Mossel Bay weather in March

In March, Mossel Bay sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 41 mm of rain across 7.4 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% 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 Mossel Bay's 6th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mossel Bay's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
19°
10th coldest
Rainfall
41 mm
7.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
6:33 AM – 6:49 PM
Cloud cover
40%
6th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.37 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.3
out of 10

Mossel Bay is town in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Density
1,871/km²
people per km²
Founded
1848

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 21°C through the month.

A typical March day in Mossel Bay reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 1°C cooler than February and about 2°C warmer than April.

15°18°20°23°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12219
22219
32219
42219
52219
62219
72219
82219
92219
102219
112119
122119
132119
142119
152119
162119
172119
182119
192119
202118
212118
222118
232118
242118
252118
262118
272118
282118
292118
302118
312118

Mossel Bay 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
Jan22° / 19°377.5147.4
Feb22° / 20°306.713.37.4
Mar21° / 19°417.412.37.3
Apr20° / 17°436.711.26.9
May19° / 15°406.210.26.9
Jun17° / 14°376.99.86.4
Jul17° / 13°387.2106.1
Aug17° / 13°477.610.75.9
Sep17° / 14°336.511.86.1
Oct18° / 15°437.412.96.5
Nov19° / 17°527.713.86.7
Dec21° / 18°356.814.27.2

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 26%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17624
27525
37525
47525
57525
67525
77525
87525
97525
107426
117426
127525
137525
147624
157624
167624
177525
187525
197525
207525
217426
227426
237327
247327
257228
267228
277129
287129
297030
306931
316931

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Mossel Bay gets around 41 mm of rain over 7.4 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 23% and peaks near 24% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
122
222
322
423
523
623
723
823
923
1023
1123
1223
1323
1423
1523
1623
1723
1824
1924
2024
2124
2224
2324
2424
2524
2624
2724
2824
2924
3024
3124

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 46% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 25% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
161339411
261339401
361440401
461441390
561541370
661641360
761741350
861842340
961942330
1061942320
1162043310
1262143300
1362244290
1462245270
1562345260
1662346250
1762347240
1862448220
1962448210
2062549200
2162549190
2272550180
2372650170
2472651160
2572751150
2682750150
2782751140
2892850130
29102850120
30102850120
31112949110

Wind in March

Winds average 17 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 17 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
117light breeze
217light breeze
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2917light breeze
3017light breeze
3117light 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 6:21 AM to 6:45 AM, and sunset from 7:09 PM to 6:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.86:217:09
212.86:217:07
312.76:227:06
412.76:237:05
512.76:247:04
612.66:257:02
712.66:267:01
812.66:277:00
912.56:276:58
1012.56:286:57
1112.46:296:56
1212.46:306:54
1312.46:316:53
1412.36:326:52
1512.36:326:50
1612.36:336:49
1712.26:346:48
1812.26:356:46
1912.26:366:45
2012.16:366:43
2112.16:376:42
2212.06:386:41
2312.06:396:39
2412.06:396:38
2511.96:406:36
2611.96:416:35
2711.96:426:34
2811.86:436:32
2911.86:436:31
3011.86:446:29
3111.76:456:28

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 2.6 kWh/m² to a high of 7.58 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
55.9Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
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 Mossel Bay?

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

7.3
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
4.5
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Mossel Bay in March

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

In March, Mossel Bay sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 19°C. Worth packing: sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

sun protection

Sea temperature near Mossel Bay 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 at the nearest coast (about 21 km away) is warmest in January at about 21°C and coldest in August near 16°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Dec 15 to Mar 18 — about 3.1 months when the water holds above 20°C.

14°16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan21Refreshing
Feb21Refreshing
Mar20Refreshing
Apr18Cool
May17Cool
Jun16Cool
Jul16Cool
Aug16Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct17Cool
Nov19Cool
Dec20Refreshing

UV index in Mossel Bay 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 Mossel Bay peaks around January 14 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 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 14UV 13Jun 22UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb10Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Mossel Bay?

Mossel Bay sits at 34.2°S, 22.1°E, 43 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Groot-Brakrivier, 17 km away.

Swellendam

Topography around Mossel Bay

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mossel Bay has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 175 m around an average of 28 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 336 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,504 m.

The land around Mossel Bay is covered by water (70%) within 3 km, water (69%) within 16 km, and water (35%), shrubs (27%) and grassland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
175 m
16 km
336 m
80 km
1,504 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Groot-Brakrivier 17 km · George 38 km · Oudtshoorn 65 km · Dysselsdorp 73 km · Riversdale 82 km · Knysna 85 km · Plettenberg Bay 114 km · Swellendam 158 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 Mossel Bay (-34.1831°, 22.146°, elevation 43 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).