Invercargill weather in March

In March, Invercargill sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 98 mm of rain across 13.5 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 16°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 12 min at the start of March to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Invercargill's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Invercargill's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
10°
9th coldest
Rainfall
98 mm
13.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
7:44 AM – 8:09 PM
Cloud cover
72%
8th clearest
Wind
19 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
3.56 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Invercargill is city in New Zealand's Southland region.

Air quality
Good
PM10 23.6 µg/m³ · 2012
Density
118/km²
people per km²
Founded
1853

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 16°C through the month.

A typical March day in Invercargill reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 20°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 1°C cooler than February and about 2°C warmer than April.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11711
21711
31711
41711
51711
61711
71611
81611
91611
101611
111610
121610
131610
141610
151610
161610
171610
181610
191610
201610
211610
221610
231610
241610
251610
261610
271610
281610
291610
301610
311610

Invercargill weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 3rd-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan17° / 11°11814.215.24.9
Feb17° / 12°9712.1145.1
Mar16° / 10°9813.512.44.5
Apr14° / 9513.510.73.7
May12° / 10715.69.22.7
Jun10° / 9315.68.51.9
Jul / 8414.98.81.8
Aug10° / 8114.8102.2
Sep12° / 9315.211.62.7
Oct13° / 11917.513.33.0
Nov14° / 11116.414.83.5
Dec16° / 10°10915.515.54.3

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 12% 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 70%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23466
33367
43268
53169
63070
73070
83070
92971
102872
112971
122971
132971
142971
152971
163070
173070
183070
193070
203070
213070
223070
233070
243169
253169
263169
273169
283070
293070
303070
313070

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Invercargill gets around 98 mm of rain over 13.5 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 44% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
143
243
343
443
543
643
743
844
944
1044
1145
1245
1345
1446
1546
1645
1745
1845
1944
2044
2144
2243
2343
2443
2543
2643
2743
2843
2944
3044
3144

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 91% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
188111
288111
389101
489101
589101
69091
79091
89091
99190
109190
119190
129190
139190
149190
159190
169190
179181
189181
199181
209181
219181
229181
239181
249181
259181
269181
279181
289271
299271
309361
319460

Wind in March

Winds average 19 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
120light breeze
220light breeze
320light breeze
420light breeze
520light breeze
620light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1619light breeze
1719light breeze
1819light breeze
1919light breeze
2019light breeze
2119light breeze
2219light breeze
2319light breeze
2419light breeze
2519light breeze
2619light breeze
2719light breeze
2819light breeze
2919light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 12 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 96 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:23 AM to 8:05 AM, and sunset from 8:37 PM to 7:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.27:238:37
213.27:248:35
313.17:258:33
413.17:278:32
513.07:288:30
613.07:308:28
712.97:318:26
812.97:338:24
912.87:348:22
1012.77:368:20
1112.77:378:18
1212.67:388:16
1312.67:408:14
1412.57:418:12
1512.57:438:11
1612.47:448:09
1712.47:458:07
1812.37:478:05
1912.27:488:03
2012.27:508:01
2112.17:517:59
2212.17:527:57
2312.07:547:55
2412.07:557:53
2511.97:567:51
2611.87:587:49
2711.87:597:47
2811.78:017:44
2911.78:027:42
3011.68:037:40
3111.68:057:38

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 3.56 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.05 kWh/m² to a high of 6.11 kWh/m² in December across the year — March's 3.56 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.3Bright
24.2Bright
34.2Bright
44.1Bright
54.1Bright
64.0Bright
74.0Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.9Moderate
103.8Moderate
113.8Moderate
123.7Moderate
133.7Moderate
143.6Moderate
153.6Moderate
163.6Moderate
173.5Moderate
183.5Moderate
193.5Moderate
203.4Moderate
213.4Moderate
223.3Moderate
233.3Moderate
243.3Moderate
253.2Moderate
263.2Moderate
273.1Moderate
283.1Moderate
293.1Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Invercargill?

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

4.5
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
0.7
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Invercargill for sightseeing.

What to pack for Invercargill in March

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

In March, Invercargill sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Invercargill in March

The nearest coast averages about 15°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 17 km away) is warmest in February at about 15°C and coldest in August near 10°C.

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

8°10°12°14°16°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan15Bracing
Feb15Cool
Mar15Bracing
Apr14Bracing
May13Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul11Bracing
Aug10Bracing
Sep11Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov13Bracing
Dec14Bracing

UV index in Invercargill in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Invercargill peaks around January 15 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecVery highModerateLowModerateHighVery highJan 15UV 10Jun 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan10Very high
Feb8Very high
Mar5High
Apr3Moderate
May1Low
Jun1Low
Jul1Low
Aug2Low
Sep3Moderate
Oct5High
Nov7Very high
Dec9Very high
Location & terrain

Where is Invercargill?

Invercargill sits at 46.4°S, 168.3°E, 6 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Queenstown, 154 km away.

QueenstownDunedinWanakaTekapoTimaruFranz JosefAshburtonRolleston

Topography around Invercargill

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Invercargill has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 21 m around an average of 6 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 193 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,492 m.

The land around Invercargill is covered by grassland (45%) and artificial surfaces (38%) within 3 km, grassland (69%) within 16 km, and grassland (41%) and water (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
21 m
16 km
193 m
80 km
1,492 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
March weather nearby: Queenstown 154 km · Dunedin 176 km · Wanaka 199 km · Tekapo 314 km · Timaru 318 km · Franz Josef 365 km · Ashburton 384 km · Rolleston 446 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 Invercargill (-46.4°, 168.35°, elevation 6 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).