Mpumalanga weather in March

In March, Mpumalanga sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 87 mm of rain across 12.7 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 27°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in March, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 42 min at the start of March to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Mpumalanga's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mpumalanga's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
19°
10th coldest
Rainfall
87 mm
12.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:00 AM – 6:14 PM
Cloud cover
56%
7th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
4.78 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Mpumalanga is township in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

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 27°C through the month.

A typical March day in Mpumalanga reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 22°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and about 2°C warmer than April.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12820
22820
32820
42820
52820
62819
72819
82819
92819
102819
112819
122719
132719
142719
152719
162719
172719
182719
192719
202719
212719
222719
232719
242719
252719
262718
272718
282718
292718
302718
312618

Mpumalanga weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 2nd-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 20°10115.613.75.6
Feb28° / 20°8713.113.15.7
Mar27° / 19°8712.712.26.2
Apr26° / 16°609.111.37.1
May25° / 13°33510.58.2
Jun23° / 11°223.910.18.5
Jul23° / 10°343.910.38.4
Aug23° / 12°305.610.98.1
Sep24° / 14°58911.87.2
Oct24° / 15°8813.812.76.3
Nov25° / 17°10114.813.55.8
Dec26° / 18°10215.613.95.6

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25149
35248
45248
55248
65446
75446
85446
95347
105347
115347
125347
135347
145248
155248
165050
175050
185050
194951
205050
214951
224951
234852
245050
255050
264951
274951
285050
295050
305050
315050

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Mpumalanga gets around 87 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 42% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
142
242
342
442
542
642
742
842
942
1042
1142
1242
1341
1441
1541
1641
1741
1841
1941
2041
2140
2240
2340
2440
2539
2639
2739
2839
2939
3038
3138

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the muggy band about 51% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 57% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
115235615
216235614
316235713
416245712
517245711
617245810
717255710
81725589
91726588
101827568
111828567
121829557
131830556
141831546
151832545
161833535
171834534
181835524
191736524
201737514
212737504
222738493
232839493
242840483
252841473
262942452
272943442
2821043422
2931144412
3031245391
3131345371

Wind in March

Winds average 10 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
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 42 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 54 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 5:50 AM to 6:10 AM, and sunset from 6:31 PM to 5:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.75:506:31
212.65:516:30
312.65:526:29
412.65:536:28
512.65:536:27
612.55:546:26
712.55:556:24
812.55:556:23
912.45:566:22
1012.45:576:21
1112.45:576:20
1212.35:586:19
1312.35:596:17
1412.35:596:16
1512.36:006:15
1612.26:006:14
1712.26:016:13
1812.26:026:11
1912.16:026:10
2012.16:036:09
2112.16:046:08
2212.06:046:06
2312.06:056:05
2412.06:056:04
2511.96:066:03
2611.96:076:01
2711.96:076:00
2811.96:085:59
2911.86:085:58
3011.86:095:57
3111.86:105:55

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.78 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.2 kWh/m² to a high of 5.52 kWh/m² in January across the year — March's 4.78 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.1Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.7Bright
184.7Bright
194.7Bright
204.6Bright
214.6Bright
224.6Bright
234.5Bright
244.5Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.4Bright
284.4Bright
294.4Bright
304.4Bright
314.3Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Mpumalanga

In seasonPeak

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

Mpumalanga sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Cyclone
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is March a good time to visit Mpumalanga?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Mpumalanga in March

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

In March, Mpumalanga sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 19°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Mpumalanga in March

The nearest coast averages about 26°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 42 km away) is warmest in February at about 26°C and coldest in August near 21°C.

The water stays above 20°C all year — warm enough for a swim any month.

20°22°24°26°28°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan25Warm
Feb26Warm
Mar26Warm
Apr25Warm
May24Refreshing
Jun23Refreshing
Jul22Refreshing
Aug21Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct22Refreshing
Nov23Refreshing
Dec24Warm

UV index in Mpumalanga 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 Mpumalanga peaks around January 16 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 4 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeHighModerateHighExtremeJan 16UV 13Jun 23UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr5High
May5Moderate
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug5High
Sep5High
Oct10Extreme
Nov10Very high
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Mpumalanga 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 Mpumalanga is worst in July — around 148 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 6.1× the cleanest month (January, 24 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 11147 µg/m³Jan 1625 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan24Moderate
Feb31Moderate
Mar50Poor
Apr77Unhealthy
May126Unhealthy
Jun144Unhealthy
Jul148Unhealthy
Aug116Unhealthy
Sep88Unhealthy
Oct57Unhealthy
Nov41Poor
Dec30Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Mpumalanga?

Mpumalanga sits at 29.8°S, 30.6°E, 711 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Pinetown, 24 km away.

Topography around Mpumalanga

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Mpumalanga has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 354 m around an average of 607 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 701 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,041 m.

The land around Mpumalanga is covered by artificial surfaces (40%), grassland (29%) and trees (27%) within 3 km, trees (43%) and grassland (33%) within 16 km, and trees (38%), grassland (29%) and water (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
354 m
16 km
701 m
80 km
2,041 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
March weather nearby: Pinetown 24 km · Folweni 26 km · Ntuzuma 31 km · Pietermaritzburg 32 km · Richmond 36 km · Durban 38 km · eMkhomazi 46 km · Mpophomeni 51 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 Mpumalanga (-29.8129°, 30.6365°, elevation 711 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).