Pontefract weather in March

In March, Pontefract sees average daytime highs of 10°C and overnight lows near 4°C, with 45 mm of precipitation across 10.1 wet days and about 11.5 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 9°C in the first days to 11°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 24 min at the start of March to 12 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Pontefract's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Pontefract's year-round climate.

Daytime high
10°
8th warmest
Overnight low
4th coldest
Precipitation
45 mm
10.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 30 min
6:31 AM – 5:59 PM
Cloud cover
73%
10th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
2.52 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.2
out of 10

Pontefract is market town in West Yorkshire, England.

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 9°C in the first days to 11°C by the end.

A typical March day in Pontefract reaches about 10°C in the afternoon and slips back to 4°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 6°C and 14°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 2°C warmer than February and about 3°C cooler than April.

-5°10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
193
293
393
493
593
693
793
893
993
10103
11103
12104
13104
14104
15104
16104
17104
18104
19104
20104
21104
22114
23114
24114
25114
26114
27114
28114
29114
30114
31114

How March really feels in Pontefract

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 18 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
18
wind chill below the day's low

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

Pontefract weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 5211.41.17.80.9
Feb / 4510.41.39.41.2
Mar10° / 4510.10.811.52.2
Apr13° / 5310.70.213.73.3
May16° / 5110.6015.64.6
Jun18° / 11°6611.3016.75.5
Jul21° / 13°6211.6016.36.0
Aug20° / 13°6510.8014.66.0
Sep18° / 10°549.6012.55.5
Oct14° / 5811.2010.33.8
Nov10° / 5811.80.38.32.1
Dec / 5811.50.97.31.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 13% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 71%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13070
23169
33169
43169
53070
63070
73070
83070
93070
102971
112872
122872
132872
142872
152773
162773
172773
182872
192971
202971
213070
222971
232971
243070
253070
263070
273070
283169
293070
303070
313070

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Pontefract gets around 45 mm of rain and snow over 10.1 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 33% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1374
2374
3374
4374
5364
6364
7354
8353
9343
10343
11333
12323
13323
14313
15313
16303
17303
18302
19302
20302
21302
22302
23312
24312
25322
26322
27332
28332
29342
30341
31341

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
317light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2216light breeze
2316light breeze
2416light breeze
2516light breeze
2616light breeze
2716light breeze
2816light breeze
2916light breeze
3016light breeze
3116light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 24 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 132 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:07 AM to 5:53 AM, and sunset from 5:30 PM to 6:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.47:075:30
210.57:055:32
310.57:025:34
410.67:005:36
510.76:585:38
610.76:555:40
710.86:535:42
810.96:505:44
911.06:485:46
1011.06:465:48
1111.16:435:49
1211.26:415:51
1311.36:385:53
1411.36:365:55
1511.46:335:57
1611.56:315:59
1711.56:286:01
1811.66:266:03
1911.76:236:05
2011.86:216:07
2111.86:186:08
2211.96:166:10
2312.06:136:12
2412.16:116:14
2512.16:086:16
2612.26:066:18
2712.36:036:20
2812.36:016:22
2912.45:586:23
3012.55:566:25
3112.65:536:27

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 2.52 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.52 kWh/m² to a high of 4.85 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 2.52 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.9Dim
21.9Dim
32.0Dim
42.0Moderate
52.0Moderate
62.1Moderate
72.1Moderate
82.2Moderate
92.2Moderate
102.2Moderate
112.3Moderate
122.3Moderate
132.4Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.5Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.6Moderate
192.6Moderate
202.7Moderate
212.7Moderate
222.8Moderate
232.8Moderate
242.9Moderate
252.9Moderate
263.0Moderate
273.0Moderate
283.0Moderate
293.1Moderate
303.1Moderate
313.2Moderate
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Pontefract?

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

2.2
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Pontefract.

What to pack for Pontefract in March

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

In March, Pontefract sees daytime highs around 10°C and nights near 4°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Pontefract 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 Pontefract peaks around August 12 at about 6 (high) — a little sun protection helps at midday. 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
Apr3Moderate
May6High
Jun5High
Jul6High
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct2Low
Nov1Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Pontefract?

Pontefract sits at 53.7°N, 1.3°W, 69 m above sea level, in United Kingdom. The nearest listed city is Castleford, 5.0 km away.

Topography around Pontefract

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Pontefract has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 73 m around an average of 46 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 151 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 721 m.

The land around Pontefract is covered by cropland (38%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 3 km, cropland (46%) and grassland (20%) within 16 km, and grassland (43%) and cropland (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
73 m
16 km
151 m
80 km
721 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
March weather nearby: Castleford 5.0 km · Kippax 9.0 km · South Elmsall 11 km · Wakefield 12 km · Lofthouse 13 km · Adwick le Street 16 km · Ossett 18 km · Darton 18 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 Pontefract (53.6911°, -1.3127°, elevation 69 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).