 mm
2.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
6:13 AM – 6:02 PM
Cloud cover
20%
5th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
6.26 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.6
out of 10

Varanasi is city on the banks of the Ganges in the Uttar Pradesh state of India.

Air quality
Severe
PM10 183.6 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
14,183/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 30°C in the first days to 36°C by the end.

A typical March day in Varanasi reaches about 33°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 14°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 36°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 6°C warmer than February and about 6°C cooler than April.

10°20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12916
23016
33016
43016
53016
63117
73117
83117
93117
103117
113217
123218
133218
143218
153318
163318
173319
183319
193419
203419
213419
223419
233520
243520
253520
263520
273520
283621
293621
303621
313621

How March really feels in Varanasi

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 19 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
19
heat index over the day's high
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.

Varanasi weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 11°172.210.68.8
Feb27° / 14°172.311.18.3
Mar33° / 18°122.111.84.6
Apr38° / 24°6212.61.0
May40° / 27°92.913.20.0
Jun38° / 29°13212.613.50.9
Jul33° / 28°29524.513.42.1
Aug32° / 27°24724.212.92.4
Sep32° / 26°16317.512.23.1
Oct32° / 22°374.111.45.0
Nov29° / 16°60.610.87.6
Dec24° / 12°70.910.59.1

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 82% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 8% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 11%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
19010
29010
38911
48911
58911
68911
78911
88812
98812
108812
118713
128713
138713
148713
158713
168812
178812
188812
198812
208911
218911
229010
239010
24919
25919
26919
27919
28937
29937
30937
31937

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Varanasi gets around 12 mm of rain over 2.1 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 7% and peaks near 8% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
18
28
38
48
58
68
78
87
97
107
117
127
137
147
157
167
177
186
196
206
216
226
236
246
256
266
276
286
296
306
316

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 50% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
154301510
254301510
353301520
453301520
552311520
652311520
751321520
851321520
950331520
1050331520
1149331520
1249341620
1348341620
1447341620
1547351720
1646351720
1746351720
1846341820
1946341820
2047331920
2147321920
2248311920
2348301920
2449302020
2550292020
2650282020
2751272020
2852262020
2951262030
3052251931
3151251941

Wind in March

Winds average 9 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 9 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
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 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 48 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:28 AM to 5:57 AM, and sunset from 5:54 PM to 6:09 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.46:285:54
211.56:275:55
311.56:265:56
411.56:255:56
511.56:245:57
611.66:235:57
711.66:225:58
811.66:215:58
911.66:205:59
1011.76:195:59
1111.76:186:00
1211.76:176:00
1311.76:166:01
1411.86:156:01
1511.86:146:02
1611.86:136:02
1711.86:126:03
1811.96:116:03
1911.96:106:03
2011.96:096:04
2111.96:086:04
2212.06:076:05
2312.06:066:05
2412.06:056:06
2512.06:046:06
2612.16:026:07
2712.16:016:07
2812.16:006:08
2912.15:596:08
3012.25:586:08
3112.25:576:09

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 6.26 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.07 kWh/m² to a high of 7.19 kWh/m² in May across the year — March's 6.26 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
86.0Bright
96.0Intense
106.0Intense
116.1Intense
126.1Intense
136.2Intense
146.2Intense
156.2Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.4Intense
206.4Intense
216.5Intense
226.5Intense
236.5Intense
246.5Intense
256.6Intense
266.6Intense
276.7Intense
286.7Intense
296.7Intense
306.7Intense
316.8Intense
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Varanasi

In seasonPeak

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

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

Varanasi's monsoon runs July–September, when most of the year's rain falls.

Varanasi sees seasonal dust haze (May–June), heaviest in June.

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

Is March a good time to visit Varanasi?

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

4.6
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
7.7
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Varanasi in March

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

In March, Varanasi sees daytime highs around 33°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Varanasi 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 Varanasi peaks around August 15 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 19 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highVery highHighModerateAug 15UV 10Jan 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar8Very high
Apr10Very high
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct7High
Nov5Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in Varanasi 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 Varanasi is worst in December — around 307 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 4.6× the cleanest month (July, 67 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180210240270300330JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery unhealthyUnhealthyVery unhealthyDec 19305 µg/m³Jul 2069 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan290Very unhealthy
Feb223Very unhealthy
Mar166Very unhealthy
Apr116Unhealthy
May104Unhealthy
Jun94Unhealthy
Jul67Unhealthy
Aug78Unhealthy
Sep98Unhealthy
Oct178Very unhealthy
Nov278Very unhealthy
Dec307Very unhealthy
Location & terrain

Where is Varanasi?

Varanasi sits at 25.3°N, 83.0°E, 86 m above sea level, in India. The nearest listed city is Bodh Gaya, 211 km away.

Bodh GayaLumbiniSiddharthanagarBirgañjButwālGaurTānsenChitwan

Topography around Varanasi

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Varanasi has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 38 m around an average of 77 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 39 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 420 m.

The land around Varanasi is covered by artificial surfaces (65%) within 3 km, cropland (55%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 16 km, and cropland (80%) within 80 km.

3 km
38 m
16 km
39 m
80 km
420 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Bodh Gaya 211 km · Lumbini 239 km · Siddharthanagar 247 km · Birgañj 266 km · Butwāl 268 km · Gaur 278 km · Tānsen 288 km · Chitwan 299 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 Varanasi (25.3167°, 83.0104°, elevation 86 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).