Sulaymaniyah weather in March

In March, Sulaymaniyah sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 5°C, with 121 mm of precipitation across 11.7 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 18°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% 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 Sulaymaniyah's 10th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sulaymaniyah's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
121 mm
11.7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:16 AM – 6:00 PM
Cloud cover
52%
10th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.77 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.8
out of 10

Sulaymaniyah is city in Iraq.

Founded
1784

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 18°C by the end.

A typical March day in Sulaymaniyah reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 5°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 5°C warmer than February and about 5°C cooler than April.

10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1143
2143
3143
4143
5143
6153
7154
8154
9154
10154
11154
12154
13154
14154
15164
16164
17165
18165
19165
20165
21165
22165
23175
24175
25176
26176
27176
28186
29186
30186
31187

How March really feels in Sulaymaniyah

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

March sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Sulaymaniyah weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 9th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -0°13112.249.91.9
Feb11° / 13212.12.910.72.7
Mar16° / 12111.70.911.74.8
Apr21° / 8810.20.112.96.6
May28° / 13°305.3013.87.1
Jun34° / 18°10.3014.43.8
Jul39° / 22°00014.21.0
Aug39° / 21°00013.30.9
Sep34° / 17°10.3012.24.1
Oct27° / 12°383.8011.17.5
Nov18° / 837.80.210.16.1
Dec12° / 10910.11.39.63.2

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 45%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35446
45446
55446
65446
75446
85545
95545
105545
115545
125545
135545
145545
155545
165545
175545
185545
195545
205545
215644
225545
235545
245644
255644
265644
275644
285743
295743
305743
315743

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Sulaymaniyah gets around 121 mm of rain and snow over 11.7 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 38% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1406
2395
3395
4385
5374
6374
7374
8363
9363
10373
11373
12373
13373
14383
15382
16392
17392
18392
19402
20402
21402
22392
23392
24392
25392
26382
27382
28382
29382
30382
31371

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 6 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 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
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

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 6:37 AM to 5:54 AM, and sunset from 5:46 PM to 6:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:375:46
211.26:365:47
311.26:345:48
411.36:335:49
511.36:325:50
611.36:305:51
711.46:295:52
811.46:285:53
911.56:265:53
1011.56:255:54
1111.56:235:55
1211.66:225:56
1311.66:215:57
1411.66:195:58
1511.76:185:59
1611.76:166:00
1711.86:156:00
1811.86:136:01
1911.86:126:02
2011.96:106:03
2111.96:096:04
2212.06:086:05
2312.06:066:06
2412.06:056:06
2512.16:036:07
2612.16:026:08
2712.16:006:09
2812.25:596:10
2912.25:576:11
3012.35:566:11
3112.35:546:12

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.77 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.44 kWh/m² to a high of 7.98 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.77 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.1Bright
24.2Bright
34.2Bright
44.3Bright
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
184.8Bright
194.9Bright
204.9Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.1Bright
245.1Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Sulaymaniyah

In seasonPeak

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

Sulaymaniyah's rainy season runs November–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

Sulaymaniyah 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 Sulaymaniyah?

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

4.8
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.7
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Sulaymaniyah for sightseeing.

What to pack for Sulaymaniyah in March

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

In March, Sulaymaniyah sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 5°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in Sulaymaniyah in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sulaymaniyah peaks around June 18 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 12 at about 2 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highVery highModerateJun 18UV 10Jan 12UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Sulaymaniyah 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 Sulaymaniyah is worst in May — around 41 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateMay 1141 µg/m³Dec 1229 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan30Moderate
Feb33Moderate
Mar41Poor
Apr41Poor
May41Poor
Jun37Poor
Jul35Moderate
Aug34Moderate
Sep33Moderate
Oct33Moderate
Nov29Moderate
Dec29Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Sulaymaniyah?

Sulaymaniyah sits at 35.6°N, 45.4°E, 847 m above sea level, in Iraq. The nearest listed city is Baynjiwayn, 47 km away.

ShūrashJamjamālBānehSardashtHalabjaMarīvānQeładizê

Topography around Sulaymaniyah

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sulaymaniyah has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 257 m around an average of 862 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,093 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,652 m.

The land around Sulaymaniyah is covered by artificial surfaces (84%) within 3 km, grassland (57%) and cropland (23%) within 16 km, and grassland (73%) within 80 km.

3 km
257 m
16 km
1,093 m
80 km
2,652 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Baynjiwayn 47 km · Shūrash 54 km · Jamjamāl 54 km · Bāneh 63 km · Sardasht 66 km · Halabja 66 km · Marīvān 68 km · Qeładizê 74 km

Iraq travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / D / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 38% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$5,410
2025
Happiness
5.2 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
60%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
9.5
per 100k, 2013
Road deaths
27.3
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 406
Religion
Christian 1%

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 Sulaymaniyah (35.565°, 45.4329°, elevation 847 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. 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).