Polokwane weather in March

In March, Polokwane sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 74 mm of rain across 9.5 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-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 44% of the time in March, and the air most often feels comfortable.

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 Polokwane's 8th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Polokwane's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
6th warmest
Overnight low
16°
9th coldest
Rainfall
74 mm
9.5 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:07 AM – 6:17 PM
Cloud cover
47%
8th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.73 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.0
out of 10

Polokwane is South African city.

Density
2,550/km²
people per km²
Founded
1886

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 Polokwane 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 22°C and 30°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)
12617
22616
32616
42616
52616
62616
72616
82616
92616
102616
112616
122616
132616
142616
152616
162616
172616
182616
192616
202616
212616
222616
232615
242615
252615
262615
272615
282515
292515
302515
312515

Polokwane 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
Jan27° / 17°11613.713.36.0
Feb27° / 17°8810.112.86.4
Mar26° / 16°749.512.27.0
Apr24° / 13°395.411.58.0
May23° / 10°112.510.98.7
Jun20° / 40.910.68.6
Jul20° / 30.710.78.5
Aug23° / 40.911.29.1
Sep26° / 12°132.711.98.5
Oct27° / 14°46812.67.2
Nov27° / 16°9813.513.26.0
Dec27° / 17°13115.913.45.7

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 33%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16535
26634
36832
46832
56931
66931
76931
86931
96931
106931
116832
126832
136832
146832
156634
166634
176634
186535
196535
206535
216535
226535
236634
246733
256733
266832
276832
286832
296832
306931
316931

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Polokwane gets around 74 mm of rain over 9.5 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 31% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
335
434
533
633
732
831
931
1031
1131
1231
1331
1431
1531
1631
1731
1831
1931
2031
2131
2230
2330
2430
2529
2629
2728
2827
2927
3027
3126

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 47% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
11643373
21744363
31844343
42044334
52145313
62145303
72245293
82346283
92346283
102347273
112348273
122348263
132348262
142349262
152349262
162449262
172449262
182449261
192449251
202549251
212549251
222649251
232748241
242848241
252948231
263047220
273247210
283346200
293545190
303844180
314043170

Wind in March

Winds average 8 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 9 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
19calm
29calm
39calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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 6:00 AM to 6:13 AM, and sunset from 6:31 PM to 6:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.56:006:31
212.56:006:30
312.56:016:29
412.56:016:28
512.46:026:27
612.46:026:27
712.46:036:26
812.46:036:25
912.36:046:24
1012.36:046:23
1112.36:046:22
1212.36:056:21
1312.26:056:20
1412.26:066:19
1512.26:066:18
1612.26:076:17
1712.16:076:16
1812.16:076:15
1912.16:086:14
2012.16:086:13
2112.16:096:12
2212.06:096:11
2312.06:096:10
2412.06:106:09
2512.06:106:08
2611.96:116:07
2711.96:116:06
2811.96:116:05
2911.96:126:04
3011.86:126:03
3111.86:136:02

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.73 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.04 kWh/m² to a high of 6.67 kWh/m² in January across the year — March's 5.73 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.1Intense
36.0Intense
46.0Intense
56.0Intense
66.0Intense
76.0Intense
86.0Bright
96.0Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.4Bright
265.4Bright
275.4Bright
285.3Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.3Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Polokwane

In seasonPeak

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

Polokwane'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 Polokwane?

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

7.0
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
6.6
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

March is one of the better times to visit Polokwane for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Polokwane in March

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

In March, Polokwane sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 16°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Polokwane in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 13 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Polokwane peaks around January 17 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 6 (high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighVery highExtremeJan 17UV 14Jun 18UV 6
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar13Extreme
Apr9Very high
May7High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug8Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct10Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Polokwane 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 Polokwane is worst in August — around 26 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.5× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1525 µg/m³Dec 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr16Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun23Moderate
Jul25Moderate
Aug26Moderate
Sep25Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Polokwane?

Polokwane sits at 23.9°S, 29.5°E, 1,315 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Mankweng, 24 km away.

Topography around Polokwane

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Polokwane has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 149 m around an average of 1,293 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 393 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,561 m.

The land around Polokwane is covered by artificial surfaces (61%) within 3 km, grassland (51%) and shrubs (21%) within 16 km, and shrubs (50%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
149 m
16 km
393 m
80 km
1,561 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
March weather nearby: Mankweng 24 km · Lebowakgomo 46 km · Mokopane 57 km · Tzaneen 71 km · Duiwelskloof 72 km · Nkowakowa 83 km · Mookgophong 102 km · Louis Trichardt 105 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 Polokwane (-23.9045°, 29.4688°, elevation 1,315 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).