Zakopane weather in March

In March, Zakopane sees average daytime highs of 4°C and overnight lows near -4°C, with 61 mm of precipitation across 12.9 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 2°C in the first days to 6°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 20% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 36 min at the start of March to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Zakopane's 6th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zakopane's year-round climate.

Daytime high
9th warmest
Overnight low
-4°
4th coldest
Precipitation
61 mm
12.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
6:03 AM – 5:36 PM
Cloud cover
69%
6th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
1st windiest
Solar energy
3.19 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.1
out of 10

Zakopane is city and urban gmina of Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland.

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 19.8 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
324/km²
people per km²
Founded
1578

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 2°C in the first days to 6°C by the end.

A typical March day in Zakopane reaches about 4°C in the afternoon and slips back to -4°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -3°C and 10°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 4°C warmer than February and about 6°C cooler than April.

-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11-6
22-6
32-6
42-6
52-6
62-5
72-5
83-5
93-5
103-5
113-5
123-5
133-4
143-4
154-4
164-4
174-4
184-4
194-4
204-4
215-4
225-4
235-3
245-3
255-3
266-3
276-3
286-3
296-3
307-2
317-2

How March really feels in Zakopane

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
1 feel bitter (≤ -10°C)

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

Zakopane weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan-2° / -8°4810.911.48.40.0
Feb-0° / -8°5111.411.49.80.0
Mar / -4°6112.910.611.50.1
Apr10° / 79144.813.42.0
May15° / 11717.30.715.13.7
Jun18° / 13118.2015.94.7
Jul20° / 10°14418.2015.65.1
Aug20° / 10°11215.2014.25.5
Sep15° / 8612.80.112.44.2
Oct10° / 6911.2310.52.2
Nov / -2°5310.97.18.90.2
Dec-1° / -7°4911.211.280.0

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 10% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 70%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12872
22872
32971
43070
53070
63070
73070
83070
93070
102971
112971
122971
132971
142971
152971
162971
172872
182872
192971
202971
212971
222971
233070
243169
253268
263268
273268
283367
293367
303367
313367

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Zakopane gets around 61 mm of rain and snow over 12.9 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 41% and peaks near 43% on the wettest days, and about 11 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13936
23936
33935
43935
54036
64036
74136
84136
94137
104237
114237
124237
134337
144337
154337
164337
174336
184336
194335
204235
214234
224233
234132
244131
254030
264029
274028
284028
294027
304127
314126

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 9 km/h in March, the windiest month of the year.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 36 min at the start of March to 12 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 114 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:35 AM to 5:31 AM, and sunset from 5:12 PM to 6:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.66:355:12
210.76:335:14
310.76:315:15
410.86:295:17
510.96:275:19
610.96:255:20
711.06:235:22
811.16:205:24
911.16:185:25
1011.26:165:27
1111.26:145:28
1211.36:125:30
1311.46:105:32
1411.46:085:33
1511.56:065:35
1611.56:035:36
1711.66:015:38
1811.75:595:39
1911.75:575:41
2011.85:555:43
2111.95:535:44
2211.95:505:46
2312.05:485:47
2412.05:465:49
2512.15:445:50
2612.25:425:52
2712.25:395:53
2812.35:375:55
2912.45:355:57
3012.45:335:58
3112.55:316:00

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 3.19 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.9 kWh/m² to a high of 5.12 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 3.19 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.6Moderate
22.6Moderate
32.6Moderate
42.7Moderate
52.7Moderate
62.8Moderate
72.8Moderate
82.9Moderate
92.9Moderate
102.9Moderate
113.0Moderate
123.0Moderate
133.0Moderate
143.1Moderate
153.1Moderate
163.2Moderate
173.2Moderate
183.3Moderate
193.3Moderate
203.4Moderate
213.4Moderate
223.5Moderate
233.5Moderate
243.5Moderate
253.6Moderate
263.6Moderate
273.7Moderate
283.7Moderate
293.8Moderate
303.8Moderate
313.8Moderate
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Zakopane

In seasonPeak

None of Zakopane's seasonal hazards are active in March. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

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

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

Is March a good time to visit Zakopane?

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

0.1
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Zakopane.

What to pack for Zakopane in March

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

In March, Zakopane sees daytime highs around 4°C and nights near -4°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Zakopane in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Zakopane peaks around July 10 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 10UV 8Dec 22UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May6High
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug7High
Sep5Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Zakopane in March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where March falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Zakopane is worst in June — around 25 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (December, 13 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Zakopane's WHO annual average of 19.8 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateJun 1925 µg/m³Dec 1513 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan16Moderate
Feb17Moderate
Mar22Moderate
Apr24Moderate
May23Moderate
Jun25Moderate
Jul24Moderate
Aug23Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Zakopane?

Zakopane sits at 49.3°N, 19.9°E, 819 m above sea level, in Poland. The nearest listed city is Nowy Targ, 21 km away.

Dolný KubínRužomberokStará ĽubovňaLevoča

Topography around Zakopane

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Zakopane has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 438 m around an average of 929 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,817 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,365 m.

The land around Zakopane is covered by trees (58%) and grassland (29%) within 3 km, trees (51%) and grassland (33%) within 16 km, and trees (69%) within 80 km.

3 km
438 m
16 km
1,817 m
80 km
2,365 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswatermoss and lichen
March weather nearby: Nowy Targ 21 km · Liptovský Mikuláš 34 km · Poprad 37 km · Kežmarok 40 km · Dolný Kubín 48 km · Ružomberok 53 km · Stará Ľubovňa 53 km · Levoča 56 km

Poland travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / E
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 52% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$28,420
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
89%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
9.4
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 600
Religion
Roman Catholic 71%refused to answer 21%no religion 7%

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 Zakopane (49.299°, 19.9489°, elevation 819 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. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).