Palmerston North weather in March

In March, Palmerston North sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 62 mm of rain across 9.6 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 20°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 Palmerston North's 1st-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Palmerston North's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
12°
9th coldest
Rainfall
62 mm
9.6 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
7:17 AM – 7:37 PM
Cloud cover
60%
1st clearest
Wind
14 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.41 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.4
out of 10

Palmerston North is city on the North Island in New Zealand.

Density
278/km²
people per km²
Founded
1877

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 20°C through the month.

A typical March day in Palmerston North reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 12°C overnight — a 8°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 3°C warmer than April.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12113
22113
32113
42113
52113
62113
72113
82112
92112
102112
112112
122112
132112
142112
152012
162012
172012
182012
192012
202012
212012
222012
232012
242012
252012
262012
272012
282012
292012
302012
312012

Palmerston North weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 3rd-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan21° / 14°7010.414.56.4
Feb22° / 14°648.213.66.8
Mar20° / 12°629.612.36.4
Apr18° / 10°8210.5115.7
May15° / 7911.89.84.5
Jun13° / 9013.39.23.4
Jul12° / 8913.49.43.1
Aug13° / 8913.910.43.3
Sep14° / 9414.411.73.8
Oct16° / 1101513.14.3
Nov18° / 10°8713.614.25.1
Dec20° / 12°9813.514.85.6

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in March, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24555
34555
44555
54555
64555
74555
84555
94555
104555
114555
124555
134555
144456
154456
164555
174654
184555
194654
204654
214654
224753
234654
244654
254753
264753
274654
284654
294654
304555
314555

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Palmerston North gets around 62 mm of rain over 9.6 wet days in March, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 31% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
230
329
429
530
630
730
830
930
1031
1131
1231
1331
1431
1531
1632
1732
1832
1932
2032
2131
2231
2331
2431
2531
2631
2731
2831
2931
3032
3132

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 60% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1513811
2523711
3533710
4543610
556359
657349
759338
859338
961327
1061327
1161327
1263316
1362326
1462326
1563325
1663325
1762335
1862335
1961345
2061345
2161345
2261345
2360346
2460346
2560346
2661336
2761336
2862326
2963316
3064306
3165296

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 7:01 AM to 7:33 AM, and sunset from 8:01 PM to 7:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.07:018:01
213.07:027:59
312.97:037:58
412.97:047:56
512.87:057:55
612.87:067:53
712.77:077:52
812.77:097:50
912.67:107:49
1012.67:117:47
1112.67:127:45
1212.57:137:44
1312.57:147:42
1412.47:157:40
1512.47:167:39
1612.37:177:37
1712.37:187:35
1812.27:197:34
1912.27:207:32
2012.17:227:30
2112.17:237:29
2212.17:247:27
2312.07:257:25
2412.07:267:24
2511.97:277:22
2611.97:287:20
2711.87:297:19
2811.87:307:17
2911.77:317:15
3011.77:327:14
3111.67:337:12

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.41 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.58 kWh/m² to a high of 6.82 kWh/m² in January across the year — March's 4.41 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.1Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
54.9Bright
64.9Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.4Bright
174.4Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
204.2Bright
214.2Bright
224.1Bright
234.1Bright
244.0Bright
254.0Moderate
263.9Moderate
273.9Moderate
283.8Moderate
293.8Moderate
303.7Moderate
313.7Moderate
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Palmerston North?

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
3.6
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Palmerston North for sightseeing.

What to pack for Palmerston North in March

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

In March, Palmerston North sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

rain gear

Sea temperature near Palmerston North in March

The nearest coast averages about 18°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 41 km away) is warmest in February at about 19°C and coldest in August near 13°C.

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

12°14°16°18°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan18Cool
Feb19Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr17Cool
May16Cool
Jun14Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug13Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct14Bracing
Nov15Bracing
Dec16Cool

UV index in Palmerston North 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 Palmerston North peaks around January 13 at about 11 (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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateLowModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 13UV 11Jun 17UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar7High
Apr4Moderate
May2Moderate
Jun2Low
Jul2Low
Aug3Moderate
Sep4Moderate
Oct7High
Nov10Extreme
Dec11Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Palmerston North?

Palmerston North sits at 40.4°S, 175.6°E, 34 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Levin, 42 km away.

PoriruaLower HuttWainuiomata

Topography around Palmerston North

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Palmerston North has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 54 m around an average of 32 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 611 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,719 m.

The land around Palmerston North is covered by artificial surfaces (54%) and grassland (25%) within 3 km, grassland (71%) within 16 km, and grassland (58%) and trees (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
54 m
16 km
611 m
80 km
1,719 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
March weather nearby: Levin 42 km · Whanganui 67 km · Masterton 67 km · Paraparaumu 80 km · Upper Hutt 99 km · Porirua 108 km · Lower Hutt 112 km · Wainuiomata 116 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 Palmerston North (-40.3564°, 175.6111°, elevation 34 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).