Balikpapan weather in March

In March, Balikpapan sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 25°C, with 271 mm of rain across 27.8 wet days and about 12 hours of daylight. It is the 1st-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% of the time in March, and the air most often feels miserable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 hours at the start of March to 12 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Balikpapan's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Balikpapan's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
1st warmest
Overnight low
25°
8th coldest
Rainfall
271 mm
27.8 wet days
Daylight
12 hours
6:22 AM – 6:23 PM
Cloud cover
85%
8th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.05 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.8
out of 10

Balikpapan is city in East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia.

Density
1,319/km²
people per km²
Founded
1897

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 30°C through the month.

A typical March day in Balikpapan reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 25°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and on par with April.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13025
23025
33025
43025
53025
63025
73025
83025
93025
103025
113025
123025
133025
143025
153025
163025
173025
183025
193025
203025
213025
223025
233025
243025
253025
263025
273025
283025
293025
303025
313025

How March really feels in Balikpapan

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 31 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
31
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.

Balikpapan weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 1st-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 25°25527.512.12.8
Feb30° / 25°22723.8122.9
Mar30° / 25°27127.8122.8
Apr30° / 25°26427.5122.7
May30° / 26°19827.611.92.9
Jun30° / 25°17224.911.93.2
Jul29° / 25°14222.411.93.7
Aug29° / 25°10117.9124.2
Sep30° / 25°10917124.1
Oct30° / 25°15822.3123.4
Nov30° / 25°21827.512.12.7
Dec30° / 25°26828.812.12.6

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 3% 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 89%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1793
2793
3793
4793
5892
6892
7892
8991
9991
10991
111090
121090
131189
141288
151288
161288
171288
181288
191288
201387
211486
221486
231486
241486
251486
261387
271387
281288
291288
301387
311387

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Balikpapan gets around 271 mm of rain over 27.8 wet days in March, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 89% and peaks near 91% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
186
286
386
487
587
688
788
888
989
1089
1189
1289
1390
1490
1590
1690
1790
1890
1990
2090
2191
2291
2391
2491
2591
2691
2791
2891
2991
3091
3191

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of March feels miserable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, March lands in the miserable band about 95% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
1793
2793
3793
4793
5793
6793
7694
8694
9694
10694
11595
12595
13595
14595
15595
16595
17595
18595
19595
20595
21595
22595
23595
24595
25595
26595
27595
28595
29595
30496
31496

Wind in March

Winds average 6 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

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

Days grow by about 0 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:25 AM to 6:18 AM, and sunset from 6:27 PM to 6:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.06:256:27
212.06:256:26
312.06:256:26
412.06:256:26
512.06:246:26
612.06:246:26
712.06:246:25
812.06:246:25
912.06:246:25
1012.06:246:24
1112.06:236:24
1212.06:236:24
1312.06:236:24
1412.06:236:23
1512.06:226:23
1612.06:226:23
1712.06:226:22
1812.06:226:22
1912.06:216:22
2012.06:216:21
2112.06:216:21
2212.06:206:21
2312.06:206:20
2412.06:206:20
2512.06:206:20
2612.06:196:19
2712.06:196:19
2812.06:196:18
2912.06:196:18
3012.06:186:18
3112.06:186:17

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.05 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.45 kWh/m² to a high of 5.43 kWh/m² in September across the year — March's 5.05 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.1Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Balikpapan?

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

2.8
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Balikpapan.

What to pack for Balikpapan in March

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

In March, Balikpapan sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 25°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 28 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Balikpapan in March

The nearest coast averages about 29°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 13 km away) is warmest in May at about 30°C and coldest in August near 28°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan29Tropical
Feb29Tropical
Mar29Tropical
Apr29Tropical
May30Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul29Tropical
Aug28Tropical
Sep29Tropical
Oct29Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec29Tropical

UV index in Balikpapan 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 Balikpapan peaks around February 22 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 10 at about 11 (extreme).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeFeb 22UV 15Jul 10UV 11
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May12Extreme
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep13Extreme
Oct13Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Balikpapan 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 Balikpapan is worst in October — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (March, 11 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodOct 1321 µg/m³Mar 2411 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb11Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May11Good
Jun11Good
Jul12Good
Aug13Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct21Moderate
Nov12Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Balikpapan?

Balikpapan sits at 1.3°S, 116.8°E, 67 m above sea level, in Indonesia. The nearest listed city is Loa Janan, 82 km away.

Martapura

Topography around Balikpapan

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Balikpapan has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 97 m around an average of 17 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 123 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,262 m.

The land around Balikpapan is covered by artificial surfaces (41%) and water (39%) within 3 km, water (50%) and trees (31%) within 16 km, and trees (54%) and water (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
97 m
16 km
123 m
80 km
1,262 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
March weather nearby: Loa Janan 82 km · Samarinda 93 km · Bontang 172 km · Tanjung 187 km · Amuntai 217 km · Barabai 217 km · Muara Teweh 218 km · Martapura 323 km

Indonesia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 29% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,060
2025
Happiness
5.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
30%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.3
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
11.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 471
Religion
Muslim 87%Protestant 8%Roman Catholic 3%Hindu 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 Balikpapan (-1.2675°, 116.8289°, elevation 67 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).