Shonai weather in March

In March, Shonai sees average daytime highs of 6°C and overnight lows near 0°C, with 143 mm of precipitation across 20.3 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 4°C in the first days to 9°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 hours at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Shonai's 8th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Shonai's year-round climate.

Daytime high
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
143 mm
20.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
5:59 AM – 5:41 PM
Cloud cover
71%
8th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
4.04 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 9°C by the end.

A typical March day in Shonai reaches about 6°C in the afternoon and slips back to 0°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 2°C and 11°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 4°C warmer than February and about 7°C cooler than April.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
14-1
24-1
34-1
45-1
55-1
65-1
75-1
85-1
950
1050
1150
1260
1360
1460
1560
1660
1760
1870
1970
2071
2171
2271
2371
2481
2581
2681
2781
2881
2992
3092
3192

How March really feels in Shonai

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.

Shonai weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -2°19026.224.99.60.0
Feb / -2°13521.719.710.50.0
Mar / 14320.313.711.70.5
Apr13° / 11815.12.8133.1
May19° / 11°12513.6014.15.5
Jun23° / 16°14413.5014.75.9
Jul26° / 20°24718.2014.45.3
Aug27° / 21°20017.3013.55.3
Sep24° / 17°17015.8012.35.6
Oct18° / 11°17516.50114.8
Nov11° / 17319.54.59.92.2
Dec / 20625.118.19.30.2

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12476
22476
32476
42476
52476
62575
72575
82575
92575
102575
112575
122674
132773
142773
152872
162971
172971
183070
193268
203268
213268
223367
233367
243466
253466
263466
273466
283466
293565
303664
313565

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Shonai gets around 143 mm of rain and snow over 20.3 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 65% and peaks near 66% on the wettest days, and about 14 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
16654
26654
36653
46653
56653
66653
76652
86652
96651
106650
116650
126649
136648
146647
156646
166645
176644
186542
196541
206540
216439
226437
236436
246335
256334
266333
276232
286231
296130
306028
316027

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 11 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
212calm
312calm
412calm
512calm
612calm
712calm
812calm
912calm
1012calm
1112calm
1212calm
1312calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 hours 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 78 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:22 AM to 5:35 AM, and sunset from 5:25 PM to 5:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:225:25
211.16:215:26
311.16:195:27
411.26:185:28
511.26:165:29
611.36:155:30
711.36:135:31
811.36:125:32
911.46:105:34
1011.46:095:35
1111.56:075:36
1211.56:065:37
1311.66:045:38
1411.66:035:39
1511.66:015:40
1611.75:595:41
1711.75:585:42
1811.85:565:43
1911.85:555:44
2011.95:535:45
2111.95:515:46
2211.95:505:47
2312.05:485:48
2412.05:475:49
2512.15:455:50
2612.15:435:51
2712.25:425:52
2812.25:405:52
2912.25:395:53
3012.35:375:54
3112.35:355:55

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.04 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.62 kWh/m² to a high of 5.36 kWh/m² in May across the year — March's 4.04 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.5Moderate
23.5Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.6Moderate
53.6Moderate
63.6Moderate
73.7Moderate
83.7Moderate
93.8Moderate
103.8Moderate
113.9Moderate
123.9Moderate
133.9Moderate
144.0Moderate
154.0Bright
164.1Bright
174.1Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.2Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.4Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Shonai

In seasonPeak

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

Shonai sits in the Pacific typhoon belt; the season peaks July–October.

Pacific typhoon
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is March a good time to visit Shonai?

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 Shonai.

What to pack for Shonai in March

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

In March, Shonai sees daytime highs around 6°C and nights near 0°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 20 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Shonai in March

The nearest coast averages about 9°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 24 km away) is warmest in August at about 26°C and coldest in March near 9°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 25 to Oct 26 — about 4.1 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan12Bracing
Feb10Bracing
Mar9Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May14Bracing
Jun19Cool
Jul23Refreshing
Aug26Warm
Sep25Warm
Oct21Refreshing
Nov18Cool
Dec15Bracing

UV index in Shonai 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 Shonai peaks around August 17 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowAug 17UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul7High
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Shonai 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 Shonai is worst in April — around 21 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodApr 1721 µg/m³Dec 159 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar19Moderate
Apr21Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul13Moderate
Aug11Good
Sep10Good
Oct10Good
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Shonai?

Shonai sits at 38.8°N, 139.9°E, 7 m above sea level, in Japan. The nearest listed city is Sakata, 9.0 km away.

Topography around Shonai

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Shonai has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 14 m around an average of 8 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 776 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,205 m.

The land around Shonai is covered by cropland (77%) within 3 km, cropland (37%) and trees (36%) within 16 km, and trees (55%) and water (35%) within 80 km.

3 km
14 m
16 km
776 m
80 km
2,205 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
March weather nearby: Sakata 9.0 km · Tsuruoka 16 km · Shinjō 36 km · Nikaho 47 km · Obanazawa 51 km · Yachi 59 km · Murayama 61 km · Yurihonjō 62 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 Shonai (38.8485°, 139.9031°, elevation 7 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). 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).