Piet Retief weather in March

In March, Piet Retief sees average daytime highs of 25°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 104 mm of rain across 13.5 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 25°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in March, and the air most often feels comfortable.

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 Piet Retief's 7th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Piet Retief's year-round climate.

Daytime high
25°
4th warmest
Overnight low
14°
9th coldest
Rainfall
104 mm
13.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:00 AM – 6:12 PM
Cloud cover
50%
7th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
5.14 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.6
out of 10

Piet Retief is town.

Founded
1882

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 25°C through the month.

A typical March day in Piet Retief reaches about 25°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°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)
12515
22515
32515
42515
52515
62515
72515
82515
92515
102515
112515
122515
132514
142514
152514
162514
172514
182514
192514
202514
212514
222514
232514
242514
252414
262414
272414
282414
292414
302414
312413

Piet Retief 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
Jan26° / 16°14418.213.55.5
Feb26° / 16°11613.9135.9
Mar25° / 14°10413.512.26.6
Apr23° / 12°487.711.47.5
May21° / 183.310.78.2
Jun20° / 112.210.38.1
Jul20° / 12210.58.1
Aug22° / 213.6118.3
Sep24° / 10°38711.87.8
Oct24° / 12°9613.412.66.5
Nov25° / 14°13116.913.35.6
Dec26° / 15°15519.413.75.3

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% 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 41%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25743
35941
45941
55941
66040
76040
86040
96040
106040
116040
126040
135941
145842
155842
165842
175842
185743
195743
205743
215743
225842
235842
245842
255941
265941
275941
285941
295941
306040
316040

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Piet Retief gets around 104 mm of rain over 13.5 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 43% and peaks near 45% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
145
244
343
443
543
643
743
843
943
1043
1143
1243
1344
1444
1544
1645
1745
1845
1945
2045
2145
2244
2344
2443
2542
2641
2740
2839
2938
3037
3136

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the comfortable 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 (%)Muggy (%)
1841483
2941473
31042453
41143443
51143433
61244412
71345402
81445392
91446382
101547372
111547362
121648352
131648351
141649341
151650331
161650331
171651321
181651321
191652311
201653301
211654291
221753291
231755280
241855270
251955260
262055250
272255230
282454220
292653210
302853190
313151180

Wind in March

Winds average 7 km/h in March, the calmest month.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 7 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
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

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 5:52 AM to 6:08 AM, and sunset from 6:28 PM to 5:55 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.65:526:28
212.65:536:27
312.55:536:26
412.55:546:25
512.55:546:24
612.55:556:23
712.45:566:22
812.45:566:21
912.45:576:20
1012.45:576:19
1112.35:586:18
1212.35:586:17
1312.35:596:16
1412.35:596:15
1512.26:006:13
1612.26:006:12
1712.26:016:11
1812.16:016:10
1912.16:026:09
2012.16:036:08
2112.16:036:07
2212.06:046:06
2312.06:046:04
2412.06:056:03
2512.06:056:02
2611.96:066:01
2711.96:066:00
2811.96:075:59
2911.86:075:58
3011.86:085:56
3111.86:085:55

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.14 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.68 kWh/m² to a high of 6.03 kWh/m² in December across the year — March's 5.14 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.4Bright
95.4Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.2Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.1Bright
175.1Bright
185.0Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.8Bright
264.8Bright
274.8Bright
284.8Bright
294.8Bright
304.8Bright
314.7Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Piet Retief

In seasonPeak

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

Piet Retief'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 Piet Retief?

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

6.6
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
5.8
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Piet Retief for sightseeing.

What to pack for Piet Retief in March

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

In March, Piet Retief sees daytime highs around 25°C and nights near 14°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Piet Retief in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Piet Retief peaks around January 15 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 21 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 15UV 14Jun 21UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr7Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5Moderate
Aug7High
Sep8Very high
Oct9Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Piet Retief 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 Piet Retief is worst in May — around 56 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 3.0× the cleanest month (December, 19 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateModerateMay 1754 µg/m³Dec 2319 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan20Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar26Moderate
Apr38Poor
May56Unhealthy
Jun38Poor
Jul36Poor
Aug30Moderate
Sep33Moderate
Oct28Moderate
Nov40Poor
Dec19Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Piet Retief?

Piet Retief sits at 27.0°S, 30.8°E, 1,251 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Driefontein, 38 km away.

Topography around Piet Retief

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Piet Retief has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 195 m around an average of 1,272 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 452 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,004 m.

The land around Piet Retief is covered by grassland (47%) and trees (32%) within 3 km, grassland (43%) and trees (42%) within 16 km, and grassland (56%) and trees (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
195 m
16 km
452 m
80 km
2,004 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
March weather nearby: Driefontein 38 km · Frischgewaagd 45 km · Fernie 69 km · Lobamba 71 km · Empuluzu 78 km · Manzini 80 km · Redhill 83 km · Mbabane 83 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 Piet Retief (-27.0071°, 30.8132°, elevation 1,251 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).