Popondetta weather in March

In March, Popondetta sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 24°C, with 516 mm of rain across 30 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 29°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in March, and the air most often feels oppressive.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 12 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Popondetta's 12th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Popondetta's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
24°
10th coldest
Rainfall
516 mm
30 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:15 AM – 6:19 PM
Cloud cover
91%
12th clearest
Wind
4 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.87 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.9
out of 10

Popondetta is city.

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 29°C through the month.

A typical March day in Popondetta reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 24°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and on par with April.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12924
22924
32924
42924
52924
62924
72924
82924
92924
102924
112924
122924
132924
142924
152924
162924
172924
182924
192924
202924
212924
222924
232924
242924
252924
262924
272924
282924
292924
302924
312924

How March really feels in Popondetta

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 31 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
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in March is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Popondetta weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 3rd-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 24°49729.812.52.9
Feb29° / 24°46827.112.32.8
Mar29° / 24°5163012.12.9
Apr29° / 24°31526.911.83.2
May28° / 23°22625.111.63.8
Jun27° / 23°19122.311.54.4
Jul27° / 22°15821.811.54.6
Aug27° / 22°17021.611.74.7
Sep27° / 22°19521.811.94.5
Oct28° / 23°21624.612.24.0
Nov29° / 23°28926.312.43.4
Dec29° / 24°43029.212.53.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 2% of the time in March, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 4% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 94%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1496
2496
3496
4496
5496
6496
7496
8496
9496
10496
11496
12496
13496
14496
15496
16595
17595
18595
19694
20694
21694
22694
23793
24793
25793
26892
27892
28892
29991
301090
311090

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Popondetta gets around 516 mm of rain over 30 wet days in March, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 96% and peaks near 97% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%80%100%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
197
297
397
497
597
697
797
897
997
1097
1197
1297
1397
1497
1597
1697
1797
1897
1997
2097
2197
2297
2396
2496
2596
2695
2795
2894
2994
3094
3193

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the oppressive band about 66% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 100% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Oppressive (%)Miserable (%)
15545
25545
35545
45545
55545
65644
75743
85842
95941
106040
116238
126337
136436
146535
156733
166832
176931
187030
197030
207129
217228
227228
237228
247327
257327
267327
277327
287426
297426
307426
317426

Wind in March

Winds average 4 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 3 km/h on the calmest days to 4 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
283calm
293calm
303calm
313calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 12 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 18 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:15 AM to 6:14 AM, and sunset from 6:26 PM to 6:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.26:156:26
212.26:156:25
312.26:156:25
412.26:156:24
512.16:156:24
612.16:156:24
712.16:156:23
812.16:156:23
912.16:156:22
1012.16:156:22
1112.16:156:21
1212.16:156:21
1312.16:156:20
1412.16:156:20
1512.16:156:19
1612.16:156:19
1712.16:156:18
1812.06:156:17
1912.06:156:17
2012.06:156:16
2112.06:156:16
2212.06:156:15
2312.06:156:15
2412.06:146:14
2512.06:146:14
2612.06:146:13
2712.06:146:12
2812.06:146:12
2912.06:146:11
3011.96:146:11
3111.96:146:10

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.87 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.01 kWh/m² to a high of 5.53 kWh/m² in November across the year — March's 4.87 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.0Bright
35.0Bright
45.0Bright
55.0Bright
64.9Bright
74.9Bright
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.9Bright
124.9Bright
134.8Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.8Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.8Bright
234.8Bright
244.9Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Popondetta

In seasonPeak

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

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

Popondetta's rainy season runs November–April, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is March a good time to visit Popondetta?

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

2.9
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
3.7
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Popondetta.

What to pack for Popondetta in March

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

In March, Popondetta sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 24°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 30 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Popondetta in March

The nearest coast averages about 30°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 22 km away) is warmest in January at about 30°C and coldest in August near 28°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

26°28°30°32°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan30Tropical
Feb30Tropical
Mar30Tropical
Apr30Tropical
May29Tropical
Jun29Tropical
Jul28Warm
Aug28Warm
Sep28Warm
Oct28Tropical
Nov29Tropical
Dec30Tropical

UV index in Popondetta in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 16 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Popondetta peaks around March 12 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 10 (very high).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeExtremeMar 12UV 16Jun 18UV 10
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb16Extreme
Mar16Extreme
Apr14Extreme
May11Extreme
Jun10Very high
Jul11Extreme
Aug12Extreme
Sep15Extreme
Oct15Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec14Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Popondetta?

Popondetta sits at 8.8°S, 148.2°E, 106 m above sea level, in Papua New Guinea. The nearest listed city is Port Moresby, 143 km away.

Port MoresbyBuloloLaeKimbeGorokaMadangMount HagenDaru

Topography around Popondetta

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Popondetta has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 119 m around an average of 109 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 803 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,979 m.

The land around Popondetta is covered by trees (61%) and grassland (38%) within 3 km, trees (86%) within 16 km, and trees (70%) and water (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
119 m
16 km
803 m
80 km
3,979 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfaceswatermangroves
March weather nearby: Port Moresby 143 km · Bulolo 247 km · Lae 265 km · Kimbe 415 km · Goroka 433 km · Madang 478 km · Mount Hagen 547 km · Daru 553 km

Papua New Guinea travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 3
Reconsider Travel
Power plugs
Type I
240 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 58% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,020
2025
Homicide rate
9.3
per 100k, 2010
Road deaths
12.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 64%Roman Catholic 26%other Christian 5%non-Christian 1%

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 Popondetta (-8.7654°, 148.2325°, elevation 106 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).