Potchefstroom weather in March

In March, Potchefstroom sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 76 mm of rain across 10.8 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 28°C in the first days to 26°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% 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 Potchefstroom's 8th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Potchefstroom's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
6th warmest
Overnight low
15°
8th coldest
Rainfall
76 mm
10.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:15 AM – 6:27 PM
Cloud cover
42%
8th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.72 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
out of 10

Potchefstroom is city in the North West Province of South Africa.

Density
968/km²
people per km²
Founded
1838

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 28°C in the first days to 26°C by the end.

A typical March day in Potchefstroom reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 23°C and 31°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)
12816
22816
32816
42816
52816
62816
72816
82816
92716
102716
112716
122716
132716
142716
152715
162715
172715
182715
192715
202715
212715
222715
232615
242615
252615
262614
272614
282614
292614
302614
312614

How March really feels in Potchefstroom

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

March sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Potchefstroom 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
Jan29° / 18°10914.913.55.1
Feb28° / 17°9212.312.95.8
Mar27° / 15°7610.812.26.7
Apr25° / 12°396.811.47.8
May22° / 192.910.78.6
Jun20° / 91.510.48.3
Jul20° / 40.710.58.5
Aug23° / 111.811.18.9
Sep26° / 11°163.111.88.3
Oct28° / 14°659.712.66.6
Nov28° / 15°8212.213.35.6
Dec29° / 17°11216.113.65.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% 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 24%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17624
27624
37723
47723
57723
67822
77822
87822
97822
107723
117723
127723
137723
147624
157624
167624
177525
187426
197426
207525
217525
227525
237525
247525
257525
267525
277525
287426
297426
307426
317525

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Potchefstroom gets around 76 mm of rain over 10.8 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 40% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
140
239
338
438
537
637
737
837
937
1037
1137
1237
1337
1437
1538
1638
1738
1838
1938
2037
2136
2235
2334
2433
2533
2632
2731
2830
2929
3028
3128

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 43% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1334027
2344026
3354025
4364023
5384022
6384021
7394020
8404119
9404118
10404218
11414217
12414316
13414316
14414415
15414415
16414514
17414514
18414514
19424513
20424513
21434412
22444412
23464311
24474211
25484110
2651409
2752399
2854388
2957367
3058357
3161336

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 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
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
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 6:07 AM to 6:23 AM, and sunset from 6:43 PM to 6:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.66:076:43
212.66:086:42
312.56:086:41
412.56:096:40
512.56:096:39
612.56:106:38
712.46:116:37
812.46:116:36
912.46:126:35
1012.46:126:34
1112.36:136:33
1212.36:136:31
1312.36:146:30
1412.26:146:29
1512.26:156:28
1612.26:156:27
1712.26:166:26
1812.16:166:25
1912.16:176:24
2012.16:176:23
2112.16:186:22
2212.06:186:20
2312.06:196:19
2412.06:196:18
2512.06:206:17
2611.96:206:16
2711.96:216:15
2811.96:216:14
2911.86:226:13
3011.86:226:11
3111.86:236:10

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.72 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.86 kWh/m² to a high of 7.12 kWh/m² in December across the year — March's 5.72 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.2Intense
26.2Intense
36.2Intense
46.2Intense
56.1Intense
66.1Intense
76.1Intense
86.0Intense
96.0Bright
106.0Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.4Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.3Bright
295.2Bright
305.2Bright
315.2Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Potchefstroom

In seasonPeak

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

Potchefstroom'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 Potchefstroom?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
6.7
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Potchefstroom in March

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

In March, Potchefstroom sees daytime highs around 27°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 Potchefstroom 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 Potchefstroom peaks around January 13 at about 15 (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 13UV 15Jun 20UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan15Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr9Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct10Very high
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Potchefstroom 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 Potchefstroom is worst in June — around 57 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 4.6× the cleanest month (December, 12 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyPoorModerateJun 2257 µg/m³Dec 1913 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan14Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar26Moderate
Apr34Moderate
May48Poor
Jun57Unhealthy
Jul56Unhealthy
Aug45Poor
Sep38Poor
Oct26Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec12Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Potchefstroom?

Potchefstroom sits at 26.7°S, 27.1°E, 1,335 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Stilfontein, 36 km away.

Topography around Potchefstroom

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Potchefstroom has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 39 m around an average of 1,338 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 231 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 528 m.

The land around Potchefstroom is covered by artificial surfaces (47%) and grassland (32%) within 3 km, grassland (71%) within 16 km, and grassland (61%) and cropland (32%) within 80 km.

3 km
39 m
16 km
231 m
80 km
528 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
March weather nearby: Stilfontein 36 km · Parys 41 km · Vredefort 42 km · Klerksdorp 46 km · Fochville 47 km · Carletonville 49 km · Orkney 52 km · Ventersdorp 53 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 Potchefstroom (-26.7167°, 27.1°, elevation 1,335 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).