Derry weather in March

In March, Derry sees average daytime highs of 9°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 75 mm of precipitation across 15.6 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 11th-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 6% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 18 min at the start of March to 12 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Derry's 7th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Derry's year-round climate.

Daytime high
9th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
75 mm
15.6 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
6:56 AM – 6:22 PM
Cloud cover
79%
7th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.31 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.6
out of 10

Derry is city in Northern Ireland.

Density
216/km²
people per km²
Founded
~501 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 Derry reaches about 9°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 6°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 2°C warmer than February and about 2°C cooler than April.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
183
283
383
483
583
683
783
893
994
1094
1194
1294
1394
1494
1594
1694
1794
1894
1994
2094
21104
22104
23104
24104
25104
26104
27104
28104
29104
30104
31104

How March really feels in Derry

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 13 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
13
wind chill below the day's low

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

Derry weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 9th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 8716.427.50.8
Feb / 7514.91.99.31.0
Mar / 7515.61.211.41.6
Apr11° / 7415.40.313.82.4
May14° / 7815.10.115.83.4
Jun16° / 10°8715.50174.1
Jul17° / 12°9316.8016.54.5
Aug17° / 12°9416.7014.74.5
Sep16° / 10°7514.2012.54.1
Oct13° / 8815.50.110.22.9
Nov10° / 9016.70.38.11.6
Dec / 9015.81.271.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 6% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 81%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12080
22080
32179
42179
52179
62080
72080
82080
91981
101981
111981
121882
131882
141882
151882
161882
171882
181882
191882
201882
211981
221981
231981
241981
251981
261981
271981
282080
292080
302080
312080

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Derry gets around 75 mm of rain and snow over 15.6 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 50% and peaks near 57% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1566
2576
3576
4576
5566
6565
7555
8555
9545
10535
11524
12514
13504
14494
15494
16484
17473
18463
19463
20453
21453
22453
23463
24463
25473
26483
27483
28493
29503
30503
31513

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 17 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 16 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
418light breeze
518light breeze
618light breeze
718light breeze
818light breeze
918light breeze
1018light breeze
1118light breeze
1218light breeze
1318light breeze
1418light breeze
1518light breeze
1618light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2217light breeze
2317light breeze
2417light breeze
2517light breeze
2617light breeze
2717light breeze
2817light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 18 min at the start of March to 12 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 138 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:33 AM to 6:16 AM, and sunset from 5:52 PM to 6:52 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.37:335:52
210.47:315:54
310.57:285:56
410.57:265:58
510.67:246:00
610.77:216:02
710.87:196:04
810.87:166:06
910.97:146:08
1011.07:116:10
1111.17:086:12
1211.17:066:14
1311.27:036:16
1411.37:016:18
1511.46:586:20
1611.46:566:22
1711.56:536:24
1811.66:506:26
1911.76:486:28
2011.86:456:30
2111.86:436:32
2211.96:406:34
2312.06:376:36
2412.16:356:38
2512.16:326:40
2612.26:296:42
2712.36:276:44
2812.46:246:46
2912.46:226:48
3012.56:196:50
3112.66:166:52

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 2.31 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.42 kWh/m² to a high of 4.84 kWh/m² in May across the year — March's 2.31 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.8Dim
31.8Dim
41.8Dim
51.9Dim
61.9Dim
71.9Dim
82.0Dim
92.0Dim
102.0Moderate
112.1Moderate
122.1Moderate
132.1Moderate
142.2Moderate
152.2Moderate
162.3Moderate
172.3Moderate
182.4Moderate
192.4Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.5Moderate
222.6Moderate
232.6Moderate
242.7Moderate
252.7Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.8Moderate
282.9Moderate
292.9Moderate
303.0Moderate
313.0Moderate
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Derry?

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

1.6
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
Beach & pool
never really warm enough

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Derry.

What to pack for Derry in March

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

In March, Derry sees daytime highs around 9°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. About 16 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Derry 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 42 km away) is warmest in August at about 15°C and coldest in February near 8°C.

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

10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan9Bracing
Feb8Bracing
Mar8Bracing
Apr9Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun12Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug15Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct13Bracing
Nov12Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Derry in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Derry peaks around July 13 at about 5 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 0 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 13UV 5Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Moderate
Apr3Moderate
May5High
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug5Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Derry?

Derry sits at 55.0°N, 7.3°W, 24 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Londonderry County Borough, 0.0 km away.

BallymenaAntrimPortadownCraigavon

Topography around Derry

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Derry has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 188 m around an average of 46 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 481 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 706 m.

The land around Derry is covered by artificial surfaces (31%), grassland (29%) and trees (27%) within 3 km, grassland (65%) within 16 km, and grassland (56%) and water (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
188 m
16 km
481 m
80 km
706 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
March weather nearby: Londonderry County Borough 0.0 km · Letterkenny 28 km · Coleraine 44 km · Omagh 44 km · Ballymena 68 km · Antrim 77 km · Portadown 85 km · Craigavon 85 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 Derry (54.9981°, -7.3093°, elevation 24 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).