Knysna weather in March

In March, Knysna sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 17°C, with 52 mm of rain across 8.5 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in March, and the air most often feels humid.

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 Knysna's 6th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Knysna's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
17°
10th coldest
Rainfall
52 mm
8.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
6:30 AM – 6:45 PM
Cloud cover
42%
6th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.37 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.3
out of 10

Knysna is town in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Density
631/km²
people per km²
Founded
1871

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 22°C through the month.

A typical March day in Knysna reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 17°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 26°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)
12317
22317
32317
42317
52317
62317
72317
82317
92317
102317
112317
122317
132317
142317
152317
162217
172216
182216
192216
202216
212216
222216
232216
242216
252216
262216
272216
282216
292216
302216
312216

Knysna 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
Jan23° / 17°499.2147.3
Feb23° / 18°427.913.37.4
Mar22° / 17°528.512.37.3
Apr21° / 14°527.811.27.0
May19° / 12°476.710.36.9
Jun18° / 11°437.29.86.5
Jul17° / 10°467.6106.2
Aug17° / 10°628.810.76.0
Sep18° / 11°498.511.86.2
Oct19° / 13°628.912.96.4
Nov20° / 14°709.313.86.6
Dec22° / 16°479.314.27.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17030
27030
36931
46931
56931
67030
76931
86931
96931
106931
116931
126931
136931
147030
157030
166931
176931
187030
197030
207030
217030
227030
237030
247030
256931
266931
276832
286733
296733
306634
316634

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Knysna gets around 52 mm of rain over 8.5 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 27% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
126
226
327
427
527
628
728
828
928
1028
1128
1228
1328
1428
1528
1628
1728
1828
1927
2027
2127
2227
2327
2427
2527
2627
2727
2828
2928
3028
3128

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 40% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 6% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
110265113
210275112
310275211
411285011
511295010
612295010
71230499
81231489
91332479
101333468
111334448
121435438
131436428
141537408
151538397
161539387
171640376
181641376
191742365
201743355
211744354
221844344
231845343
241845333
251946332
261946322
272046322
282146311
292246311
302347301
312447291

Wind in March

Winds average 13 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

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 6:17 AM to 6:41 AM, and sunset from 7:05 PM to 6:24 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.86:177:05
212.86:187:04
312.76:197:02
412.76:207:01
512.76:217:00
612.66:216:59
712.66:226:57
812.66:236:56
912.56:246:55
1012.56:256:53
1112.46:266:52
1212.46:266:51
1312.46:276:49
1412.36:286:48
1512.36:296:47
1612.36:306:45
1712.26:306:44
1812.26:316:43
1912.26:326:41
2012.16:336:40
2112.16:346:38
2212.06:346:37
2312.06:356:36
2412.06:366:34
2511.96:376:33
2611.96:376:31
2711.96:386:30
2811.86:396:29
2911.86:406:27
3011.86:406:26
3111.76:416:24

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.37 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.65 kWh/m² to a high of 7.48 kWh/m² in December across the year — March's 5.37 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Intense
26.0Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.4Bright
165.4Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.2Bright
215.2Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
264.9Bright
274.9Bright
284.8Bright
294.8Bright
304.7Bright
314.7Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Knysna?

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

7.3
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.3
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

March is one of the better times to visit Knysna for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Knysna in March

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

In March, Knysna sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 17°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Knysna in March

The nearest coast averages about 20°C in March — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in January at about 21°C and coldest in August near 17°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Dec 20 to Mar 14 — about 2.8 months when the water holds above 20°C.

16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan21Refreshing
Feb21Refreshing
Mar20Refreshing
Apr18Cool
May18Cool
Jun17Cool
Jul17Cool
Aug17Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct17Cool
Nov18Cool
Dec20Cool

UV index in Knysna in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Knysna 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 — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateExtremeJan 15UV 13Jun 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Knysna?

Knysna sits at 34.0°S, 23.0°E, 9 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Plettenberg Bay, 30 km away.

Humansdorp

Topography around Knysna

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Knysna has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 288 m around an average of 64 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 929 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,052 m.

The land around Knysna is covered by trees (41%) and water (20%) within 3 km, trees (45%) and water (34%) within 16 km, and water (36%) and grassland (31%) within 80 km.

3 km
288 m
16 km
929 m
80 km
2,052 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
March weather nearby: Plettenberg Bay 30 km · George 55 km · Groot-Brakrivier 76 km · Dysselsdorp 76 km · Mossel Bay 85 km · Oudtshoorn 92 km · Kruisfontein 155 km · Humansdorp 159 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 Knysna (-34.0363°, 23.0471°, elevation 9 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).