Butterworth weather in March

In March, Butterworth sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 102 mm of rain across 14 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in March, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 42 min at the start of March to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Butterworth's 7th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Butterworth's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
16°
10th coldest
Rainfall
102 mm
14 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:10 AM – 6:24 PM
Cloud cover
59%
7th clearest
Wind
11 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.67 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Butterworth is town.

Founded
1827

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 25°C through the month.

A typical March day in Butterworth reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 31°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and about 2°C warmer than April.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12616
22616
32616
42616
52616
62616
72616
82616
92616
102616
112616
122616
132616
142516
152516
162516
172516
182516
192516
202515
212515
222515
232515
242515
252515
262515
272515
282515
292515
302515
312515

Butterworth weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 3rd-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 16°12115.613.95.7
Feb26° / 17°10414.313.25.7
Mar25° / 16°1021412.26.2
Apr24° / 13°769.311.27.1
May23° / 11°244.510.48.1
Jun21° / 233.29.98.1
Jul21° / 233.310.18.1
Aug22° / 335.610.87.7
Sep23° / 10°577.811.87.2
Oct23° / 12°9413.212.86.3
Nov23° / 13°1111413.76.0
Dec25° / 15°11416.314.15.8

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24654
34654
44654
54654
64654
74654
84654
94654
104555
114555
124654
134753
144753
154753
164753
174654
184654
194753
204753
214753
224852
234852
244852
254852
264753
274852
284852
294852
305050
315050

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Butterworth gets around 102 mm of rain over 14 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 45% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
147
246
346
446
546
646
746
846
946
1046
1146
1246
1346
1446
1545
1645
1745
1845
1945
2044
2144
2244
2343
2443
2543
2643
2742
2842
2942
3041
3140

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the humid band about 43% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 12% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
19204526
29204625
39204624
410204723
510214721
611214820
711224819
811224917
912234916
1012244915
1112254814
1213264814
1313274713
1413284712
1513294611
1614304511
1714314510
181432449
191434439
201435428
211536418
221537417
231538407
241539396
251639396
261640385
271740385
281841374
291941364
302141353
312241343

Wind in March

Winds average 11 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 11 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
111calm
211calm
311calm
411calm
511calm
611calm
711calm
811calm
911calm
1011calm
1111calm
1211calm
1311calm
1411calm
1511calm
1611calm
1711calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 42 min at the start of March to 11 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 60 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 5:58 AM to 6:20 AM, and sunset from 6:43 PM to 6:04 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.75:586:43
212.75:596:42
312.76:006:41
412.66:016:40
512.66:016:38
612.66:026:37
712.56:036:36
812.56:046:35
912.56:046:33
1012.46:056:32
1112.46:066:31
1212.46:076:30
1312.36:076:28
1412.36:086:27
1512.36:096:26
1612.26:106:24
1712.26:106:23
1812.26:116:22
1912.16:126:21
2012.16:136:19
2112.16:136:18
2212.06:146:17
2312.06:156:15
2412.06:156:14
2511.96:166:13
2611.96:176:11
2711.96:176:10
2811.86:186:08
2911.86:196:07
3011.86:206:06
3111.76:206:04

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.67 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.01 kWh/m² to a high of 5.83 kWh/m² in December across the year — March's 4.67 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
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.8Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.7Bright
174.7Bright
184.7Bright
194.6Bright
204.6Bright
214.6Bright
224.5Bright
234.5Bright
244.5Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.4Bright
284.4Bright
294.4Bright
304.3Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Butterworth

In seasonPeak

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

Butterworth's rainy season runs September–April, 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 Butterworth?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
5.7
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Butterworth for sightseeing.

What to pack for Butterworth in March

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

In March, Butterworth sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 16°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Butterworth in March

The nearest coast averages about 25°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 39 km away) is warmest in February at about 25°C and coldest in August near 21°C.

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

20°22°24°26°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan25Warm
Feb25Warm
Mar25Warm
Apr25Warm
May24Refreshing
Jun22Refreshing
Jul21Refreshing
Aug21Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct21Refreshing
Nov23Refreshing
Dec23Refreshing

UV index in Butterworth in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Butterworth peaks around January 15 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighExtremeJan 15UV 13Jun 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr6High
May5Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct11Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Butterworth 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 Butterworth is worst in August — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (January, 8 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1523 µg/m³Jan 158 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr14Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun19Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug23Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Butterworth?

Butterworth sits at 32.3°S, 28.1°E, 545 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Gonubie, 69 km away.

Topography around Butterworth

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Butterworth has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 218 m around an average of 584 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 688 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,672 m.

The land around Butterworth is covered by grassland (41%) and trees (26%) within 3 km, grassland (57%) and trees (23%) within 16 km, and grassland (46%) and trees (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
218 m
16 km
688 m
80 km
1,672 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
March weather nearby: Gonubie 69 km · Stutterheim 73 km · Mdantsane 76 km · East London 79 km · Bhisho 88 km · Ndevana 88 km · Qonce 94 km · Cala 99 km

South Africa travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / M / N
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 41% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$6,598
2025
Happiness
5.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
68%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
43.7
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
22.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Upper middle
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 602
Religion
Christian 86%or other traditional African religions 5%nothing in particular 5%Muslim 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 Butterworth (-32.3308°, 28.1498°, elevation 545 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. 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).