Rangiora weather in March

In March, Rangiora sees average daytime highs of 19°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 57 mm of rain across 8.1 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 12th-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 Rangiora's 6th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rangiora's year-round climate.

Daytime high
19°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
10°
9th coldest
Rainfall
57 mm
8.1 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
7:28 AM – 7:50 PM
Cloud cover
58%
6th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.48 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Rangiora is largest town and seat of the Waimakariri District, in Canterbury Region, New Zealand..

Air quality
Good
PM10 17.2 µg/m³ · 2012
Density
1,147/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 Rangiora reaches about 19°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 23°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)
12011
22011
32010
42010
52010
61910
71910
81910
91910
101910
111910
121910
131910
141910
151910
161910
171910
181910
191910
201910
211910
22199
23189
24189
25189
26189
27189
28189
29189
30189
31189

How March really feels in Rangiora

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.

Rangiora 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 daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan20° / 11°7210.2014.86.3
Feb20° / 11°588013.86.6
Mar19° / 10°578.1012.46.3
Apr16° / 669.80.110.85.2
May14° / 5990.29.54.0
Jun11° / 7310.30.98.92.6
Jul10° / 689.60.69.12.4
Aug12° / 6710.80.910.22.9
Sep14° / 6511.10.411.73.8
Oct15° / 8112.90.213.24.4
Nov17° / 7812014.55.1
Dec19° / 10°7511.3015.25.8

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 15% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24654
34654
44654
54555
64654
74654
84654
94555
104555
114555
124555
134555
144555
154555
164555
174555
184654
194654
204654
214852
224852
234852
244852
255050
265050
275050
285050
295050
305050
314951

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Rangiora gets around 57 mm of rain over 8.1 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 27% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
129
229
328
428
528
628
728
828
927
1027
1127
1227
1327
1427
1526
1626
1726
1826
1926
2025
2125
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 88% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
182171
283161
383161
484151
585141
686131
787121
887121
988111
1088111
1189110
1289110
1389110
1489110
1589110
1689110
1789110
1889110
1989110
2089110
2189110
2289110
2389110
2489110
2589110
2690100
2790100
289190
299190
309280
319280

Wind in March

Winds average 11 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 11 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

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 7:09 AM to 7:46 AM, and sunset from 8:16 PM to 7:23 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.17:098:16
213.17:118:15
313.07:128:13
413.07:138:11
512.97:158:10
612.97:168:08
712.87:178:06
812.87:188:05
912.77:208:03
1012.77:218:01
1112.67:227:59
1212.67:237:57
1312.57:257:56
1412.57:267:54
1512.47:277:52
1612.47:287:50
1712.37:307:49
1812.37:317:47
1912.27:327:45
2012.27:337:43
2112.17:347:41
2212.17:367:39
2312.07:377:38
2412.07:387:36
2511.97:397:34
2611.97:407:32
2711.87:427:30
2811.87:437:28
2911.77:447:27
3011.77:457:25
3111.67:467:23

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 1.47 kWh/m² to a high of 6.96 kWh/m² in January across the year — March's 4.48 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.1Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
74.9Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.4Bright
184.4Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.2Bright
224.2Bright
234.2Bright
244.1Bright
254.0Bright
264.0Bright
274.0Moderate
283.9Moderate
293.9Moderate
303.8Moderate
313.7Moderate
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Rangiora?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
2.6
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Rangiora for sightseeing.

What to pack for Rangiora in March

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

In March, Rangiora sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

rain gear

Sea temperature near Rangiora 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 25 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
Apr15Bracing
May13Bracing
Jun11Bracing
Jul9Bracing
Aug9Bracing
Sep10Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov14Bracing
Dec15Cool

UV index in Rangiora 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 Rangiora peaks around January 14 at about 11 (extreme) — 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateLowModerateHighVery highJan 14UV 11Jun 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar6High
Apr4Moderate
May2Low
Jun1Low
Jul2Low
Aug3Moderate
Sep4Moderate
Oct6High
Nov8Very high
Dec10Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Rangiora?

Rangiora sits at 43.3°S, 172.6°E, 36 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Christchurch, 26 km away.

AshburtonKaikouraTimaruTekapoFranz JosefRichmond

Topography around Rangiora

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Rangiora has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 51 m around an average of 34 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 424 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,136 m.

The land around Rangiora is covered by grassland (44%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 3 km, grassland (50%) and trees (21%) within 16 km, and grassland (41%) and water (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
51 m
16 km
424 m
80 km
2,136 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Christchurch 26 km · Rolleston 35 km · Ashburton 95 km · Kaikoura 133 km · Timaru 162 km · Tekapo 186 km · Franz Josef 194 km · Richmond 225 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 Rangiora (-43.3044°, 172.5836°, elevation 36 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).