Whangarei weather in March

In March, Whangarei sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 74 mm of rain across 8.7 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in March, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of March to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Whangarei's 5th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Whangarei's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
15°
10th coldest
Rainfall
74 mm
8.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
7:24 AM – 7:41 PM
Cloud cover
63%
5th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.48 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Whangarei is city in New Zealand.

Air quality
Excellent
PM10 15 µg/m³ · 2012
Density
892/km²
people per km²
Founded
1882

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 22°C through the month.

A typical March day in Whangarei reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 24°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)
12316
22316
32316
42216
52216
62216
72216
82216
92215
102215
112215
122215
132215
142215
152215
162215
172215
182215
192215
202215
212215
222215
232215
242215
252215
262215
272215
282215
292115
302114
312114

Whangarei weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 3rd-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 16°688.314.16.9
Feb23° / 17°677.913.46.9
Mar22° / 15°748.712.36.8
Apr20° / 13°668.911.16.3
May17° / 11°759.610.15.7
Jun15° / 909.99.64.7
Jul15° / 11212.99.84.0
Aug15° / 961410.64.1
Sep16° / 8312.711.84.7
Oct17° / 11°6910.712.95.4
Nov19° / 12°6510.413.95.9
Dec21° / 15°7910.514.46.3

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24159
34159
44159
54159
64060
74159
84258
94258
104357
114357
124357
134456
144456
154456
164555
174555
184654
194654
204654
214654
224654
234654
244654
254456
264456
274456
284357
294357
304357
314357

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Whangarei gets around 74 mm of rain over 8.7 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 30% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
230
330
430
530
630
730
829
929
1028
1128
1227
1327
1426
1526
1626
1726
1825
1925
2025
2125
2226
2326
2426
2527
2627
2728
2828
2929
3030
3130

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of March feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, March lands in the comfortable band about 40% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 5% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
125382611
226382610
327382510
42838259
52938249
63038248
73138248
83139237
93139236
103240236
113240225
123241225
133242224
143242214
153243214
163343213
173343213
183343213
193343213
203342223
213242223
223242233
233241234
243240234
253340234
263339234
273439235
283438235
293538225
303737215
313837215

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 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light 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 12 h 48 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 66 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:10 AM to 7:37 AM, and sunset from 8:01 PM to 7:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.87:108:01
212.87:118:00
312.87:127:59
412.77:137:57
512.77:147:56
612.77:157:55
712.67:167:53
812.67:177:52
912.57:187:51
1012.57:197:49
1112.57:207:48
1212.47:207:46
1312.47:217:45
1412.47:227:44
1512.37:237:42
1612.37:247:41
1712.27:257:39
1812.27:267:38
1912.27:277:36
2012.17:277:35
2112.17:287:33
2212.07:297:32
2312.07:307:31
2412.07:317:29
2511.97:327:28
2611.97:327:26
2711.97:337:25
2811.87:347:23
2911.87:357:22
3011.77:367:20
3111.77:377:19

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 2.01 kWh/m² to a high of 6.67 kWh/m² in January across the year — March's 4.48 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
54.9Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.7Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.6Bright
154.5Bright
164.5Bright
174.5Bright
184.4Bright
194.4Bright
204.4Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.2Bright
254.2Bright
264.1Bright
274.1Bright
284.0Bright
294.0Bright
304.0Moderate
313.9Moderate
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Whangarei

In seasonPeak

In March, Whangarei sits inside its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Whangarei sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Cyclone
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is March a good time to visit Whangarei?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
4.6
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Whangarei for sightseeing.

What to pack for Whangarei in March

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

In March, Whangarei sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 15°C. Worth packing: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

rain gear

Sea temperature near Whangarei in March

The nearest coast averages about 21°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 30 km away) is warmest in February at about 21°C and coldest in August near 15°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jan 22 to Apr 5 — about 2.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

14°16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan20Cool
Feb21Refreshing
Mar21Refreshing
Apr20Cool
May18Cool
Jun17Cool
Jul16Cool
Aug15Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov17Cool
Dec18Cool

UV index in Whangarei in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 8 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Whangarei peaks around January 14 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 14UV 13Jun 17UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar8Very high
Apr6High
May3Moderate
Jun2Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep5High
Oct8Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Whangarei?

Whangarei sits at 35.7°S, 174.3°E, 7 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is North Shore, 125 km away.

North ShoreMassey EastMasseyTe Atatu PeninsulaLincolnTe Atatu SouthAucklandHenderson

Topography around Whangarei

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Whangarei has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 271 m around an average of 51 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 389 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 761 m.

The land around Whangarei is covered by trees (49%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, trees (44%) and grassland (42%) within 16 km, and water (52%), grassland (26%) and trees (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
271 m
16 km
389 m
80 km
761 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
March weather nearby: North Shore 125 km · Massey East 125 km · Massey 126 km · Te Atatu Peninsula 127 km · Lincoln 128 km · Te Atatu South 129 km · Auckland 130 km · Henderson 130 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 Whangarei (-35.7317°, 174.3239°, elevation 7 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).