Van weather in March

In March, Van sees average daytime highs of 5°C and overnight lows near -4°C, with 56 mm of precipitation across 11 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 3°C in the first days to 7°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 06 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Van's 10th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Van's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 5°; 9th warmest
Overnight low: -4°; 4th coldest
Precipitation: 56 mm; 11 wet days
Daylight: 11 h 42 min; 5:25 AM – 5:07 PM
Cloud cover: 54%; 10th clearest
Wind: 7 km/h; 7th windiest
Solar energy: 5.23 kWh/m²
Travel score: 0.3; out of 10

Van is city in Turkey.

Air quality: Moderate; PM10 41 µg/m³ · 2019
Density: 271/km²; people per km²

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

← February Van year-round climate April →Best places to visit in March

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 3°C in the first days to 7°C by the end.

A typical March day in Van reaches about 5°C in the afternoon and slips back to -4°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -0°C and 10°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 5°C warmer than February and about 6°C cooler than April.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°C)	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	6	6	6	6	6	7	7	7	7	8	8
Avg low (°C)	-7	-6	-6	-6	-6	-6	-6	-5	-5	-5	-5	-5	-5	-5	-5	-4	-4	-4	-4	-4	-4	-4	-3	-3	-3	-3	-2	-2	-2	-2	-2

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	3	-7
2	3	-6
3	3	-6
4	3	-6
5	4	-6
6	4	-6
7	4	-6
8	4	-5
9	4	-5
10	4	-5
11	4	-5
12	4	-5
13	5	-5
14	5	-5
15	5	-5
16	5	-4
17	5	-4
18	5	-4
19	5	-4
20	5	-4
21	6	-4
22	6	-4
23	6	-3
24	6	-3
25	6	-3
26	7	-3
27	7	-2
28	7	-2
29	7	-2
30	8	-2
31	8	-2

How March really feels in Van

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 0°C

wind chill below the day's low

The story in March is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Van weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 9th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

Month	High / Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)	Wet days	Snow days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	-1° / -10°	33	7.3	7.9	9.6	0.0
Feb	1° / -9°	34	8.1	8.4	10.5	0.0
Mar	5° / -4°	56	11	9.1	11.7	0.3
Apr	11° / 1°	61	13.2	4	13	2.5
May	16° / 6°	58	14.1	0.5	14.1	4.9
Jun	22° / 11°	27	7.1	0	14.6	7.8
Jul	27° / 14°	12	3.3	0	14.4	8.3
Aug	27° / 14°	7	2	0	13.5	8.5
Sep	23° / 10°	12	2.7	0	12.3	8.6
Oct	16° / 5°	32	7.5	0.5	11	5.5
Nov	8° / -1°	34	6.9	3.8	9.9	1.5
Dec	2° / -7°	35	7.5	7.2	9.4	0.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% 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 47%.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	54	53	54	54	54	54	54	53	53	53	53	53	53	53	54	53	53	53	53	53	52	52	53	53	52	52	52	53	52	52	53
Cloudier (%)	46	47	46	46	46	46	46	47	47	47	47	47	47	47	46	47	47	47	47	47	48	48	47	47	48	48	48	47	48	48	47

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	54	46
2	53	47
3	54	46
4	54	46
5	54	46
6	54	46
7	54	46
8	53	47
9	53	47
10	53	47
11	53	47
12	53	47
13	53	47
14	53	47
15	54	46
16	53	47
17	53	47
18	53	47
19	53	47
20	53	47
21	52	48
22	52	48
23	53	47
24	53	47
25	52	48
26	52	48
27	52	48
28	53	47
29	52	48
30	52	48
31	53	47

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Van gets around 56 mm of rain and snow over 11 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 36% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days, and about 9 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	30	30	30	30	31	31	32	33	34	34	35	35	36	36	37	37	38	38	38	38	38	38	38	38	38	38	38	38	38	39	39
Snow chance (%)	27	27	27	27	27	28	28	29	29	30	30	31	31	31	31	32	32	32	32	32	31	31	30	30	29	28	28	27	26	26	25

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	30	27
2	30	27
3	30	27
4	30	27
5	31	27
6	31	28
7	32	28
8	33	29
9	34	29
10	34	30
11	35	30
12	35	31
13	36	31
14	36	31
15	37	31
16	37	32
17	38	32
18	38	32
19	38	32
20	38	32
21	38	31
22	38	31
23	38	30
24	38	30
25	38	29
26	38	28
27	38	28
28	38	27
29	38	26
30	39	26
31	39	25

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Dry (%)	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

Wind in March

Winds average 7 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (km/h)	6	6	6	6	6	6	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7	7
Feels	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm	calm

	Wind speed (km/h)	Feels
1	6	calm
2	6	calm
3	6	calm
4	6	calm
5	6	calm
6	6	calm
7	7	calm
8	7	calm
9	7	calm
10	7	calm
11	7	calm
12	7	calm
13	7	calm
14	7	calm
15	7	calm
16	7	calm
17	7	calm
18	7	calm
19	7	calm
20	7	calm
21	7	calm
22	7	calm
23	7	calm
24	7	calm
25	7	calm
26	7	calm
27	7	calm
28	7	calm
29	7	calm
30	7	calm
31	7	calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 72 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 5:48 AM to 5:02 AM, and sunset from 4:52 PM to 5:21 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	11.1	11.1	11.1	11.2	11.2	11.3	11.3	11.4	11.4	11.4	11.5	11.5	11.6	11.6	11.6	11.7	11.7	11.8	11.8	11.9	11.9	11.9	12.0	12.0	12.1	12.1	12.2	12.2	12.2	12.3	12.3
Sunrise (AM)	5:48	5:46	5:45	5:44	5:42	5:41	5:39	5:38	5:36	5:35	5:33	5:32	5:30	5:29	5:27	5:25	5:24	5:22	5:21	5:19	5:18	5:16	5:14	5:13	5:11	5:10	5:08	5:06	5:05	5:03	5:02
Sunset (PM)	4:52	4:53	4:54	4:55	4:56	4:57	4:58	4:59	5:00	5:01	5:02	5:03	5:04	5:05	5:06	5:07	5:08	5:09	5:10	5:11	5:12	5:13	5:14	5:15	5:16	5:17	5:18	5:18	5:19	5:20	5:21

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	11.1	5:48	4:52
2	11.1	5:46	4:53
3	11.1	5:45	4:54
4	11.2	5:44	4:55
5	11.2	5:42	4:56
6	11.3	5:41	4:57
7	11.3	5:39	4:58
8	11.4	5:38	4:59
9	11.4	5:36	5:00
10	11.4	5:35	5:01
11	11.5	5:33	5:02
12	11.5	5:32	5:03
13	11.6	5:30	5:04
14	11.6	5:29	5:05
15	11.6	5:27	5:06
16	11.7	5:25	5:07
17	11.7	5:24	5:08
18	11.8	5:22	5:09
19	11.8	5:21	5:10
20	11.9	5:19	5:11
21	11.9	5:18	5:12
22	11.9	5:16	5:13
23	12.0	5:14	5:14
24	12.0	5:13	5:15
25	12.1	5:11	5:16
26	12.1	5:10	5:17
27	12.2	5:08	5:18
28	12.2	5:06	5:18
29	12.2	5:05	5:19
30	12.3	5:03	5:20
31	12.3	5:02	5:21

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.23 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.47 kWh/m² to a high of 7.73 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 5.23 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	4.6	4.6	4.7	4.7	4.8	4.8	4.8	4.9	4.9	5.0	5.0	5.0	5.1	5.1	5.2	5.2	5.3	5.3	5.3	5.4	5.4	5.5	5.5	5.6	5.6	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.8	5.8	5.8
Level	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	4.6	Bright
2	4.6	Bright
3	4.7	Bright
4	4.7	Bright
5	4.8	Bright
6	4.8	Bright
7	4.8	Bright
8	4.9	Bright
9	4.9	Bright
10	5.0	Bright
11	5.0	Bright
12	5.0	Bright
13	5.1	Bright
14	5.1	Bright
15	5.2	Bright
16	5.2	Bright
17	5.3	Bright
18	5.3	Bright
19	5.3	Bright
20	5.4	Bright
21	5.4	Bright
22	5.5	Bright
23	5.5	Bright
24	5.6	Bright
25	5.6	Bright
26	5.7	Bright
27	5.7	Bright
28	5.7	Bright
29	5.8	Bright
30	5.8	Bright
31	5.8	Bright

Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Van?

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

0.3

Sightseeing

9th-best month of the year

0.0

Beach & pool

9th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Van.

What to pack for Van in March

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

In March, Van sees daytime highs around 5°C and nights near -4°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gearsun protection

UV index in Van in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Van peaks around June 22 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	3	4	4	7	9	11	11	11	8	6	3	3
Level	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	High	Very high	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Very high	High	Moderate	Moderate

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	3	Moderate
Feb	4	Moderate
Mar	4	Moderate
Apr	7	High
May	9	Very high
Jun	11	Extreme
Jul	11	Extreme
Aug	11	Extreme
Sep	8	Very high
Oct	6	High
Nov	3	Moderate
Dec	3	Moderate

Air quality in Van 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 Van is worst in May — around 24 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (December, 10 µg/m³).

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
PM2.5 (µg/m³)	10	13	18	23	24	19	18	16	16	17	12	10
Level	Good	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Good	Good

	PM2.5 (µg/m³)	Level
Jan	10	Good
Feb	13	Moderate
Mar	18	Moderate
Apr	23	Moderate
May	24	Moderate
Jun	19	Moderate
Jul	18	Moderate
Aug	16	Moderate
Sep	16	Moderate
Oct	17	Moderate
Nov	12	Good
Dec	10	Good

Location & terrain

Where is Van?

Van sits at 38.5°N, 43.4°E, 1,708 m above sea level, in Turkey. The nearest listed city is Erciş, 59 km away.

Topography around Van

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Van has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 322 m around an average of 1,718 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,538 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,845 m.

The land around Van is covered by artificial surfaces (67%) within 3 km, grassland (56%) within 16 km, and grassland (63%) within 80 km.

3 km

322 m

artificial surfaces 67%

16 km

1,538 m

grassland 56%

80 km

2,845 m

grassland 63%

treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater

← February Van year-round climate April →Best places to visit in March

March weather nearby: Erciş 59 km · Adilcevaz 66 km · Ahlat 83 km · Hizan 89 km · Patnos 93 km · Tatvan 96 km · Malazgirt 103 km · Hakkâri 107 km

Turkey travel facts

Travel advisory: Level 2; Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs: Type C / F; 230 V · 50 Hz
Prices: ≈ 41% of US; price level, 2025
GDP per capita: $18,599; 2025
Happiness: 5.3 / 10; World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate: 3.2; per 100k, 2023
Road deaths: 6.7; per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group: Upper middle; World Bank
English: Low; EF EPI 488
Religion

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 Van (38.4946°, 43.3832°, elevation 1,708 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).

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	3	-7
2	3	-6
3	3	-6
4	3	-6
5	4	-6
6	4	-6
7	4	-6
8	4	-5
9	4	-5
10	4	-5
11	4	-5
12	4	-5
13	5	-5
14	5	-5
15	5	-5
16	5	-4
17	5	-4
18	5	-4
19	5	-4
20	5	-4
21	6	-4
22	6	-4
23	6	-3
24	6	-3
25	6	-3
26	7	-3
27	7	-2
28	7	-2
29	7	-2
30	8	-2
31	8	-2

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	54	46
2	53	47
3	54	46
4	54	46
5	54	46
6	54	46
7	54	46
8	53	47
9	53	47
10	53	47
11	53	47
12	53	47
13	53	47
14	53	47
15	54	46
16	53	47
17	53	47
18	53	47
19	53	47
20	53	47
21	52	48
22	52	48
23	53	47
24	53	47
25	52	48
26	52	48
27	52	48
28	53	47
29	52	48
30	52	48
31	53	47

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	30	27
2	30	27
3	30	27
4	30	27
5	31	27
6	31	28
7	32	28
8	33	29
9	34	29
10	34	30
11	35	30
12	35	31
13	36	31
14	36	31
15	37	31
16	37	32
17	38	32
18	38	32
19	38	32
20	38	32
21	38	31
22	38	31
23	38	30
24	38	30
25	38	29
26	38	28
27	38	28
28	38	27
29	38	26
30	39	26
31	39	25

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	3	-7
2	3	-6
3	3	-6
4	3	-6
5	4	-6
6	4	-6
7	4	-6
8	4	-5
9	4	-5
10	4	-5
11	4	-5
12	4	-5
13	5	-5
14	5	-5
15	5	-5
16	5	-4
17	5	-4
18	5	-4
19	5	-4
20	5	-4
21	6	-4
22	6	-4
23	6	-3
24	6	-3
25	6	-3
26	7	-3
27	7	-2
28	7	-2
29	7	-2
30	8	-2
31	8	-2

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	54	46
2	53	47
3	54	46
4	54	46
5	54	46
6	54	46
7	54	46
8	53	47
9	53	47
10	53	47
11	53	47
12	53	47
13	53	47
14	53	47
15	54	46
16	53	47
17	53	47
18	53	47
19	53	47
20	53	47
21	52	48
22	52	48
23	53	47
24	53	47
25	52	48
26	52	48
27	52	48
28	53	47
29	52	48
30	52	48
31	53	47

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	30	27
2	30	27
3	30	27
4	30	27
5	31	27
6	31	28
7	32	28
8	33	29
9	34	29
10	34	30
11	35	30
12	35	31
13	36	31
14	36	31
15	37	31
16	37	32
17	38	32
18	38	32
19	38	32
20	38	32
21	38	31
22	38	31
23	38	30
24	38	30
25	38	29
26	38	28
27	38	28
28	38	27
29	38	26
30	39	26
31	39	25

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)
1	3	-7
2	3	-6
3	3	-6
4	3	-6
5	4	-6
6	4	-6
7	4	-6
8	4	-5
9	4	-5
10	4	-5
11	4	-5
12	4	-5
13	5	-5
14	5	-5
15	5	-5
16	5	-4
17	5	-4
18	5	-4
19	5	-4
20	5	-4
21	6	-4
22	6	-4
23	6	-3
24	6	-3
25	6	-3
26	7	-3
27	7	-2
28	7	-2
29	7	-2
30	8	-2
31	8	-2

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	54	46
2	53	47
3	54	46
4	54	46
5	54	46
6	54	46
7	54	46
8	53	47
9	53	47
10	53	47
11	53	47
12	53	47
13	53	47
14	53	47
15	54	46
16	53	47
17	53	47
18	53	47
19	53	47
20	53	47
21	52	48
22	52	48
23	53	47
24	53	47
25	52	48
26	52	48
27	52	48
28	53	47
29	52	48
30	52	48
31	53	47

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	30	27
2	30	27
3	30	27
4	30	27
5	31	27
6	31	28
7	32	28
8	33	29
9	34	29
10	34	30
11	35	30
12	35	31
13	36	31
14	36	31
15	37	31
16	37	32
17	38	32
18	38	32
19	38	32
20	38	32
21	38	31
22	38	31
23	38	30
24	38	30
25	38	29
26	38	28
27	38	28
28	38	27
29	38	26
30	39	26
31	39	25

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100