Zapolyarnyy weather in March

In March, Zapolyarnyy sees average daytime highs of -3°C and overnight lows near -9°C, with 30 mm of precipitation across 8.8 wet days and about 11 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 15% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 48 min at the start of March to 13 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Zapolyarnyy's 1st-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Zapolyarnyy's year-round climate.

Daytime high
-3°
9th warmest
Overnight low
-9°
4th coldest
Precipitation
30 mm
8.8 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
7:38 AM – 6:35 PM
Cloud cover
73%
1st clearest
Wind
15 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
1.64 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Zapolyarnyy is human settlement in Pechengsky District, Murmansk Oblast, Russia.

Density
4/km²
people per km²
Founded
1956

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 Zapolyarnyy reaches about -3°C in the afternoon and slips back to -9°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -8°C and 2°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 4°C warmer than February and about 5°C cooler than April.

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

How March really feels in Zapolyarnyy

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.

Zapolyarnyy 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-8° / -13°278.39.410.0
Feb-7° / -13°226.98.26.50.0
Mar-3° / -9°308.810.9110.0
Apr / -5°359.810.215.40.0
May / 5313.16.520.90.8
Jun12° / 7112.91.2242.8
Jul16° / 7513023.24.4
Aug14° / 6712.6017.53.7
Sep10° / 5512.30.712.91.9
Oct / -1°5612.47.28.40.1
Nov-3° / -7°308.48.92.80.0
Dec-5° / -10°329.910.900.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in March, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 74%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12080
22080
32179
42278
52377
62476
72476
82476
92674
102674
112674
122674
132674
142674
152674
162674
172674
182674
192674
202773
212872
222872
232872
242872
252872
262872
272971
282971
292971
302971
313070

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Zapolyarnyy gets around 30 mm of rain and snow over 8.8 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 29% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 11 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12530
22531
32531
42531
52632
62632
72632
82632
92733
102733
112733
122834
132934
142935
152935
163035
173036
183036
193036
203137
213137
223137
233138
243138
253138
263138
273138
283038
293038
303037
313037

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 15 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
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light 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 8 h 48 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 258 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 8:47 AM to 6:28 AM, and sunset from 5:33 PM to 7:35 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.88:475:33
28.98:425:37
39.18:385:42
49.28:335:46
59.48:285:50
69.58:245:54
79.78:195:58
89.88:156:03
99.98:106:07
1010.18:056:11
1110.28:016:15
1210.47:566:19
1310.57:516:23
1410.77:476:27
1510.87:426:31
1611.07:386:35
1711.17:336:39
1811.27:286:43
1911.47:246:47
2011.57:196:51
2111.77:156:55
2211.87:106:59
2312.07:057:03
2412.17:017:07
2512.36:567:11
2612.46:527:15
2712.56:477:19
2812.76:427:23
2912.86:387:27
3013.06:337:31
3113.16:287:35

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 1.64 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0 kWh/m² to a high of 4.63 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 1.64 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
10.8Dim
20.9Dim
30.9Dim
41.0Dim
51.0Dim
61.1Dim
71.1Dim
81.2Dim
91.2Dim
101.3Dim
111.3Dim
121.4Dim
131.4Dim
141.5Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.7Dim
181.8Dim
191.8Dim
201.9Dim
211.9Dim
222.0Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.1Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.3Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.4Moderate
292.4Moderate
302.5Moderate
312.6Moderate
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Zapolyarnyy?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Zapolyarnyy.

What to pack for Zapolyarnyy in March

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

In March, Zapolyarnyy sees daytime highs around -3°C and nights near -9°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Zapolyarnyy 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 50 km away) is warmest in August at about 11°C and coldest in March 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
Jan4Bracing
Feb3Bracing
Mar3Bracing
Apr3Bracing
May4Bracing
Jun7Bracing
Jul10Bracing
Aug11Bracing
Sep9Bracing
Oct7Bracing
Nov6Bracing
Dec5Bracing

UV index in Zapolyarnyy 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 Zapolyarnyy 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 Zapolyarnyy?

Zapolyarnyy sits at 69.4°N, 30.8°E, 172 m above sea level, in Russia. The nearest listed city is Nikel, 23 km away.

Topography around Zapolyarnyy

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Zapolyarnyy has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 224 m around an average of 151 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 681 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 676 m.

The land around Zapolyarnyy is covered by moss and lichen (29%) and trees (23%) within 3 km, trees (34%), grassland (30%) and moss and lichen (24%) within 16 km, and trees (36%), grassland (27%) and water (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
224 m
16 km
681 m
80 km
676 m
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetlandmoss and lichen
March weather nearby: Nikel 23 km · Murmansk 104 km · Polyarnyy 106 km · Severomorsk 110 km · Olenegorsk 173 km · Monchegorsk 185 km · Kovdor 207 km · Apatity 231 km

Russia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 4
Do Not Travel
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 32% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$17,547
2025
Happiness
5.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
76%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
6.8
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
12
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 521
Religion
other Christian 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 Zapolyarnyy (69.426°, 30.811°, elevation 172 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).