Phalaborwa weather in March

In March, Phalaborwa sees average daytime highs of 31°C and overnight lows near 21°C, with 43 mm of rain across 6.4 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 31°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% 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 Phalaborwa's 7th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Phalaborwa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
31°
4th warmest
Overnight low
21°
9th coldest
Rainfall
43 mm
6.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:00 AM – 6:10 PM
Cloud cover
47%
7th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.29 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Phalaborwa is town in South Africa.

Founded
1957

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 31°C through the month.

A typical March day in Phalaborwa reaches about 31°C in the afternoon and slips back to 21°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 35°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and about 2°C warmer than April.

15°20°25°30°35°40°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13122
23122
33122
43122
53122
63122
73122
83122
93122
103122
113122
123122
133121
143121
153121
163121
173121
183121
193121
203121
213121
223121
233121
243121
253121
263121
273121
283121
293021
303020
313020

How March really feels in Phalaborwa

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 15 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
15
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in March is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Phalaborwa weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 4th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 22°949.413.34.2
Feb32° / 22°68812.84.3
Mar31° / 21°436.412.25.0
Apr29° / 19°213.811.56.4
May28° / 15°91.710.98.1
Jun26° / 13°40.810.68.9
Jul25° / 12°50.610.79.0
Aug27° / 14°4111.28.4
Sep29° / 17°11211.96.8
Oct30° / 19°24412.65.8
Nov31° / 20°627.913.24.7
Dec32° / 22°939.813.54.2

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% 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 34%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16436
26535
36634
46733
56832
66931
76931
86931
96931
106931
116832
126832
136832
146733
156733
166634
176634
186535
196535
206436
216436
226436
236436
246436
256436
266436
276535
286535
296634
306535
316634

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Phalaborwa gets around 43 mm of rain over 6.4 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 21% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
126
225
324
424
523
622
722
822
921
1021
1120
1220
1320
1420
1520
1620
1720
1820
1920
2020
2120
2220
2320
2420
2520
2620
2720
2819
2919
3019
3119

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 43% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 43% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
118354115
219354114
3110364113
4110364013
5111373912
6111373912
7112383811
8112393711
9113403710
10113413610
1111342359
1211343359
1311344348
1401344348
1501345338
1601346337
1701347337
1801347327
1901348327
2001348326
2101348326
2211349326
2311348326
2411348335
2511348335
2611348344
2721447334
2821447334
2931546333
3031546323
3141646313

Wind in March

Winds average 12 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 11 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
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412calm
1512calm
1612calm
1712calm
1812calm
1911calm
2011calm
2111calm
2211calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3111calm

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 5:53 AM to 6:06 AM, and sunset from 6:24 PM to 5:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.55:536:24
212.55:536:23
312.55:546:23
412.55:546:22
512.45:556:21
612.45:556:20
712.45:566:19
812.45:566:18
912.35:576:17
1012.35:576:16
1112.35:586:15
1212.35:586:14
1312.25:596:13
1412.25:596:12
1512.25:596:11
1612.26:006:10
1712.16:006:09
1812.16:016:08
1912.16:016:07
2012.16:026:06
2112.16:026:05
2212.06:026:04
2312.06:036:03
2412.06:036:02
2512.06:046:01
2611.96:046:00
2711.96:045:59
2811.96:055:58
2911.96:055:57
3011.86:065:56
3111.86:065:55

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.29 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.76 kWh/m² to a high of 5.98 kWh/m² in December across the year — March's 5.29 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.4Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.2Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.1Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.0Bright
275.0Bright
285.0Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Phalaborwa?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
7.3
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Phalaborwa in March

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

In March, Phalaborwa sees daytime highs around 31°C and nights near 21°C. Pack light clothes. Worth having: sun protection. About 6 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Phalaborwa 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 Phalaborwa peaks around January 20 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 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 20UV 14Jun 20UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul5High
Aug7Very high
Sep8Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec12Extreme

Air quality in Phalaborwa 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 Phalaborwa is worst in September — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (January, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1516 µg/m³Jan 147 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar8Good
Apr11Good
May15Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct12Good
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Phalaborwa?

Phalaborwa sits at 23.9°S, 31.1°E, 435 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Acornhoek, 72 km away.

Topography around Phalaborwa

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Phalaborwa has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 257 m around an average of 426 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 788 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,179 m.

The land around Phalaborwa is covered by trees (39%) and shrubs (27%) within 3 km, shrubs (64%) within 16 km, and shrubs (65%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
257 m
16 km
788 m
80 km
2,179 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Acornhoek 72 km · Giyani 83 km · Nkowakowa 87 km · Thulamahashi 87 km · Mafemani 94 km · Dwarsloop 95 km · Tzaneen 100 km · Duiwelskloof 106 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 Phalaborwa (-23.943°, 31.1411°, elevation 435 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).