Alta weather in March

In March, Alta sees average daytime highs of -3°C and overnight lows near -10°C, with 36 mm of precipitation across 10.1 wet days and about 10.9 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about -5°C in the first days to -1°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 42 min at the start of March to 13 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Alta's 2nd-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Alta's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-3°
9th warmest
Overnight low
-10°
4th coldest
Precipitation
36 mm
10.1 wet days
Daylight
10 h 54 min
6:09 AM – 5:04 PM
Cloud cover
76%
2nd clearest
Wind
10 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
1.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Alta is settlement in Alta Municipality, Norway.

Density
1,604/km²
people per km²
Founded
2000

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about -5°C in the first days to -1°C by the end.

A typical March day in Alta reaches about -3°C in the afternoon and slips back to -10°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -9°C and 2°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 4°C warmer than February and about 5°C cooler than April.

-20°-10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1-6-12
2-5-12
3-5-12
4-5-12
5-5-11
6-5-11
7-5-11
8-4-11
9-4-11
10-4-11
11-4-10
12-4-10
13-3-10
14-3-10
15-3-10
16-3-10
17-3-10
18-3-10
19-2-10
20-2-9
21-2-9
22-2-9
23-2-9
24-2-9
25-2-9
26-2-9
27-1-9
28-1-9
29-1-9
30-1-8
31-1-8

How March really feels in Alta

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 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
31
31 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

The story in March is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Alta weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-7° / -14°429.811.50.70.0
Feb-7° / -13°359.410.86.30.0
Mar-3° / -10°3610.111.910.90.0
Apr / -6°3610.811.215.50.0
May / 50137.321.40.7
Jun12° / 7014.21.2242.6
Jul16° / 7513.7023.54.2
Aug14° / 6912.6017.83.7
Sep / 5812.31.512.91.8
Oct / -3°5712.88.48.30.0
Nov-3° / -8°409.69.52.40.0
Dec-5° / -11°401011.400.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 11% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 78%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
11783
21882
31981
41981
52080
62179
72278
82278
92377
102377
112377
122377
132476
142377
152476
162476
172476
182476
192476
202476
212377
222377
232377
242278
252278
262278
272278
282278
292179
302179
312278

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Alta gets around 36 mm of rain and snow over 10.1 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 33% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 12 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12933
22932
32932
42932
52932
62933
73033
83034
93134
103135
113236
123336
133337
143438
153439
163440
173540
183541
193542
203542
213543
223543
233543
243543
253543
263543
273543
283543
293543
303543
313543

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in March

Winds average 10 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 42 min at the start of March to 13 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 264 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:20 AM to 4:58 AM, and sunset from 4:00 PM to 6:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.77:204:00
28.87:154:05
39.07:114:09
49.17:064:13
59.37:014:18
69.46:564:22
79.66:514:26
89.76:474:31
99.96:424:35
1010.06:374:39
1110.26:324:43
1210.36:284:48
1310.56:234:52
1410.66:184:56
1510.86:135:00
1610.96:095:04
1711.16:045:09
1811.25:595:13
1911.45:555:17
2011.55:505:21
2111.75:455:25
2211.85:405:29
2312.05:365:33
2412.15:315:37
2512.35:265:42
2612.45:215:46
2712.65:175:50
2812.75:125:54
2912.85:075:58
3013.05:026:02
3113.14:586:06

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 1.58 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0 kWh/m² to a high of 4.84 kWh/m² in May across the year — March's 1.58 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.8Dim
20.8Dim
30.9Dim
40.9Dim
51.0Dim
61.0Dim
71.1Dim
81.1Dim
91.2Dim
101.2Dim
111.3Dim
121.3Dim
131.4Dim
141.4Dim
151.5Dim
161.6Dim
171.6Dim
181.7Dim
191.7Dim
201.8Dim
211.9Dim
221.9Dim
232.0Dim
242.1Moderate
252.1Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.5Moderate
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Alta?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Alta.

What to pack for Alta in March

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

In March, Alta sees daytime highs around -3°C and nights near -10°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Alta in March

The nearest coast averages about 3°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 48 km away) is warmest in August at about 10°C and coldest in April near 3°C.

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

0°5°10°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan5Bracing
Feb4Bracing
Mar3Bracing
Apr3Bracing
May4Bracing
Jun7Bracing
Jul10Bracing
Aug10Bracing
Sep9Bracing
Oct8Bracing
Nov7Bracing
Dec6Bracing

UV index in Alta in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Alta peaks around July 13 at about 4 (moderate) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 0 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 2 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateLowJul 13UV 4Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb0Low
Mar1Low
Apr2Low
May3Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep1Low
Oct0Low
Nov0Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Alta?

Alta sits at 70.0°N, 23.3°E, 65 m above sea level, in Norway. The nearest listed city is Tromsdalen, 167 km away.

TromsdalenTromsoLeviKirunaNikelHarstadZapolyarnyyKovdor

Topography around Alta

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Alta has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 208 m around an average of 21 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 998 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,343 m.

The land around Alta is covered by water (39%) and trees (31%) within 3 km, trees (35%), grassland (26%) and water (25%) within 16 km, and grassland (41%), moss and lichen (23%) and water (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
208 m
16 km
998 m
80 km
1,343 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewaterwetlandmoss and lichen
March weather nearby: Tromsdalen 167 km · Tromso 169 km · Levi 248 km · Kiruna 265 km · Nikel 275 km · Harstad 294 km · Zapolyarnyy 297 km · Kovdor 394 km

Norway travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 91% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$94,594
2025
Happiness
7.2 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
99%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.7
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
2.1
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 613
Religion
Church of Norway 68%other Christian 4%Muslim 3%Roman Catholic 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 Alta (69.9689°, 23.2717°, elevation 65 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).