Northam weather in March

In March, Northam sees average daytime highs of 29°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 73 mm of rain across 8.8 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 29°C in the first days to 28°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time in March, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 30 min at the start of March to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Northam's 8th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Northam's year-round climate.

Daytime high
29°
6th warmest
Overnight low
18°
8th coldest
Rainfall
73 mm
8.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:15 AM – 6:26 PM
Cloud cover
42%
8th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.62 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 29°C in the first days to 28°C by the end.

A typical March day in Northam reaches about 29°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 33°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°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13020
22919
32919
42919
52919
62919
72919
82919
92919
102919
112919
122919
132919
142919
152919
162919
172918
182818
192818
202818
212818
222818
232818
242818
252818
262818
272817
282817
292817
302717
312717

Northam weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 6th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 20°9912.313.44.8
Feb30° / 20°869.812.95.1
Mar29° / 18°738.812.26.2
Apr26° / 15°365.211.47.8
May24° / 10°152.110.89.0
Jun22° / 60.810.58.9
Jul21° / 30.610.68.9
Aug25° / 10°30.611.19.3
Sep29° / 14°121.911.87.5
Oct30° / 17°416.812.65.6
Nov30° / 19°7710.713.24.8
Dec30° / 20°10413.413.54.7

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% 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 26%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17228
27327
37426
47525
57525
67624
77624
87624
97624
107525
117525
127525
137525
147426
157426
167426
177327
187327
197327
207228
217228
227228
237327
247327
257327
267327
277327
287327
297327
307327
317327

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Northam gets around 73 mm of rain over 8.8 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 29% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
230
330
429
529
629
728
828
928
1029
1129
1229
1329
1430
1530
1630
1731
1831
1931
2030
2130
2230
2329
2429
2528
2628
2727
2827
2926
3026
3125

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 34% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 11% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
117303716
218303616
319313515
419313515
520313415
621323314
721323314
822323314
922323314
1022323313
1122323313
1222323413
1322323413
1421323512
1521323512
1620323611
1720333611
1819333710
1919343710
201934379
211935379
221936378
231936378
242037367
252038357
262139346
272239336
282340325
292440315
302641294
312841274

Wind in March

Winds average 7 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 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 42 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:08 AM to 6:22 AM, and sunset from 6:41 PM to 6:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.56:086:41
212.56:086:40
312.56:096:39
412.56:096:38
512.56:106:37
612.46:106:36
712.46:116:35
812.46:116:34
912.46:126:33
1012.36:126:32
1112.36:136:31
1212.36:136:30
1312.36:146:29
1412.26:146:28
1512.26:156:27
1612.26:156:26
1712.26:166:25
1812.16:166:24
1912.16:176:23
2012.16:176:22
2112.16:176:21
2212.06:186:20
2312.06:186:19
2412.06:196:18
2512.06:196:17
2611.96:206:15
2711.96:206:14
2811.96:206:13
2911.96:216:12
3011.86:216:11
3111.86:226:10

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.62 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.95 kWh/m² to a high of 6.73 kWh/m² in December across the year — March's 5.62 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.0Bright
26.0Bright
36.0Bright
46.0Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.6Bright
165.6Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.4Bright
235.3Bright
245.3Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Northam

In seasonPeak

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

Northam's rainy season runs November–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 Northam?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
7.4
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Northam in March

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

In March, Northam sees daytime highs around 29°C and nights near 18°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Northam 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 Northam peaks around January 13 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 16 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 16UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr9Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Northam 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 Northam is worst in July — around 35 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 4.5× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1135 µg/m³Dec 208 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr22Moderate
May31Moderate
Jun34Moderate
Jul35Poor
Aug29Moderate
Sep30Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov10Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Northam?

Northam sits at 25.0°S, 27.3°E, 1,016 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Amandelbult, 16 km away.

Topography around Northam

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Northam has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 40 m around an average of 1,010 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 342 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,207 m.

The land around Northam is covered by shrubs (39%) and grassland (30%) within 3 km, shrubs (50%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and shrubs (55%) and grassland (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
40 m
16 km
342 m
80 km
1,207 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
March weather nearby: Amandelbult 16 km · Thabazimbi 43 km · Hartbeestfontein-A 59 km · Rustenburg 79 km · Letlhabile 82 km · Marikana 85 km · Brits 91 km · Mabopane 101 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 Northam (-24.9578°, 27.2654°, elevation 1,016 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).