Pietermaritzburg weather in March

In March, Pietermaritzburg sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 96 mm of rain across 14.3 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in March, and the air most often feels humid.

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 Pietermaritzburg's 7th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Pietermaritzburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
16°
10th coldest
Rainfall
96 mm
14.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:01 AM – 6:15 PM
Cloud cover
57%
7th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.82 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

Pietermaritzburg is city in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Density
6,661/km²
people per km²
Founded
1839

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 26°C through the month.

A typical March day in Pietermaritzburg reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°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 31°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and about 2°C warmer than April.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12717
22717
32717
42717
52717
62717
72717
82717
92717
102717
112717
122616
132616
142616
152616
162616
172616
182616
192616
202616
212616
222616
232616
242616
252616
262616
272616
282616
292615
302515
312515

Pietermaritzburg weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 3rd-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan27° / 17°1341813.75.3
Feb27° / 17°11314.913.15.5
Mar26° / 16°9614.312.26.1
Apr24° / 14°589.711.37.1
May23° / 10°295.110.58.1
Jun21° / 203.410.18.2
Jul21° / 293.810.38.1
Aug23° / 325.910.97.9
Sep24° / 12°569.511.87.2
Oct24° / 13°9215.412.76.1
Nov25° / 14°11617.213.55.5
Dec26° / 16°12919.213.95.2

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% 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%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
25050
35050
45149
55149
65248
75248
85248
95248
105248
115248
125149
135149
145149
155149
165149
175149
185050
195050
205050
215050
225050
235050
244951
255050
264951
275050
285050
294951
304951
315050

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Pietermaritzburg gets around 96 mm of rain over 14.3 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 46% and peaks near 48% on the wettest days.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
148
247
347
447
547
647
747
847
947
1047
1147
1247
1347
1447
1547
1647
1747
1847
1947
2047
2146
2246
2346
2445
2545
2644
2744
2843
2942
3042
3141

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 51% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 16% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
14165030
24165129
35165227
45175226
55175424
65185423
75195422
86195421
96205420
106215419
116225418
126245317
136255217
146265216
156275116
165285215
175295115
185305114
195305213
205315113
215315212
225325211
236325111
246335110
25633529
26734518
27835507
28836497
291036486
301137475
311238454

Wind in March

Winds average 7 km/h in March.

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 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 5:52 AM to 6:10 AM, and sunset from 6:32 PM to 5:56 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.75:526:32
212.65:526:31
312.65:536:30
412.65:546:29
512.65:546:27
612.55:556:26
712.55:566:25
812.55:566:24
912.45:576:23
1012.45:586:22
1112.45:586:21
1212.35:596:19
1312.36:006:18
1412.36:006:17
1512.36:016:16
1612.26:016:15
1712.26:026:14
1812.26:036:12
1912.16:036:11
2012.16:046:10
2112.16:056:09
2212.06:056:07
2312.06:066:06
2412.06:066:05
2511.96:076:04
2611.96:086:02
2711.96:086:01
2811.96:096:00
2911.86:095:59
3011.86:105:58
3111.86:105:56

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.82 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.29 kWh/m² to a high of 5.51 kWh/m² in January across the year — March's 4.82 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.1Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.7Bright
194.7Bright
204.7Bright
214.6Bright
224.6Bright
234.6Bright
244.5Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.4Bright
304.4Bright
314.4Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Pietermaritzburg

In seasonPeak

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

Pietermaritzburg'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 Pietermaritzburg?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
5.9
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Pietermaritzburg for sightseeing.

What to pack for Pietermaritzburg in March

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

In March, Pietermaritzburg sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 16°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Pietermaritzburg 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 Pietermaritzburg peaks around January 16 at about 14 (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 14Jun 23UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar11Extreme
Apr6High
May5High
Jun4Moderate
Jul4Moderate
Aug6High
Sep7High
Oct11Extreme
Nov11Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Pietermaritzburg 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 Pietermaritzburg is worst in July — around 100 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.5× the cleanest month (January, 22 µg/m³).

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

0306090120JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJul 1399 µg/m³Jan 1222 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb28Moderate
Mar42Poor
Apr60Unhealthy
May91Unhealthy
Jun92Unhealthy
Jul100Unhealthy
Aug77Unhealthy
Sep62Unhealthy
Oct39Poor
Nov35Moderate
Dec23Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Pietermaritzburg?

Pietermaritzburg sits at 29.6°S, 30.4°E, 636 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Mpophomeni, 21 km away.

Topography around Pietermaritzburg

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Pietermaritzburg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 130 m around an average of 653 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,026 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,321 m.

The land around Pietermaritzburg is covered by artificial surfaces (46%) and trees (33%) within 3 km, trees (43%) and grassland (34%) within 16 km, and grassland (40%) and trees (39%) within 80 km.

3 km
130 m
16 km
1,026 m
80 km
2,321 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Mpophomeni 21 km · Howick 22 km · Richmond 31 km · Mpumalanga 32 km · Pinetown 53 km · Ntuzuma 55 km · Folweni 58 km · Mooi River 60 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 Pietermaritzburg (-29.6168°, 30.3928°, elevation 636 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).