Somerset East weather in March

In March, Somerset East sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 73 mm of rain across 10 wet days and about 12.2 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 3rd-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 50% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

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 Somerset East's 6th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Somerset East's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
4th warmest
Overnight low
14°
10th coldest
Rainfall
73 mm
10 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
6:20 AM – 6:35 PM
Cloud cover
43%
6th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
5.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
out of 10

Somerset East is town in South Africa.

Founded
1825

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 Somerset East reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 12°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 33°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 2°C cooler than February and about 3°C warmer than April.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12815
22715
32715
42715
52715
62715
72715
82715
92715
102714
112714
122714
132714
142714
152614
162614
172614
182614
192614
202614
212614
222614
232614
242613
252613
262613
272513
282513
292513
302513
312513

Somerset East 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° / 15°7610.313.96.2
Feb28° / 15°7310.213.26.3
Mar26° / 14°731012.26.9
Apr23° / 11°477.611.27.4
May21° / 224.810.37.7
Jun19° / 234.69.97.3
Jul19° / 233.810.17.5
Aug20° / 315.310.87.4
Sep22° / 325.111.87.7
Oct24° / 10°558.712.87.3
Nov25° / 12°67913.77.1
Dec27° / 14°709.914.16.7

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 50% 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 34%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16832
26832
36733
46733
56733
66634
76634
86634
96634
106634
116634
126634
136634
146634
156634
166634
176733
186733
196733
206733
216634
226634
236634
246733
256634
266634
276535
286535
296535
306436
316436

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Somerset East gets around 73 mm of rain over 10 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 33% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
134
234
334
434
533
633
733
833
932
1032
1132
1232
1332
1431
1531
1631
1731
1832
1932
2032
2132
2232
2333
2433
2533
2633
2733
2833
2933
3033
3133

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 51% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13640231
23640221
33741211
43741201
53841201
63941191
73941191
84041181
94140181
104340170
114439170
124538160
134737160
144836150
155135140
165135140
175334130
185533120
195732110
205832100
215931100
22603190
23613180
24623080
25633070
26633070
27652960
28652960
29672850
30682750
31692740

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 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
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 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 6:08 AM to 6:31 AM, and sunset from 6:54 PM to 6:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.86:086:54
212.76:096:52
312.76:106:51
412.76:116:50
512.66:116:49
612.66:126:48
712.66:136:46
812.56:146:45
912.56:146:44
1012.56:156:43
1112.46:166:41
1212.46:176:40
1312.46:186:39
1412.36:186:37
1512.36:196:36
1612.36:206:35
1712.26:216:33
1812.26:216:32
1912.16:226:31
2012.16:236:29
2112.16:236:28
2212.06:246:27
2312.06:256:25
2412.06:266:24
2511.96:266:23
2611.96:276:21
2711.96:286:20
2811.86:296:19
2911.86:296:17
3011.86:306:16
3111.76:316:15

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.24 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.94 kWh/m² to a high of 7.16 kWh/m² in December across the year — March's 5.24 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.6Bright
65.6Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.4Bright
115.4Bright
125.4Bright
135.3Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.2Bright
195.1Bright
205.1Bright
215.1Bright
225.0Bright
235.0Bright
245.0Bright
254.9Bright
264.9Bright
274.8Bright
284.8Bright
294.8Bright
304.7Bright
314.7Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Somerset East?

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

6.9
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
6.7
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

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

What to pack for Somerset East in March

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

In March, Somerset East sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 14°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Somerset East 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 Somerset East peaks around January 14 at about 14 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 3 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighExtremeJan 14UV 14Jun 23UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan14Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr6High
May5Moderate
Jun3Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug5Moderate
Sep7High
Oct11Extreme
Nov12Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Somerset East 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 Somerset East is worst in June — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.7× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJun 1516 µg/m³Jan 196 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb6Good
Mar8Good
Apr11Good
May16Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct11Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Somerset East?

Somerset East sits at 32.7°S, 25.6°E, 748 m above sea level, in South Africa. The nearest listed city is Cradock, 62 km away.

Topography around Somerset East

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Somerset East has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 793 m around an average of 837 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,030 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,066 m.

The land around Somerset East is covered by trees (38%) and grassland (28%) within 3 km, grassland (62%) and shrubs (23%) within 16 km, and grassland (70%) and shrubs (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
793 m
16 km
1,030 m
80 km
2,066 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
March weather nearby: Cradock 62 km · Fort Beaufort 98 km · Grahamstown 109 km · Graaff Reinet 112 km · Kariega 116 km · Alice 117 km · Whittlesea 131 km · Port Elizabeth 138 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 Somerset East (-32.7217°, 25.588°, elevation 748 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).