Pretoria weather in March

In March, Pretoria sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 83 mm of rain across 10.4 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 27°C in the first days to 25°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% 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 Pretoria's 8th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Pretoria's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
6th warmest
Overnight low
16°
9th coldest
Rainfall
83 mm
10.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 12 min
6:11 AM – 6:23 PM
Cloud cover
45%
8th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.52 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Pretoria is administrative capital of South Africa located in the Gauteng province.

Density
3,073/km²
people per km²
Founded
1855

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 27°C in the first days to 25°C by the end.

A typical March day in Pretoria 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 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)
12717
22717
32717
42717
52717
62717
72717
82717
92717
102717
112717
122716
132716
142716
152716
162616
172616
182616
192616
202616
212616
222616
232616
242616
252616
262615
272615
282615
292515
302515
312515

Pretoria 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
Jan28° / 18°10314.713.45.8
Feb28° / 18°9311.912.96.0
Mar26° / 16°8310.412.26.8
Apr24° / 13°386.211.47.9
May22° / 152.610.88.6
Jun20° / 71.110.48.5
Jul20° / 30.810.68.6
Aug23° / 71.411.19.0
Sep26° / 13°172.511.88.4
Oct27° / 15°638.412.67.0
Nov27° / 16°9012.413.36.2
Dec27° / 17°11315.213.65.8

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 29%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17228
27228
37228
47228
57327
67327
77327
87327
97327
107327
117228
127228
137228
147030
157030
167030
177030
186931
196931
206931
216931
226931
236931
246931
256931
266931
276931
286931
296931
306931
316931

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Pretoria gets around 83 mm of rain over 10.4 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 34% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
137
236
335
434
533
633
733
833
933
1034
1134
1234
1335
1435
1536
1636
1736
1836
1936
2036
2136
2235
2334
2434
2533
2632
2732
2831
2930
3029
3129

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

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13239281
23440261
33540251
43640231
53740221
63740211
73841201
83841191
93942191
103942181
113843181
123843181
133844171
143844171
153745171
163745171
173646171
183646170
193647170
203647170
213747160
223747160
233847150
243946150
254046140
264145130
274345120
284544110
294742110
304941100
31523990

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 6:03 AM to 6:18 AM, and sunset from 6:38 PM to 6:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.66:036:38
212.56:046:37
312.56:056:36
412.56:056:35
512.56:066:34
612.46:066:33
712.46:076:32
812.46:076:31
912.46:086:30
1012.36:086:29
1112.36:096:28
1212.36:096:27
1312.36:106:26
1412.26:106:25
1512.26:116:24
1612.26:116:23
1712.26:126:21
1812.16:126:20
1912.16:136:19
2012.16:136:18
2112.16:146:17
2212.06:146:16
2312.06:156:15
2412.06:156:14
2512.06:166:13
2611.96:166:12
2711.96:166:11
2811.96:176:09
2911.96:176:08
3011.86:186:07
3111.86:186:06

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.52 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.93 kWh/m² to a high of 6.68 kWh/m² in December across the year — March's 5.52 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
225.3Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.2Bright
275.1Bright
285.1Bright
295.1Bright
305.1Bright
315.1Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Pretoria

In seasonPeak

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

Pretoria'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 Pretoria?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
6.6
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Pretoria in March

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

In March, Pretoria 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 Pretoria 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 Pretoria peaks around December 23 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 5 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighHighVery highExtremeDec 23UV 14Jun 17UV 5
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb13Extreme
Mar12Extreme
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun5Moderate
Jul6High
Aug7Very high
Sep9Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Pretoria 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 Pretoria is worst in July — around 188 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 6.6× the cleanest month (January, 29 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180210JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthyUnhealthyPoorJul 10187 µg/m³Jan 1229 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan29Moderate
Feb43Poor
Mar67Unhealthy
Apr114Unhealthy
May169Very unhealthy
Jun185Very unhealthy
Jul188Very unhealthy
Aug142Unhealthy
Sep108Unhealthy
Oct62Unhealthy
Nov43Poor
Dec32Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Pretoria?

Pretoria sits at 25.7°S, 28.2°E, 1,332 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Centurion, 13 km away.

Topography around Pretoria

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Pretoria has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 217 m around an average of 1,328 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 407 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 888 m.

The land around Pretoria is covered by artificial surfaces (59%) and trees (30%) within 3 km, artificial surfaces (39%), grassland (30%) and trees (21%) within 16 km, and grassland (48%) within 80 km.

3 km
217 m
16 km
407 m
80 km
888 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Centurion 13 km · Midstream 19 km · Ga-Rankuwa 24 km · Midrand 27 km · Diepsloot 27 km · Ivory Park 28 km · Thembisa 28 km · Mabopane 29 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 Pretoria (-25.7449°, 28.1878°, elevation 1,332 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).