Christchurch weather in March

In March, Christchurch sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 59 mm of precipitation across 11.3 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 8°C in the first days to 10°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 36 min at the start of March to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Christchurch's 8th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Christchurch's year-round climate.

Daytime high
9th warmest
Overnight low
3rd coldest
Precipitation
59 mm
11.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
6:31 AM – 6:02 PM
Cloud cover
69%
8th clearest
Wind
20 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
2.8 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.9
out of 10

Christchurch is coastal town in Dorset, England.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 12.8 µg/m³ · 2019
Founded
~700 CE

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

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 8°C in the first days to 10°C by the end.

A typical March day in Christchurch reaches about 9°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 7°C and 11°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 1°C warmer than February and about 2°C cooler than April.

10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
185
285
385
495
595
695
795
895
995
1095
1196
1296
1396
1496
1596
1696
1796
1896
19106
20106
21106
22106
23106
24106
25106
26106
27106
28106
29106
30106
31106

Christchurch weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 9314.60.38.21.3
Feb / 6711.20.59.71.2
Mar / 5911.30.311.51.9
Apr11° / 6010.60.113.52.8
May14° / 10°559.5015.24.1
Jun17° / 13°589.6016.25.3
Jul19° / 15°589.8015.86.1
Aug19° / 15°7410.5014.36.0
Sep17° / 14°7010.7012.45.5
Oct15° / 11°11013.6010.43.9
Nov11° / 11314.708.72.5
Dec / 10113.20.27.81.7

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 19% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 67%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23169
33169
43169
53169
63169
73070
83169
93070
103070
113169
123070
133070
143169
153268
163268
173268
183268
193466
203466
213664
223664
233664
243664
253664
263763
273862
283862
293961
303961
313961

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Christchurch gets around 59 mm of rain and snow over 11.3 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 40% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1402
2402
3402
4402
5401
6391
7391
8381
9371
10361
11351
12351
13341
14341
15331
16331
17331
18331
19331
20331
21341
22341
23351
24351
25361
26370
27370
28370
29380
30380
31380

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.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in March

Winds average 20 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 22 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
122breezy
222breezy
322breezy
422breezy
522breezy
621breezy
721breezy
821breezy
921breezy
1021breezy
1121breezy
1221breezy
1320breezy
1420breezy
1520breezy
1620breezy
1720breezy
1820breezy
1920light breeze
2020light breeze
2120light breeze
2220light breeze
2320light breeze
2420light breeze
2520light breeze
2620light breeze
2720light breeze
2820light breeze
2920light breeze
3019light breeze
3119light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 36 min at the start of March to 12 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 114 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:04 AM to 5:57 AM, and sunset from 5:37 PM to 6:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.67:045:37
210.67:025:39
310.77:005:40
410.76:575:42
510.86:555:44
610.96:535:46
710.96:515:47
811.06:495:49
911.16:475:51
1011.16:445:52
1111.26:425:54
1211.36:405:56
1311.36:385:57
1411.46:365:59
1511.56:336:01
1611.56:316:02
1711.66:296:04
1811.76:276:06
1911.76:246:08
2011.86:226:09
2111.96:206:11
2211.96:176:13
2312.06:156:14
2412.06:136:16
2512.16:116:17
2612.26:086:19
2712.26:066:21
2812.36:046:22
2912.46:016:24
3012.45:596:26
3112.55:576:27

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 2.8 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.7 kWh/m² to a high of 5.54 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 2.8 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.1Moderate
22.2Moderate
32.2Moderate
42.3Moderate
52.3Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.4Moderate
82.4Moderate
92.5Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.6Moderate
122.6Moderate
132.6Moderate
142.7Moderate
152.7Moderate
162.8Moderate
172.8Moderate
182.9Moderate
192.9Moderate
203.0Moderate
213.0Moderate
223.1Moderate
233.1Moderate
243.2Moderate
253.2Moderate
263.3Moderate
273.3Moderate
283.4Moderate
293.4Moderate
303.5Moderate
313.5Moderate
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Christchurch?

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

1.9
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Christchurch.

What to pack for Christchurch in March

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

In March, Christchurch sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 6°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear and a windbreaker. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara windbreaker

Sea temperature near Christchurch in March

The nearest coast averages about 8°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 14 km away) is warmest in August at about 18°C and coldest in March near 8°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

5°10°15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May11Bracing
Jun14Bracing
Jul16Cool
Aug18Cool
Sep17Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov13Bracing
Dec11Bracing

UV index in Christchurch in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Christchurch peaks around August 12 at about 6 (high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 6 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowAug 12UV 6Jan 1UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May6High
Jun6High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Christchurch 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 Christchurch is worst in April — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.7× the cleanest month (November, 10 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Christchurch's WHO annual average of 12.8 µg/m³.

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodApr 1217 µg/m³Nov 1810 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb13Moderate
Mar17Moderate
Apr17Moderate
May15Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul11Good
Aug12Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct11Good
Nov10Good
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Christchurch?

Christchurch sits at 50.7°N, 1.8°W, 4 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Bournemouth, 7.0 km away.

Topography around Christchurch

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Christchurch has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 65 m around an average of 8 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 119 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 302 m.

The land around Christchurch is covered by artificial surfaces (30%), trees (23%) and grassland (21%) within 3 km, water (43%), trees (23%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and water (37%) and grassland (28%) within 80 km.

3 km
65 m
16 km
119 m
80 km
302 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
March weather nearby: Bournemouth 7.0 km · New Milton 8.0 km · Ferndown 12 km · Poole 15 km · Wimborne Minster 15 km · Totton 29 km · Hythe 30 km · Southampton 32 km

United Kingdom travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G / M
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 89% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$57,602
2025
Happiness
6.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2021
Road deaths
3.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Christian 60%none 26%Muslim 4%other 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 Christchurch (50.7358°, -1.7813°, elevation 4 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. 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).