Blenheim weather in March

In March, Blenheim sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 53 mm of rain across 7.1 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 11th-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 39% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 hours at the start of March to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Blenheim's 2nd-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Blenheim's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
11°
9th coldest
Rainfall
53 mm
7.1 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
7:24 AM – 7:44 PM
Cloud cover
52%
2nd clearest
Wind
14 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.83 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Blenheim is town in New Zealand.

Air quality
Good
PM10 18.5 µg/m³ · 2012
Density
287/km²
people per km²
Founded
1850

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 Blenheim reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 2°C cooler than February and about 2°C warmer than April.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12012
22012
32012
42012
51912
61912
71912
81912
91912
101912
111912
121912
131912
141912
151911
161911
171911
181911
191911
201911
211911
221911
231911
241811
251811
261811
271811
281811
291811
301811
311811

Blenheim weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 3rd-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan20° / 13°608.114.76.6
Feb20° / 13°536.313.76.9
Mar19° / 11°537.112.36.6
Apr16° / 678.210.95.5
May14° / 638.49.74.4
Jun12° / 819.49.13.1
Jul11° / 769.79.32.7
Aug12° / 7410.810.33.1
Sep13° / 7310.311.73.8
Oct15° / 8311.113.14.6
Nov17° / 10°739.914.35.4
Dec19° / 12°7310.414.96.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% 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 43%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15644
25545
35545
45644
55545
65545
75545
85545
95545
105545
115644
125644
135644
145545
155644
165743
175743
185743
195842
205842
215941
225941
236040
245941
256040
265941
276040
285941
295941
305842
315842

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Blenheim gets around 53 mm of rain over 7.1 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 23% and peaks near 25% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
124
224
324
423
523
623
723
823
923
1022
1122
1222
1322
1422
1522
1622
1723
1823
1923
2023
2123
2223
2323
2423
2524
2624
2724
2824
2924
3024
3125

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 77% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
166304
268293
370273
471263
572253
673243
774233
875223
975223
1076213
1177212
1278202
1378202
1478202
1578202
1679201
1779201
1879201
1979201
2079201
2179201
2279201
2378211
2478211
2579201
2679201
2779201
2880191
2980191
3081181
3182171

Wind in March

Winds average 14 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 hours 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 84 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:06 AM to 7:40 AM, and sunset from 8:09 PM to 7:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.07:068:09
213.07:078:07
313.07:088:06
412.97:108:04
512.97:118:02
612.87:128:01
712.87:137:59
812.77:147:58
912.77:157:56
1012.67:177:54
1112.67:187:53
1212.57:197:51
1312.57:207:49
1412.47:217:48
1512.47:227:46
1612.37:247:44
1712.37:257:42
1812.27:267:41
1912.27:277:39
2012.27:287:37
2112.17:297:36
2212.17:307:34
2312.07:317:32
2412.07:327:30
2511.97:347:29
2611.97:357:27
2711.87:367:25
2811.87:377:23
2911.77:387:22
3011.77:397:20
3111.67:407:18

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.83 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.7 kWh/m² to a high of 7.31 kWh/m² in January across the year — March's 4.83 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.4Bright
45.4Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.2Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
144.9Bright
154.9Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.7Bright
194.7Bright
204.7Bright
214.6Bright
224.5Bright
234.5Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.2Bright
294.2Bright
304.1Bright
314.0Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Blenheim?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
2.7
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Blenheim for sightseeing.

What to pack for Blenheim in March

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

In March, Blenheim sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

sun protection

Sea temperature near Blenheim 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 21 km away) is warmest in February at about 17°C and coldest in August near 12°C.

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

10°12°14°16°18°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan16Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr15Cool
May14Bracing
Jun13Bracing
Jul12Bracing
Aug12Bracing
Sep12Bracing
Oct13Bracing
Nov14Bracing
Dec15Bracing

UV index in Blenheim 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 Blenheim peaks around January 11 at about 11 (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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeModerateLowModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 11UV 11Jun 16UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb10Extreme
Mar6High
Apr4Moderate
May2Low
Jun1Low
Jul2Low
Aug3Moderate
Sep4Moderate
Oct6High
Nov9Very high
Dec11Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Blenheim?

Blenheim sits at 41.5°S, 174.0°E, 9 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Picton, 25 km away.

Topography around Blenheim

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Blenheim has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 79 m around an average of 9 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 899 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,829 m.

The land around Blenheim is covered by grassland (47%) and artificial surfaces (32%) within 3 km, grassland (53%) and trees (24%) within 16 km, and water (47%), trees (28%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
79 m
16 km
899 m
80 km
2,829 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
March weather nearby: Picton 25 km · Nelson 62 km · Stoke 64 km · Richmond 67 km · Karori 71 km · Wellington 73 km · Porirua 86 km · Lower Hutt 87 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 Blenheim (-41.516°, 173.9528°, elevation 9 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).