Riversdale weather in March

In March, Riversdale sees average daytime highs of 27°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 37 mm of rain across 6.4 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 3rd-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 comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 48 min at the start of March to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Riversdale's 6th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Riversdale's year-round climate.

Daytime high
27°
4th warmest
Overnight low
16°
10th coldest
Rainfall
37 mm
6.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
6:37 AM – 6:53 PM
Cloud cover
42%
6th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.21 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.4
out of 10

Riversdale is town in the Western Cape, South Africa.

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 Riversdale reaches about 27°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 1°C cooler than February and about 3°C warmer than April.

10°15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12817
22817
32817
42817
52817
62716
72716
82716
92716
102716
112716
122716
132716
142716
152716
162716
172716
182616
192616
202615
212615
222615
232615
242615
252615
262615
272615
282615
292615
302615
312515

Riversdale weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 4th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 17°275.3147.4
Feb28° / 17°235.313.37.1
Mar27° / 16°376.412.37.4
Apr24° / 13°355.911.27.7
May22° / 10°285.210.37.6
Jun19° / 265.49.87.2
Jul19° / 275.6107.1
Aug20° / 305.810.77.2
Sep21° / 10°23511.87.5
Oct24° / 12°385.812.97.7
Nov25° / 14°436.113.87.7
Dec27° / 16°285.314.27.5

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 18% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 32%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
17228
27129
37129
47129
57030
67030
76931
86931
96931
106931
116931
126832
136931
146931
156832
166832
176931
186832
196832
206832
216733
226733
236733
246733
256733
266634
276634
286535
296535
306535
316535

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Riversdale gets around 37 mm of rain over 6.4 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 20% and peaks near 21% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
119
220
320
420
521
621
721
821
921
1021
1121
1221
1321
1421
1521
1621
1720
1820
1920
2020
2120
2220
2320
2420
2520
2620
2720
2821
2921
3021
3121

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 (%)
12037403
22037403
32038393
42039382
52139382
62240372
72240362
82340352
92441342
102441332
112541322
122641312
132742302
142742292
152842272
162943262
173043252
183044242
193144232
203244222
213245212
223345201
233346201
243446191
253546191
263546181
273646170
283746170
293845160
304045160
314144150

Wind in March

Winds average 10 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 9 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
289calm
299calm
309calm
319calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 48 min at the start of March to 11 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 66 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:24 AM to 6:48 AM, and sunset from 7:12 PM to 6:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.86:247:12
212.86:257:11
312.76:267:10
412.76:277:08
512.76:287:07
612.66:297:06
712.66:297:05
812.66:307:03
912.56:317:02
1012.56:327:01
1112.46:336:59
1212.46:336:58
1312.46:346:57
1412.36:356:55
1512.36:366:54
1612.36:376:53
1712.26:386:51
1812.26:386:50
1912.26:396:48
2012.16:406:47
2112.16:416:46
2212.06:416:44
2312.06:426:43
2412.06:436:41
2511.96:446:40
2611.96:456:39
2711.96:456:37
2811.86:466:36
2911.86:476:34
3011.86:486:33
3111.76:486:31

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.21 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.63 kWh/m² to a high of 7.36 kWh/m² in December across the year — March's 5.21 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.9Bright
25.8Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.1Bright
195.1Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
234.9Bright
244.9Bright
254.8Bright
264.8Bright
274.7Bright
284.7Bright
294.6Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Riversdale?

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

7.4
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
7.3
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Riversdale in March

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

In March, Riversdale sees daytime highs around 27°C and nights near 16°C. Worth packing: light clothes and sun protection. About 6 days see rain.

light clothessun protection

Sea temperature near Riversdale in March

The nearest coast averages about 21°C in March — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 33 km away) is warmest in February at about 22°C and coldest in July near 15°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Dec 13 to Mar 25 — about 3.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan21Refreshing
Feb22Refreshing
Mar21Refreshing
Apr19Cool
May17Cool
Jun16Cool
Jul15Cool
Aug16Cool
Sep16Cool
Oct17Cool
Nov19Cool
Dec20Refreshing

UV index in Riversdale in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 10 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Riversdale peaks around January 14 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 20 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateExtremeJan 14UV 13Jun 20UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb10Very high
Mar10Very high
Apr6High
May4Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct10Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Riversdale?

Riversdale sits at 34.1°S, 21.3°E, 121 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Swellendam, 76 km away.

Topography around Riversdale

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Riversdale has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 160 m around an average of 142 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,339 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,273 m.

The land around Riversdale is covered by cropland (39%) and shrubs (24%) within 3 km, cropland (40%), shrubs (26%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and shrubs (32%), grassland (28%) and water (23%) within 80 km.

3 km
160 m
16 km
1,339 m
80 km
2,273 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
March weather nearby: Swellendam 76 km · Mossel Bay 82 km · Groot-Brakrivier 89 km · Oudtshoorn 103 km · Montagu 110 km · George 112 km · Ashton 115 km · Bredasdorp 122 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 Riversdale (-34.0934°, 21.2572°, elevation 121 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).