Altai weather in March

In March, Altai sees average daytime highs of -1°C and overnight lows near -11°C, with 9 mm of precipitation across 2.8 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about -4°C in the first days to 3°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 48 min at the start of March to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Altai's 7th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Altai's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-1°
8th warmest
Overnight low
-11°
5th coldest
Precipitation
9 mm
2.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:57 AM – 6:32 PM
Cloud cover
44%
7th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
4.86 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Altai is Capital city of Govi-Altai Province, Mongolia.

Density
8/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 -4°C in the first days to 3°C by the end.

A typical March day in Altai reaches about -1°C in the afternoon and slips back to -11°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -8°C and 6°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 7°C warmer than February and about 8°C cooler than April.

-20°-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-5-15
2-5-15
3-4-15
4-4-14
5-4-14
6-4-14
7-3-14
8-3-14
9-3-13
10-3-13
11-2-13
12-2-13
13-2-12
14-2-12
15-1-12
16-1-12
17-1-11
180-11
190-11
200-10
211-10
221-10
231-9
242-9
252-9
262-8
273-8
283-8
293-7
304-7
314-7

How March really feels in Altai

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
31 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Altai weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-12° / -20°10.20.68.80.0
Feb-8° / -18°20.81.5100.0
Mar-1° / -11°92.83.511.60.0
Apr / -3°175.23.713.31.4
May14° / 256.72.614.74.6
Jun20° / 448.60.315.56.4
Jul22° / 12°569.4015.26.7
Aug20° / 427.60.2146.8
Sep14° / 184.91.512.44.8
Oct / -5°113.73.710.70.8
Nov-4° / -13°51.82.19.20.0
Dec-10° / -18°20.618.50.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% 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 36%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16832
26832
36832
46733
56733
66634
76634
86436
96436
106337
116337
126337
136337
146337
156337
166337
176337
186337
196337
206337
216337
226436
236436
246337
256436
266436
276535
286535
296436
306337
316337

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Altai gets around 9 mm of rain and snow over 2.8 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 9% and peaks near 13% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
148
248
358
458
558
658
758
868
969
1079
1179
1289
13810
14810
15911
16911
171011
181012
191012
201112
211113
221113
231213
241213
251213
261213
271213
281213
291313
301313
311313

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 10 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
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 48 min at the start of March to 12 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 96 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:25 AM to 6:27 AM, and sunset from 6:11 PM to 6:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.87:256:11
210.87:246:12
310.97:226:14
410.97:206:15
511.07:186:17
611.07:166:18
711.17:146:20
811.17:126:21
911.27:116:22
1011.37:096:24
1111.37:076:25
1211.47:056:27
1311.47:036:28
1411.57:016:30
1511.56:596:31
1611.66:576:32
1711.66:556:34
1811.76:536:35
1911.86:516:37
2011.86:496:38
2111.96:476:39
2211.96:456:41
2312.06:436:42
2412.06:416:43
2512.16:396:45
2612.26:376:46
2712.26:356:48
2812.36:336:49
2912.36:316:50
3012.46:296:52
3112.46:276:53

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.86 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.76 kWh/m² to a high of 7 kWh/m² in May across the year — March's 4.86 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.1Bright
24.1Bright
34.2Bright
44.2Bright
54.3Bright
64.3Bright
74.4Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.6Bright
114.6Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.9Bright
174.9Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Altai?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Altai.

What to pack for Altai in March

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

In March, Altai sees daytime highs around -1°C and nights near -11°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: sun protection.

a warm layera heavy coatsun protection

UV index in Altai in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Altai peaks around July 17 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 9Jan 10UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Altai 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 Altai is worst in June — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.1× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 1321 µg/m³Dec 146 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May18Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul14Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep9Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Altai?

Altai sits at 46.4°N, 96.3°E, 2,156 m above sea level, in Mongolia. The nearest listed city is Uliastay, 159 km away.

UliastayBayanhongorKhovdTsetserlegMörönBogdArvayheerUlaangom

Topography around Altai

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Altai has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 147 m around an average of 2,168 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,074 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,683 m.

The land around Altai is covered by bare terrain (51%) and grassland (39%) within 3 km, grassland (67%) and bare terrain (32%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (54%) and grassland (46%) within 80 km.

3 km
147 m
16 km
1,074 m
80 km
2,683 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrain
March weather nearby: Uliastay 159 km · Bayanhongor 343 km · Khovd 393 km · Tsetserleg 413 km · Mörön 465 km · Bogd 498 km · Arvayheer 500 km · Ulaangom 507 km

Mongolia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / E / F
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 34% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$7,108
2025
Happiness
5.9 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
43%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.9
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
21
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Very low
EF EPI 447
Religion
Buddhist 52%no religion 41%Muslim 3%Shaman 3%

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 Altai (46.3722°, 96.2583°, elevation 2,156 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).