Phola weather in March

In March, Phola sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 91 mm of rain across 11.3 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 26°C in the first days to 24°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 36 min at the start of March to 11 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Phola's 8th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Phola's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
6th warmest
Overnight low
15°
9th coldest
Rainfall
91 mm
11.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:08 AM – 6:19 PM
Cloud cover
46%
8th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
out of 10

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 26°C in the first days to 24°C by the end.

A typical March day in Phola reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 29°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°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12615
22615
32615
42615
52615
62615
72615
82615
92615
102615
112615
122615
132615
142515
152515
162515
172515
182514
192514
202514
212514
222514
232514
242514
252514
262514
272514
282514
292414
302413
312413

Phola 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
Jan26° / 16°11615.113.46.0
Feb26° / 16°931212.96.3
Mar25° / 15°9111.312.26.9
Apr23° / 11°406.211.47.8
May21° / 152.410.78.4
Jun19° / 60.910.48.3
Jul19° / 50.810.58.3
Aug22° / 91.611.18.8
Sep25° / 11°19311.88.5
Oct26° / 13°731012.67.0
Nov26° / 14°9713.813.36.2
Dec26° / 16°12516.313.65.8

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 32%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16733
26832
36931
47030
57030
67030
77129
87129
97030
107030
117030
126931
136931
146832
156832
166832
176733
186634
196634
206634
216634
226634
236634
246634
256634
266535
276535
286535
296535
306634
316634

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Phola gets around 91 mm of rain over 11.3 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 36% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
139
238
337
436
535
635
735
835
935
1035
1135
1236
1336
1436
1537
1637
1738
1838
1938
2038
2138
2238
2338
2437
2536
2635
2734
2833
2932
3031
3130

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 49% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1374122
2394120
3404019
4424018
5434017
6444016
7454015
8464014
9474014
10474013
11484013
12484012
13484012
14484111
15484111
16484110
17494110
18494110
1949419
2050419
2150419
2251409
2352408
2453398
2554397
2655387
2757376
2858366
2961345
3062335
3164315

Wind in March

Winds average 9 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
159calm
169calm
179calm
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 36 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 48 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:00 AM to 6:15 AM, and sunset from 6:34 PM to 6:03 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.66:006:34
212.56:006:33
312.56:016:32
412.56:026:32
512.56:026:31
612.46:036:30
712.46:036:29
812.46:046:28
912.46:046:27
1012.36:056:26
1112.36:056:24
1212.36:066:23
1312.36:066:22
1412.26:076:21
1512.26:076:20
1612.26:086:19
1712.26:086:18
1812.16:096:17
1912.16:096:16
2012.16:106:15
2112.16:106:14
2212.06:116:13
2312.06:116:12
2412.06:126:10
2512.06:126:09
2611.96:136:08
2711.96:136:07
2811.96:146:06
2911.86:146:05
3011.86:146:04
3111.86:156:03

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.51 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.93 kWh/m² to a high of 6.67 kWh/m² in December across the year — March's 5.51 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.9Bright
35.9Bright
45.9Bright
55.9Bright
65.9Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.6Bright
135.6Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.4Bright
185.4Bright
195.3Bright
205.3Bright
215.3Bright
225.2Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.1Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Phola

In seasonPeak

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

Phola's rainy season runs October–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 Phola?

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

6.9
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
6.3
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Phola in March

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

In March, Phola sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 15°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Phola 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 Phola peaks around January 14 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 19 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 14UV 14Jun 19UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Phola 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 Phola is worst in July — around 87 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.6× the cleanest month (January, 24 µg/m³).

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

0306090JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 1286 µg/m³Jan 1024 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan24Moderate
Feb31Moderate
Mar39Poor
Apr56Unhealthy
May73Unhealthy
Jun83Unhealthy
Jul87Unhealthy
Aug72Unhealthy
Sep55Poor
Oct35Moderate
Nov26Moderate
Dec25Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Phola?

Phola sits at 26.0°S, 29.0°E, 1,503 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Emalahleni, 25 km away.

Topography around Phola

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Phola has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 98 m around an average of 1,528 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 223 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 907 m.

The land around Phola is covered by grassland (48%) and cropland (20%) within 3 km, grassland (49%) and cropland (36%) within 16 km, and grassland (58%) and cropland (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
98 m
16 km
223 m
80 km
907 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Emalahleni 25 km · Thubelihle 35 km · Kriel 36 km · Bronkhorstspruit 36 km · Delmas 39 km · Leslie 42 km · Lebohang 43 km · Kinross 46 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 Phola (-26.002°, 29.034°, elevation 1,503 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).