Malmesbury weather in March

In March, Malmesbury sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 15 mm of rain across 2.7 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 30°C in the first days to 28°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 74% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

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 Malmesbury's 3rd-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Malmesbury's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
16°
10th coldest
Rainfall
15 mm
2.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
6:47 AM – 7:02 PM
Cloud cover
25%
3rd clearest
Wind
11 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
6.13 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.1
out of 10

Malmesbury is town in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Density
2,288/km²
people per km²
Founded
1745

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 30°C in the first days to 28°C by the end.

A typical March day in Malmesbury reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 13°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 34°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 2°C cooler than February and about 4°C warmer than April.

10°20°30°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13017
23017
33017
43017
53017
63017
73017
83017
93017
103016
112916
122916
132916
142916
152916
162916
172916
182916
192916
202916
212815
222815
232815
242815
252815
262815
272815
282815
292815
302715
312715

Malmesbury weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 3rd-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 17°142.6146.2
Feb31° / 18°122.313.26.1
Mar29° / 16°152.712.37.1
Apr25° / 13°414.811.28.0
May22° / 10°667.310.37.2
Jun18° / 1079.99.86.2
Jul18° / 938.9106.2
Aug18° / 829.410.86.3
Sep20° / 527.611.86.9
Oct24° / 11°324.912.88.0
Nov26° / 14°294.713.77.9
Dec29° / 16°163.314.27.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 74% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 15%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18812
28812
38812
48713
58713
68713
78713
88713
98713
108713
118614
128614
138614
148614
158614
168614
178614
188515
198515
208515
218416
228416
238416
248416
258317
268218
278218
288218
298119
308020
318020

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Malmesbury gets around 15 mm of rain over 2.7 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 9% and peaks near 14% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
18
28
38
48
58
68
77
87
97
107
117
127
137
147
157
167
177
187
198
208
218
229
239
2410
2511
2611
2712
2812
2913
3013
3114

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 (%)
1344817
2354916
3364915
4364915
5374914
6384813
7394812
8404712
9424712
10434611
11444511
12454411
13464310
14484310
1549429
1650429
1751418
1852417
1952417
2053416
2153416
2254415
2355405
2456404
2556404
2657403
2757403
2857403
2958393
3058393
3159383

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
1811calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3110calm

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 6:35 AM to 6:58 AM, and sunset from 7:22 PM to 6:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.86:357:22
212.76:367:21
312.76:377:19
412.76:377:18
512.66:387:17
612.66:397:16
712.66:407:14
812.56:417:13
912.56:427:12
1012.56:427:10
1112.46:437:09
1212.46:447:08
1312.46:457:06
1412.36:457:05
1512.36:467:04
1612.36:477:02
1712.26:487:01
1812.26:497:00
1912.26:496:58
2012.16:506:57
2112.16:516:56
2212.06:526:54
2312.06:526:53
2412.06:536:52
2511.96:546:50
2611.96:556:49
2711.96:556:47
2811.86:566:46
2911.86:576:45
3011.86:586:43
3111.76:586:42

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 6.13 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.54 kWh/m² to a high of 8.4 kWh/m² in January across the year — March's 6.13 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.9Intense
26.9Intense
36.8Intense
46.8Intense
56.7Intense
66.7Intense
76.6Intense
86.6Intense
96.5Intense
106.5Intense
116.4Intense
126.4Intense
136.3Intense
146.3Intense
156.2Intense
166.2Intense
176.1Intense
186.0Intense
196.0Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.8Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.6Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.3Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Malmesbury

In seasonPeak

None of Malmesbury's seasonal hazards are active in March. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Malmesbury's rainy season runs May–September, 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 Malmesbury?

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

7.1
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
8.6
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

March is one of the better times to visit Malmesbury for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Malmesbury in March

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

In March, Malmesbury sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 16°C. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Malmesbury in March

The nearest coast averages about 16°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 37 km away) is warmest in February at about 17°C and coldest in July near 14°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

12°14°16°18°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr15Cool
May15Bracing
Jun15Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep15Bracing
Oct15Bracing
Nov16Cool
Dec16Cool

UV index in Malmesbury 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 Malmesbury peaks around January 13 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateExtremeJan 13UV 13Jun 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar9Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep5High
Oct10Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Malmesbury 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 Malmesbury is worst in May — around 52 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.4× the cleanest month (December, 15 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateMay 2152 µg/m³Dec 1516 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan20Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar28Moderate
Apr41Poor
May52Poor
Jun50Poor
Jul47Poor
Aug41Poor
Sep33Moderate
Oct29Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec15Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Malmesbury?

Malmesbury sits at 33.5°S, 18.7°E, 136 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Atlantis, 25 km away.

Topography around Malmesbury

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Malmesbury has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 188 m around an average of 166 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 892 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,073 m.

The land around Malmesbury is covered by cropland (39%), grassland (26%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 3 km, cropland (67%) within 16 km, and cropland (30%) and grassland (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
188 m
16 km
892 m
80 km
2,073 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
March weather nearby: Atlantis 25 km · Wellington 33 km · Moorreesburg 35 km · Paarl 38 km · Durbanville 42 km · Kraaifontein 43 km · Kuils River 54 km · Stellenbosch 54 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 Malmesbury (-33.4608°, 18.7271°, elevation 136 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).