Fort Beaufort weather in March

In March, Fort Beaufort sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 84 mm of rain across 11.3 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 25°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time in March, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of March to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Fort Beaufort's 7th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fort Beaufort's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
15°
10th coldest
Rainfall
84 mm
11.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
6:16 AM – 6:31 PM
Cloud cover
47%
7th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.97 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10

Fort Beaufort is town in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Density
1,265/km²
people per km²
Founded
1822

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 27°C in the first days to 25°C by the end.

A typical March day in Fort Beaufort reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 1°C cooler than February and about 2°C warmer than April.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12716
22716
32716
42716
52716
62716
72716
82716
92715
102715
112715
122715
132615
142615
152615
162615
172615
182615
192615
202615
212615
222615
232614
242614
252614
262614
272514
282514
292514
302514
312514

Fort Beaufort weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 3rd-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 16°9911.913.96.3
Feb27° / 16°9311.413.26.2
Mar26° / 15°8411.312.26.7
Apr24° / 12°628.211.27.4
May22° / 10°244.710.37.9
Jun20° / 264.29.97.7
Jul20° / 284.410.17.7
Aug21° / 416.410.87.4
Sep23° / 487.511.87.3
Oct23° / 11°7110.512.87.0
Nov25° / 13°8411.313.76.7
Dec26° / 15°9311.914.16.4

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 39%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16040
26139
36139
46139
56139
65941
75941
85941
95941
105941
116040
126040
136139
146139
156139
166139
176139
186139
196139
206139
216238
226238
236238
246238
256139
266139
276139
286040
296040
306040
316040

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Fort Beaufort gets around 84 mm of rain over 11.3 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 36% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
239
339
439
539
638
738
838
938
1037
1137
1237
1336
1436
1535
1635
1735
1835
1935
2035
2135
2235
2335
2435
2536
2636
2736
2836
2936
3035
3135

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the comfortable band about 39% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
11835416
21935416
31935405
42036405
52136394
62136384
72237384
82337373
92437363
102538353
112538333
122639323
132739313
142939292
153040282
163140272
173241252
183341242
193441232
203541222
213641212
223741202
233841191
243941181
254042181
264142171
274242161
284341151
294441151
304541140
314740130

Wind in March

Winds average 8 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 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
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 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 66 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:04 AM to 6:26 AM, and sunset from 6:49 PM to 6:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.86:046:49
212.76:056:48
312.76:066:47
412.76:066:46
512.66:076:45
612.66:086:43
712.66:096:42
812.56:106:41
912.56:106:40
1012.56:116:38
1112.46:126:37
1212.46:136:36
1312.46:136:35
1412.36:146:33
1512.36:156:32
1612.36:166:31
1712.26:166:29
1812.26:176:28
1912.16:186:27
2012.16:196:25
2112.16:196:24
2212.06:206:23
2312.06:216:21
2412.06:216:20
2511.96:226:19
2611.96:236:17
2711.96:246:16
2811.86:246:14
2911.86:256:13
3011.86:266:12
3111.76:266:10

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.97 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.95 kWh/m² to a high of 6.56 kWh/m² in December across the year — March's 4.97 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.3Bright
75.3Bright
85.2Bright
95.2Bright
105.2Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.0Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.0Bright
184.9Bright
194.9Bright
204.9Bright
214.8Bright
224.8Bright
234.8Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.7Bright
274.6Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Fort Beaufort?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
6.4
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Fort Beaufort for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Fort Beaufort in March

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

In March, Fort Beaufort sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 15°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Fort Beaufort 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 Fort Beaufort peaks around January 14 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 14UV 13Jun 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr6High
May5Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep6High
Oct11Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Fort Beaufort 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 Fort Beaufort is worst in August — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1618 µg/m³Dec 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb7Good
Mar8Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Fort Beaufort?

Fort Beaufort sits at 32.8°S, 26.6°E, 444 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Alice, 19 km away.

Topography around Fort Beaufort

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Fort Beaufort has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 306 m around an average of 452 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 791 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,350 m.

The land around Fort Beaufort is covered by grassland (44%) and shrubs (22%) within 3 km, grassland (41%), shrubs (35%) and trees (22%) within 16 km, and grassland (63%) within 80 km.

3 km
306 m
16 km
791 m
80 km
2,350 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
March weather nearby: Alice 19 km · Dimbaza 55 km · Grahamstown 60 km · Whittlesea 69 km · Qonce 72 km · Bhisho 76 km · Stutterheim 77 km · Ndevana 83 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 Fort Beaufort (-32.7748°, 26.6338°, elevation 444 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).