Ashburton weather in March

In March, Ashburton sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 51 mm of rain across 7.4 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 20°C in the first days to 18°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 06 min at the start of March to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Ashburton's 6th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ashburton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
11°
9th coldest
Rainfall
51 mm
7.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
7:31 AM – 7:54 PM
Cloud cover
58%
6th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.25 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Ashburton is town in New Zealand's South Island.

Air quality
Good
PM10 21.2 µg/m³ · 2012
Density
569/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 ease over the month, from about 20°C in the first days to 18°C by the end.

A typical March day in Ashburton reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 1°C cooler than February and about 3°C warmer than April.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12012
22012
32012
42012
51912
61912
71911
81911
91911
101911
111911
121911
131911
141911
151911
161911
171911
181911
191911
201911
211911
221911
231911
241811
251810
261810
271810
281810
291810
301810
311810

How March really feels in Ashburton

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.

Ashburton weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 3rd-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan20° / 13°589.214.96.4
Feb20° / 12°517.313.86.6
Mar19° / 11°517.412.46.4
Apr16° / 599.410.85.2
May14° / 528.29.54.1
Jun11° / 588.78.82.7
Jul10° / 578.29.12.5
Aug12° / 589.410.23.1
Sep14° / 498.711.74.1
Oct15° / 5810.713.24.6
Nov17° / 6610.814.55.2
Dec19° / 11°661115.25.8

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% 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 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34753
44753
54753
64753
74753
84753
94852
104852
114852
124852
134852
144951
154951
164951
174951
184951
195050
205050
215050
225050
235050
245050
255050
265149
275149
285149
295050
305050
315050

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Ashburton gets around 51 mm of rain over 7.4 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 25% and peaks near 27% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
125
225
325
425
525
625
725
825
925
1025
1125
1225
1325
1425
1525
1625
1724
1824
1924
2024
2124
2224
2323
2424
2524
2624
2725
2825
2926
3027
3127

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 81% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
173243
274233
375223
477212
578202
679192
780182
880182
980182
1082171
1182171
1281181
1381181
1482180
1582180
1681190
1781190
1881190
1981190
2081190
2181190
2281190
2382180
2482180
2583170
2683170
2784160
2885150
2986140
3087130
3188120

Wind in March

Winds average 13 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light breeze
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 06 min at the start of March to 11 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 90 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:12 AM to 7:50 AM, and sunset from 8:20 PM to 7:26 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.17:128:20
213.17:148:19
313.07:158:17
413.07:168:15
512.97:178:14
612.97:198:12
712.87:208:10
812.87:218:08
912.77:238:07
1012.77:248:05
1112.67:258:03
1212.67:268:01
1312.57:287:59
1412.57:297:58
1512.47:307:56
1612.47:317:54
1712.37:337:52
1812.37:347:50
1912.27:357:48
2012.27:367:47
2112.17:387:45
2212.17:397:43
2312.07:407:41
2412.07:417:39
2511.97:437:37
2611.97:447:35
2711.87:457:34
2811.87:467:32
2911.77:487:30
3011.77:497:28
3111.67:507:26

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.25 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.43 kWh/m² to a high of 6.6 kWh/m² in January across the year — March's 4.25 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.9Bright
24.9Bright
34.8Bright
44.8Bright
54.8Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.6Bright
94.5Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.4Bright
134.4Bright
144.3Bright
154.3Bright
164.2Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.1Bright
204.1Bright
214.0Bright
224.0Moderate
234.0Moderate
243.9Moderate
253.9Moderate
263.8Moderate
273.8Moderate
283.7Moderate
293.7Moderate
303.6Moderate
313.6Moderate
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Ashburton?

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

6.4
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
2.6
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Ashburton for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ashburton in March

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

In March, Ashburton sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 11°C. Little to plan around — just the basics. About 7 days see rain.

Sea temperature near Ashburton in March

The nearest coast averages about 16°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 27 km away) is warmest in February at about 17°C and coldest in August near 9°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr14Bracing
May12Bracing
Jun10Bracing
Jul9Bracing
Aug9Bracing
Sep10Bracing
Oct11Bracing
Nov14Bracing
Dec15Cool

UV index in Ashburton 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 Ashburton peaks around January 16 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 16 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateLowModerateHighVery highJan 16UV 10Jun 16UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar6High
Apr3Moderate
May2Low
Jun1Low
Jul2Low
Aug2Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct6High
Nov8Very high
Dec10Very high
Location & terrain

Where is Ashburton?

Ashburton sits at 43.9°S, 171.7°E, 106 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Rolleston, 63 km away.

RangioraTekapoFranz JosefWanakaKaikoura

Topography around Ashburton

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ashburton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 42 m around an average of 103 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 195 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,287 m.

The land around Ashburton is covered by grassland (40%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, grassland (50%) and cropland (42%) within 16 km, and grassland (46%) and water (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
42 m
16 km
195 m
80 km
2,287 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Rolleston 63 km · Timaru 67 km · Christchurch 83 km · Rangiora 95 km · Tekapo 101 km · Franz Josef 137 km · Wanaka 224 km · Kaikoura 229 km

New Zealand travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 86% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$49,591
2025
Happiness
7.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.5
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
9.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
no religion 49%Christian 37%objected to answering 7%Hindu 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 Ashburton (-43.8983°, 171.7301°, elevation 106 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).