Ponta Delgada weather in March

In March, Ponta Delgada sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 97 mm of rain across 12.2 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 15°C through the month. 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 11 h 06 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Ponta Delgada's 8th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ponta Delgada's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
11th warmest
Overnight low
14°
2nd coldest
Rainfall
97 mm
12.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
7:01 AM – 6:43 PM
Cloud cover
65%
8th clearest
Wind
26 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
4.28 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Ponta Delgada is city seat of Ponta Delgada municipality, Azores, Portugal.

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 15°C through the month.

A typical March day in Ponta Delgada reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 1°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 17°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and on par with April.

10°13°15°18°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11514
21514
31514
41514
51514
61514
71514
81514
91514
101514
111514
121514
131514
141514
151514
161514
171514
181514
191514
201514
211514
221514
231514
241514
251514
261514
271514
281514
291514
301514
311514

Ponta Delgada weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan16° / 14°10213.39.74.5
Feb15° / 14°8610.610.54.4
Mar15° / 14°9712.211.74.5
Apr16° / 14°731012.94.8
May17° / 16°649.3145.6
Jun19° / 18°406.914.66.6
Jul21° / 20°184.714.37.6
Aug23° / 21°346.213.57.6
Sep22° / 21°589.912.36.8
Oct20° / 19°10813.9115.8
Nov18° / 17°8210.8105.6
Dec17° / 15°14414.79.44.7

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 21% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23961
33961
43961
53961
63961
73961
84060
94060
103961
113961
123961
133961
143961
153961
164060
174060
184159
194258
204258
214258
224357
234357
244357
254357
264357
274456
284456
294357
304357
314357

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Ponta Delgada gets around 97 mm of rain over 12.2 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 39% and peaks near 41% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
240
340
441
541
641
741
840
940
1040
1140
1239
1339
1439
1538
1638
1738
1838
1938
2037
2137
2237
2337
2437
2537
2638
2738
2838
2938
3039
3139

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 73% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
174251
273261
372271
471281
571281
670291
770291
871281
971281
1071281
1172280
1272280
1373270
1473270
1573270
1674260
1774260
1875250
1975250
2076240
2176240
2276240
2376240
2475250
2575250
2674260
2773270
2872280
2971290
3071290
3170300

Wind in March

Winds average 26 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 26 km/h on the calmest days to 26 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0102030151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
126breezy
226breezy
326breezy
426breezy
526breezy
626breezy
726breezy
826breezy
926breezy
1026breezy
1126breezy
1226breezy
1326breezy
1426breezy
1526breezy
1626breezy
1726breezy
1826breezy
1926breezy
2026breezy
2126breezy
2226breezy
2326breezy
2426breezy
2526breezy
2626breezy
2726breezy
2826breezy
2926breezy
3026breezy
3126breezy

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 72 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:23 AM to 6:38 AM, and sunset from 6:29 PM to 6:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.17:236:29
211.17:226:30
311.27:216:31
411.27:196:32
511.27:186:33
611.37:166:34
711.37:156:35
811.47:136:36
911.47:126:37
1011.57:106:37
1111.57:096:38
1211.57:076:39
1311.67:066:40
1411.67:046:41
1511.77:036:42
1611.77:016:43
1711.77:006:44
1811.86:586:45
1911.86:576:46
2011.96:556:47
2111.96:546:48
2211.96:526:49
2312.06:516:50
2412.06:496:51
2512.16:476:52
2612.16:466:53
2712.26:446:54
2812.26:436:55
2912.26:416:55
3012.36:406:56
3112.36:386:57

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.28 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.91 kWh/m² to a high of 6.83 kWh/m² in July across the year — March's 4.28 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.7Moderate
33.7Moderate
43.8Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.9Moderate
73.9Moderate
84.0Moderate
94.0Bright
104.0Bright
114.1Bright
124.1Bright
134.2Bright
144.2Bright
154.3Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.4Bright
194.4Bright
204.4Bright
214.5Bright
224.5Bright
234.5Bright
244.6Bright
254.6Bright
264.7Bright
274.7Bright
284.7Bright
294.8Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Ponta Delgada

In seasonPeak

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

Ponta Delgada sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

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

Is March a good time to visit Ponta Delgada?

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

4.5
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
0.2
Beach & pool
12th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Ponta Delgada for sightseeing.

What to pack for Ponta Delgada in March

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

In March, Ponta Delgada sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 14°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and a windbreaker. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Ponta Delgada 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 13 km away) is warmest in August at about 23°C and coldest in March near 16°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 23 to Nov 6 — about 4.5 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb16Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr17Cool
May18Cool
Jun20Cool
Jul22Refreshing
Aug23Refreshing
Sep23Refreshing
Oct21Refreshing
Nov19Cool
Dec18Cool

UV index in Ponta Delgada 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 Ponta Delgada peaks around August 10 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateAug 10UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5High
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Ponta Delgada?

Ponta Delgada sits at 37.7°N, 25.7°W, 12 m above sea level, in Portugal. The nearest listed city is Angra do Heroísmo, 169 km away.

Angra do HeroísmoCâmara de LobosSanto AntónioFunchalSão MartinhoCaniço

Topography around Ponta Delgada

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Ponta Delgada has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 228 m around an average of 38 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 937 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,068 m.

The land around Ponta Delgada is covered by water (48%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, water (66%) within 16 km, and water (92%) within 80 km.

3 km
228 m
16 km
937 m
80 km
1,068 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
March weather nearby: Angra do Heroísmo 169 km · Câmara de Lobos 971 km · Santo António 973 km · Funchal 974 km · São Martinho 974 km · Caniço 981 km · Los Llanos de Aridane 1,240 km · Santa Cruz de la Palma 1,246 km

Portugal travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / E / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 60% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$32,082
2025
Happiness
6.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
95%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
0.7
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
8.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 612
Religion
Catholic 68%not applicable 13%no religion 12%no response 2%

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 Ponta Delgada (37.7395°, -25.6687°, elevation 12 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).