Gisborne weather in March

In March, Gisborne sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 72 mm of rain across 8.4 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month. 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 12 h 54 min at the start of March to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Gisborne's 7th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gisborne's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
4th warmest
Overnight low
14°
10th coldest
Rainfall
72 mm
8.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
7:08 AM – 7:27 PM
Cloud cover
58%
7th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
4.48 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10

Gisborne is city in New Zealand.

Density
992/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

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month.

A typical March day in Gisborne reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 24°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 2°C cooler than February and about 2°C warmer than April.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12215
22215
32115
42115
52115
62115
72115
82115
92115
102115
112115
122115
132114
142114
152114
162114
172114
182114
192114
202114
212114
222114
232014
242014
252014
262014
272014
282014
292014
302014
312014

Gisborne weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 4th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 16°637.514.47.1
Feb22° / 16°577.613.56.9
Mar21° / 14°728.412.36.7
Apr19° / 12°759.3116.1
May16° / 10°749.79.95.3
Jun14° / 8810.79.44.1
Jul13° / 9812.19.63.5
Aug14° / 8212.110.53.8
Sep15° / 7010.511.74.6
Oct17° / 10°669.7135.6
Nov19° / 12°579.114.16.2
Dec21° / 14°639.714.76.5

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 18% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34654
44654
54654
64555
74555
84555
94753
104753
114852
124951
135050
144951
155149
165248
175248
185347
195446
205446
215545
225545
235545
245545
255446
265446
275347
285347
295149
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Gisborne gets around 72 mm of rain over 8.4 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 28% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
129
229
329
429
529
629
729
829
929
1029
1129
1228
1328
1428
1528
1627
1727
1827
1926
2026
2126
2225
2325
2425
2526
2626
2726
2827
2928
3028
3129

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 49% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13841201
23941191
34040181
44240171
54340161
64439161
74639151
84738141
94838131
104937131
115037121
125137111
135137111
145237101
155237101
165337100
175337100
185337100
195337100
205238100
215238100
225138110
235138110
245237110
255237110
265137120
275236120
285236120
295335120
305434120
315533120

Wind in March

Winds average 15 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 15 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 54 min at the start of March to 11 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 72 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:53 AM to 7:23 AM, and sunset from 7:50 PM to 7:03 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.96:537:50
212.96:547:48
312.96:557:47
412.86:567:45
512.86:577:44
612.76:587:42
712.76:597:41
812.77:007:39
912.67:017:38
1012.67:027:36
1112.57:037:35
1212.57:047:33
1312.47:057:32
1412.47:067:30
1512.47:077:29
1612.37:087:27
1712.37:097:25
1812.27:107:24
1912.27:117:22
2012.17:127:21
2112.17:137:19
2212.17:147:17
2312.07:157:16
2412.07:167:14
2511.97:177:13
2611.97:187:11
2711.87:197:09
2811.87:207:08
2911.87:217:06
3011.77:227:05
3111.77:237:03

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.48 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.87 kWh/m² to a high of 7.07 kWh/m² in January across the year — March's 4.48 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.7Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.6Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.4Bright
204.4Bright
214.4Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.2Bright
264.2Bright
274.1Bright
284.1Bright
294.0Bright
304.0Moderate
313.9Moderate
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Gisborne?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
3.9
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Gisborne for sightseeing.

What to pack for Gisborne in March

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

In March, Gisborne sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 14°C. Worth packing: rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

rain gear

Sea temperature near Gisborne in March

The nearest coast averages about 19°C in March — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in February at about 20°C and coldest in August near 14°C.

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

15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan19Cool
Feb20Cool
Mar19Cool
Apr18Cool
May17Cool
Jun15Cool
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct15Bracing
Nov16Cool
Dec17Cool

UV index in Gisborne in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Gisborne peaks around December 23 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateModerateHighVery highExtremeDec 23UV 12Jun 17UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar7Very high
Apr5Moderate
May3Moderate
Jun2Low
Jul2Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep5Moderate
Oct7High
Nov10Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Gisborne?

Gisborne sits at 38.7°S, 178.0°E, 10 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Whakatane, 118 km away.

WhakataneNapierHastingsRotoruaTaupoTaurangaCambridgeHamilton East

Topography around Gisborne

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Gisborne has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 230 m around an average of 17 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 474 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,632 m.

The land around Gisborne is covered by grassland (42%), artificial surfaces (22%) and trees (21%) within 3 km, grassland (37%), water (31%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and water (37%), trees (35%) and grassland (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
230 m
16 km
474 m
80 km
1,632 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
March weather nearby: Whakatane 118 km · Napier 133 km · Hastings 148 km · Rotorua 164 km · Taupo 167 km · Tauranga 193 km · Cambridge 240 km · Hamilton East 256 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 Gisborne (-38.6533°, 178.0042°, elevation 10 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).