Inverness weather in March

In March, Inverness sees average daytime highs of 8°C and overnight lows near 2°C, with 72 mm of precipitation across 14.5 wet days and about 11.4 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 7°C in the first days to 9°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 06 min at the start of March to 12 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Inverness's 8th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Inverness's year-round climate.

Daytime high
8th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
72 mm
14.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 24 min
6:45 AM – 6:08 PM
Cloud cover
79%
8th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
3rd windiest
Solar energy
2.1 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.2
out of 10

Inverness is city in the Highlands of Scotland, United Kingdom.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
2,309/km²
people per km²

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 7°C in the first days to 9°C by the end.

A typical March day in Inverness reaches about 8°C in the afternoon and slips back to 2°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 4°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 2°C warmer than February and about 3°C cooler than April.

-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
171
271
371
471
572
672
772
872
972
1082
1182
1282
1382
1482
1582
1682
1782
1882
1982
2083
2193
2293
2393
2493
2593
2693
2793
2893
2993
3093
3193

How March really feels in Inverness

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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
31
wind chill below the day's low

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

Inverness weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 9115.74.570.2
Feb / 7414590.4
Mar / 7214.53.411.41.2
Apr11° / 6514.31.813.92.2
May13° / 7014.60.216.23.3
Jun16° / 7314.9017.64.0
Jul18° / 11°7214.50174.8
Aug17° / 11°8115.20154.7
Sep15° / 7013012.54.0
Oct11° / 8815.10.1102.5
Nov / 7714.51.37.71.2
Dec / 8414.63.66.40.3

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 82%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12179
22179
32179
42080
52080
62080
72080
81981
91882
101882
111882
121882
131882
141882
151882
161882
171882
181981
191981
201981
211981
221981
231981
241981
251882
261882
271882
281882
291882
301882
311684

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Inverness gets around 72 mm of rain and snow over 14.5 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 47% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14918
24918
34918
44917
54917
64916
74915
85015
95014
104913
114912
124912
134911
144811
154810
164710
174710
18469
19469
20458
21458
22448
23448
24447
25447
26447
27457
28457
29457
30458
31468

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 14 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 06 min at the start of March to 12 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 156 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:26 AM to 6:02 AM, and sunset from 5:34 PM to 6:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.17:265:34
210.27:235:36
310.37:215:39
410.47:185:41
510.57:155:43
610.67:135:46
710.67:105:48
810.77:075:50
910.87:045:52
1010.97:025:55
1111.06:595:57
1211.16:565:59
1311.16:536:01
1411.26:516:04
1511.36:486:06
1611.46:456:08
1711.56:426:10
1811.66:396:13
1911.66:366:15
2011.76:346:17
2111.86:316:19
2211.96:286:22
2312.06:256:24
2412.16:226:26
2512.16:196:28
2612.26:176:30
2712.36:146:33
2812.46:116:35
2912.56:086:37
3012.66:056:39
3112.76:026:41

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 2.1 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.27 kWh/m² to a high of 4.59 kWh/m² in May across the year — March's 2.1 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.5Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.6Dim
51.7Dim
61.7Dim
71.7Dim
81.8Dim
91.8Dim
101.8Dim
111.9Dim
121.9Dim
131.9Dim
142.0Dim
152.0Moderate
162.1Moderate
172.1Moderate
182.2Moderate
192.2Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.4Moderate
232.4Moderate
242.4Moderate
252.5Moderate
262.5Moderate
272.6Moderate
282.6Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.7Moderate
312.7Moderate
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Inverness?

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

1.2
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Inverness.

What to pack for Inverness in March

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

In March, Inverness sees daytime highs around 8°C and nights near 2°C. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layerrain geara heavy coat

Sea temperature near Inverness in March

The nearest coast averages about 6°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 26 km away) is warmest in August at about 14°C and coldest in February near 6°C.

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

5°10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar6Bracing
Apr7Bracing
May10Bracing
Jun12Bracing
Jul14Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov10Bracing
Dec8Bracing

UV index in Inverness 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 Inverness peaks around July 11 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 4 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighModerateLowJul 11UV 5Jan 1UV 0
UV index (midday)Level
Jan0Low
Feb1Low
Mar2Low
Apr3Moderate
May5Moderate
Jun5Moderate
Jul5High
Aug4Moderate
Sep3Moderate
Oct1Low
Nov1Low
Dec0Low
Location & terrain

Where is Inverness?

Inverness sits at 57.5°N, 4.2°W, 15 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Elgin, 57 km away.

Fort WilliamPerthAberdeenNiggDundeeArbroathPeterhead

Topography around Inverness

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Inverness has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 171 m around an average of 24 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 614 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,309 m.

The land around Inverness is covered by artificial surfaces (29%), water (26%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, grassland (44%) and trees (29%) within 16 km, and grassland (69%) within 80 km.

3 km
171 m
16 km
614 m
80 km
1,309 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
March weather nearby: Elgin 57 km · Fort William 91 km · Perth 130 km · Aberdeen 133 km · Nigg 134 km · Dundee 135 km · Arbroath 142 km · Peterhead 146 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 Inverness (57.4791°, -4.224°, elevation 15 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).