Chikuma weather in March

In March, Chikuma sees average daytime highs of 6°C and overnight lows near -3°C, with 180 mm of precipitation across 17.8 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 4°C in the first days to 8°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 06 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Chikuma's 3rd-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chikuma's year-round climate.

Daytime high
9th warmest
Overnight low
-3°
4th coldest
Precipitation
180 mm
17.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:06 AM – 5:49 PM
Cloud cover
60%
3rd clearest
Wind
7 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
4.54 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.5
out of 10

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 4°C in the first days to 8°C by the end.

A typical March day in Chikuma reaches about 6°C in the afternoon and slips back to -3°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 1°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 4°C warmer than February and about 7°C cooler than April.

-10°-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
14-4
24-4
34-4
44-4
54-4
65-4
75-4
85-3
95-3
105-3
115-3
125-3
136-3
146-3
156-3
166-3
176-2
186-2
197-2
207-2
217-2
227-2
237-2
247-2
258-1
268-1
278-1
288-1
298-1
309-1
3190

How March really feels in Chikuma

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 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
31
wind chill below the day's low

The story in March is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Chikuma weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 9th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -7°15220.121.79.80.0
Feb / -6°12916.716.910.60.0
Mar / -3°18017.814.111.70.5
Apr13° / 15815.53.912.93.1
May19° / 19316.40.113.95.1
Jun22° / 14°28820.6014.44.7
Jul25° / 18°33823.2014.24.6
Aug27° / 18°22519.7013.45.1
Sep23° / 14°25619012.25.1
Oct17° / 22318.50.211.14.3
Nov10° / 14916.85.310.12.1
Dec / -4°15519.717.39.60.1

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24654
34654
44753
54753
64753
74951
84951
94951
105050
115050
125050
135050
145050
155050
165050
175050
185050
195050
205050
214951
224951
234852
244852
254852
264852
274753
284753
294753
304852
314852

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Chikuma gets around 180 mm of rain and snow over 17.8 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 56% and peaks near 57% on the wettest days, and about 14 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15653
25653
35653
45753
55753
65753
75753
85752
95651
105651
115650
125649
135648
145647
155646
165645
175744
185743
195742
205741
215741
225740
235739
245738
255737
265736
275636
285635
295633
305532
315531

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 7 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 7 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
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 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 72 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:27 AM to 5:43 AM, and sunset from 5:35 PM to 6:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:275:35
211.26:265:36
311.26:245:37
411.26:235:38
511.36:225:38
611.36:205:39
711.46:195:40
811.46:185:41
911.46:165:42
1011.56:155:43
1111.56:135:44
1211.66:125:45
1311.66:105:46
1411.66:095:47
1511.76:075:48
1611.76:065:49
1711.86:045:50
1811.86:035:50
1911.86:015:51
2011.96:005:52
2111.95:585:53
2212.05:575:54
2312.05:555:55
2412.05:545:56
2512.15:525:57
2612.15:515:58
2712.15:495:58
2812.25:485:59
2912.25:466:00
3012.35:456:01
3112.35:436:02

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.54 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.27 kWh/m² to a high of 5.7 kWh/m² in May across the year — March's 4.54 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Moderate
24.0Bright
34.0Bright
44.1Bright
54.1Bright
64.2Bright
74.2Bright
84.3Bright
94.3Bright
104.3Bright
114.4Bright
124.4Bright
134.5Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.6Bright
174.6Bright
184.7Bright
194.7Bright
204.7Bright
214.7Bright
224.8Bright
234.8Bright
244.8Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
285.0Bright
295.0Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Chikuma?

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

0.5
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Chikuma.

What to pack for Chikuma in March

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

In March, Chikuma sees daytime highs around 6°C and nights near -3°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat and sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coatsun protection

Sea temperature near Chikuma in March

The nearest coast averages about 10°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 67 km away) is warmest in August at about 27°C and coldest in March near 10°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 20 to Nov 1 — about 4.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan13Bracing
Feb11Bracing
Mar10Bracing
Apr11Bracing
May15Bracing
Jun20Cool
Jul23Refreshing
Aug27Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct22Refreshing
Nov19Cool
Dec15Cool

UV index in Chikuma 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 Chikuma peaks around July 20 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateJul 20UV 10Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7Very high
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Chikuma 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 Chikuma is worst in April — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (December, 10 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1721 µg/m³Dec 1510 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar20Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun18Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct11Good
Nov11Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Chikuma?

Chikuma sits at 36.5°N, 138.1°E, 388 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Sakaki, 11 km away.

Topography around Chikuma

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Chikuma has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 635 m around an average of 539 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,102 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,130 m.

The land around Chikuma is covered by trees (54%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, trees (78%) within 16 km, and trees (78%) within 80 km.

3 km
635 m
16 km
1,102 m
80 km
3,130 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
March weather nearby: Sakaki 11 km · Nagano 16 km · Ōmachi 20 km · Ueda 22 km · Suzaka 24 km · Hotaka 28 km · Kamimaruko 28 km · Toyoshina 30 km

Japan travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type A / B
100 V · 50 / 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 65% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$35,951
2025
Happiness
6.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.2
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
3.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 446
Religion
Shintoism 49%Buddhism 46%other 4%Christianity 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 Chikuma (36.5271°, 138.0894°, elevation 388 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).