Essaouira weather in March

In March, Essaouira sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 38 mm of rain across 5.2 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 19°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 18 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Essaouira's 11th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Essaouira's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
9th warmest
Overnight low
13°
4th coldest
Rainfall
38 mm
5.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
6:56 AM – 6:42 PM
Cloud cover
34%
11th clearest
Wind
18 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.76 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.3
out of 10

Essaouira is city in Marrakech-Safi, Morocco.

Density
17,027/km²
people per km²
Founded
1769

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 19°C through the month.

A typical March day in Essaouira reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 16°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 1°C warmer than February and on par with April.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11913
21913
31913
41913
51913
61913
71913
81913
91913
101913
111913
121913
131913
141913
151913
162013
172014
182014
192014
202014
212014
222014
232014
242014
252014
262014
272014
282014
292014
302014
312014

Essaouira weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 9th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan18° / 12°394.410.26.9
Feb18° / 12°384.710.87.1
Mar19° / 13°385.211.87.3
Apr20° / 15°213.712.77.8
May22° / 16°111.613.68.5
Jun23° / 18°10.2149.4
Jul25° / 20°0013.89.4
Aug26° / 21°10.113.19.2
Sep25° / 19°50.912.29.1
Oct23° / 18°263.411.28.4
Nov21° / 15°474.810.47.6
Dec19° / 13°504.9107.2

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 23%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17822
27822
37723
47723
57723
67723
77723
87723
97723
107624
117624
127624
137723
147723
157723
167723
177723
187723
197723
207723
217723
227723
237723
247822
257822
267822
277822
287822
297921
307921
317921

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Essaouira gets around 38 mm of rain over 5.2 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 17% and peaks near 19% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
119
219
319
419
519
619
719
818
918
1018
1117
1217
1317
1416
1516
1616
1716
1816
1916
2016
2115
2215
2316
2416
2516
2616
2716
2816
2916
3016
3116

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 85% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1937
2937
3928
4928
5928
6919
7919
8919
99010
109010
118911
128911
138812
148713
158713
168614
178515
188416
198317
208218
218119
228020
237921
247822
257723
267723
277624
287624
297525
307525
317426

Wind in March

Winds average 18 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 18 km/h on the calmest days to 19 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1718light breeze
1818light breeze
1918light breeze
2018light breeze
2118light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 18 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 60 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:14 AM to 6:36 AM, and sunset from 6:31 PM to 6:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.37:146:31
211.37:136:31
311.37:126:32
411.47:116:33
511.47:096:34
611.47:086:34
711.57:076:35
811.57:066:36
911.57:056:37
1011.67:036:37
1111.67:026:38
1211.67:016:39
1311.77:006:39
1411.76:586:40
1511.76:576:41
1611.86:566:42
1711.86:556:42
1811.86:536:43
1911.96:526:44
2011.96:516:44
2111.96:496:45
2212.06:486:46
2312.06:476:46
2412.06:466:47
2512.16:446:48
2612.16:436:48
2712.16:426:49
2812.26:406:50
2912.26:396:50
3012.26:386:51
3112.36:366:52

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.76 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.24 kWh/m² to a high of 7.89 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 5.76 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Intense
246.1Intense
256.1Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.3Intense
306.3Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Essaouira

In seasonPeak

None of Essaouira's seasonal hazards are active in March. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Essaouira sees seasonal dust haze (July–August), heaviest in July.

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

Is March a good time to visit Essaouira?

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

7.3
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
3.4
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is one of the better times to visit Essaouira for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Essaouira in March

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

In March, Essaouira sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: sun protection. About 5 days see rain.

sun protection

Sea temperature near Essaouira in March

The nearest coast averages about 17°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 16 km away) is warmest in September at about 20°C and coldest in February near 17°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Aug 4 to Oct 9 — about 2.2 months when the water holds above 20°C.

16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar17Cool
Apr17Cool
May18Cool
Jun19Cool
Jul20Cool
Aug20Refreshing
Sep20Refreshing
Oct20Cool
Nov18Cool
Dec18Cool

UV index in Essaouira in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Essaouira peaks around July 15 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateVery highExtremeVery highModerateJul 15UV 11Dec 17UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar8Very high
Apr9Very high
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct7Very high
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Essaouira 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 Essaouira is worst in February — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (June, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodGoodFeb 1715 µg/m³Jun 128 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb15Moderate
Mar12Moderate
Apr11Good
May9Good
Jun8Good
Jul12Good
Aug14Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct13Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Essaouira?

Essaouira sits at 31.5°N, 9.8°W, 7 m above sea level, in Morocco. The nearest listed city is Sebt Gzoula, 93 km away.

Sebt GzoulaImi-n-TanoutChichaouaSafiAourirAgadirDakhlaEchemmaia Est

Topography around Essaouira

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Essaouira has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 42 m around an average of 4 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 247 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,689 m.

The land around Essaouira is covered by water (61%) within 3 km, water (55%) and shrubs (30%) within 16 km, and grassland (37%) and water (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
42 m
16 km
247 m
80 km
1,689 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Sebt Gzoula 93 km · Imi-n-Tanout 95 km · Chichaoua 96 km · Safi 101 km · Aourir 114 km · Agadir 123 km · Dakhla 124 km · Echemmaia Est 125 km

Morocco travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / E
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 42% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$4,672
2025
Happiness
4.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
80%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
17
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Low
EF EPI 492
Religion
Muslim 99%other 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 Essaouira (31.5125°, -9.77°, 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. 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).