Johannesburg weather in March

In March, Johannesburg sees average daytime highs of 24°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 89 mm of rain across 12.7 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 25°C in the first days to 23°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 36 min at the start of March to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Johannesburg's 8th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Johannesburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
24°
7th warmest
Overnight low
14°
9th coldest
Rainfall
89 mm
12.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:12 AM – 6:23 PM
Cloud cover
47%
8th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.54 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10

Johannesburg is largest city in South Africa.

Density
5,729/km²
people per km²
Founded
1886

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 25°C in the first days to 23°C by the end.

A typical March day in Johannesburg reaches about 24°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 28°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°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12515
22515
32515
42515
52515
62515
72515
82514
92514
102514
112514
122514
132514
142414
152414
162414
172414
182414
192414
202414
212414
222414
232414
242413
252413
262413
272413
282413
292413
302313
312313

Johannesburg weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 7th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 16°13216.313.55.9
Feb25° / 15°1101412.96.1
Mar24° / 14°8912.712.26.7
Apr22° / 11°457.311.47.4
May20° / 172.910.78.1
Jun18° / 81.310.47.9
Jul18° / 30.810.58.0
Aug21° / 10211.18.5
Sep24° / 10°233.711.88.5
Oct25° / 13°7510.712.67.0
Nov25° / 14°1001413.36.2
Dec26° / 15°13818.113.65.6

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 45% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 33%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16634
26733
36733
46832
56832
66832
76832
86931
96931
106832
116931
126832
136832
146832
156733
166733
176634
186733
196733
206733
216733
226733
236733
246832
256733
266733
276733
286733
296733
306733
316733

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Johannesburg gets around 89 mm of rain over 12.7 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 41% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
144
243
342
442
541
641
741
842
942
1042
1143
1244
1344
1445
1545
1645
1745
1845
1945
2044
2143
2242
2341
2440
2539
2638
2737
2836
2935
3034
3133

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 48% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1344619
2364618
3374517
4394516
5404516
6414515
7424514
8424413
9434412
10444412
11444411
12454411
13454410
14464510
1546459
1646459
1747458
1847458
1948448
2049447
2150437
2251427
2352426
2453416
2554406
2656395
2758375
2859365
2962344
3064324
3166304

Wind in March

Winds average 9 km/h in March, the calmest month.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 9 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
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
199calm
209calm
219calm
229calm
239calm
249calm
259calm
269calm
279calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 36 min at the start of March to 11 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 48 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:04 AM to 6:19 AM, and sunset from 6:38 PM to 6:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.66:046:38
212.66:046:38
312.56:056:37
412.56:056:36
512.56:066:35
612.56:066:34
712.46:076:33
812.46:086:32
912.46:086:31
1012.36:096:30
1112.36:096:29
1212.36:106:27
1312.36:106:26
1412.26:116:25
1512.26:116:24
1612.26:126:23
1712.26:126:22
1812.16:136:21
1912.16:136:20
2012.16:146:19
2112.16:146:18
2212.06:156:17
2312.06:156:16
2412.06:166:14
2512.06:166:13
2611.96:176:12
2711.96:176:11
2811.96:186:10
2911.86:186:09
3011.86:186:08
3111.86:196:07

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.54 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.91 kWh/m² to a high of 6.82 kWh/m² in December across the year — March's 5.54 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Bright
26.0Bright
36.0Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.6Bright
145.6Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.3Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Johannesburg

In seasonPeak

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

Johannesburg's rainy season runs October–March, 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 Johannesburg?

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
5.8
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Johannesburg for sightseeing.

What to pack for Johannesburg in March

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

In March, Johannesburg sees daytime highs around 24°C and nights near 14°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Johannesburg in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Johannesburg peaks around January 13 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 at about 5 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 13UV 14Jun 19UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Johannesburg 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 Johannesburg is worst in June — around 283 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 5.7× the cleanest month (January, 50 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180210240270300JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecUnhealthyVery unhealthyUnhealthyJun 19282 µg/m³Jan 1251 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan50Poor
Feb72Unhealthy
Mar119Unhealthy
Apr177Very unhealthy
May261Very unhealthy
Jun283Very unhealthy
Jul275Very unhealthy
Aug213Very unhealthy
Sep156Very unhealthy
Oct99Unhealthy
Nov70Unhealthy
Dec55Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Johannesburg?

Johannesburg sits at 26.2°S, 28.0°E, 1,767 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Alberton, 11 km away.

Topography around Johannesburg

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Johannesburg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 138 m around an average of 1,732 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 371 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 868 m.

The land around Johannesburg is covered by artificial surfaces (74%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (52%), grassland (23%) and trees (20%) within 16 km, and grassland (54%) and cropland (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
138 m
16 km
371 m
80 km
868 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Alberton 11 km · Alexandra 12 km · Randburg 13 km · Edenvale 13 km · Germiston 14 km · Roodepoort 18 km · Tokoza 19 km · Soweto 20 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 Johannesburg (-26.2023°, 28.0436°, elevation 1,767 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).