Alton weather in March

In March, Alton sees average daytime highs of 54°F and overnight lows near 36°F, with 3.6 in of precipitation across 10.4 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 49°F in the first days to 59°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 hours at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Alton's 9th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Alton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
54°
8th warmest
Overnight low
36°
4th coldest
Precipitation
3.6 in
10.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:20 AM – 6:01 PM
Cloud cover
64%
9th clearest
Wind
8 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.3
out of 10

Alton is city in Madison County, Illinois, United States.

Density
623/km²
people per km²
Founded
1818

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 49°F in the first days to 59°F by the end.

A typical March day in Alton reaches about 54°F in the afternoon and slips back to 36°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 39°F and 71°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 11°F warmer than February and about 11°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14831
24831
34931
44931
55032
65032
75133
85133
95133
105234
115234
125335
135335
145436
155436
165537
175537
185537
195638
205638
215638
225739
235739
245740
255840
265840
275840
285941
295941
306041
316042

How March really feels in Alton

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 19 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
19
wind chill below the day's low

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

Alton weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan38° / 24°2.68.23.29.60.0
Feb43° / 27°2.47.6310.50.6
Mar54° / 36°3.610.41.511.73.3
Apr66° / 47°4.611.60.2135.7
May75° / 58°5.013.5014.16.2
Jun83° / 67°4.010.9014.75.6
Jul87° / 70°3.29.5014.45.0
Aug85° / 67°2.98.9013.55.5
Sep79° / 59°3.37.5012.37.2
Oct67° / 48°3.38.40.1116.5
Nov53° / 37°3.68.60.79.93.2
Dec42° / 28°2.48.12.39.30.4

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24159
34159
44159
54159
64258
74258
84258
94258
104258
114258
124159
134159
144060
154159
164159
174060
183961
193961
203961
213961
223961
233961
243961
253961
263961
274060
284060
294159
304159
314258

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Alton gets around 3.6 in of rain and snow over 10.4 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 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13110
2319
3319
4308
5308
6307
7307
8306
9306
10316
11315
12325
13325
14335
15335
16345
17345
18355
19364
20364
21364
22364
23374
24364
25364
26363
27363
28363
29363
30363
31352

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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19910
29910
39910
49910
59910
69910
79910
89820
99820
109820
119820
129730
139730
149730
159640
169640
179640
189640
199550
209550
219550
229451
239451
249451
259361
269361
279361
289361
299361
309262
319262

Wind in March

Winds average 8 mph in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 hours 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 78 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:43 AM to 5:56 AM, and sunset from 5:45 PM to 6:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:435:45
211.16:415:46
311.16:405:48
411.26:385:49
511.26:375:50
611.36:355:51
711.36:345:52
811.36:325:53
911.46:315:54
1011.46:295:55
1111.56:285:56
1211.56:265:57
1311.66:255:58
1411.66:235:59
1511.66:216:00
1611.76:206:01
1711.76:186:02
1811.86:176:03
1911.86:156:04
2011.96:136:05
2111.96:126:06
2211.96:106:07
2312.06:096:08
2412.06:076:09
2512.16:056:10
2612.16:046:11
2712.26:026:12
2812.26:006:13
2912.25:596:14
3012.35:576:15
3112.35:566:16

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.09 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.88 kWh/m² to a high of 6.44 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.09 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.7Moderate
33.7Moderate
43.8Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.9Moderate
73.9Moderate
83.9Moderate
94.0Moderate
104.0Moderate
114.0Bright
124.0Bright
134.0Bright
144.1Bright
154.1Bright
164.1Bright
174.1Bright
184.1Bright
194.2Bright
204.2Bright
214.2Bright
224.2Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.3Bright
264.4Bright
274.4Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.6Bright
314.7Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Alton

In seasonPeak

None of Alton's seasonal hazards are active in March. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

Alton sits in the Atlantic hurricane belt; the season peaks August–October.

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

Is March a good time to visit Alton?

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

3.3
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Alton.

What to pack for Alton in March

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

In March, Alton sees daytime highs around 54°F and nights near 36°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Alton in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Alton peaks around June 21 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateJun 21UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Alton 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 Alton is worst in August — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodAug 1018 µg/m³Oct 228 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug18Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov9Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Alton?

Alton sits at 38.9°N, 90.2°W, 492 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Upper Alton, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around Alton

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Alton.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Alton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 256 ft around an average of 476 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 636 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 801 ft.

The land around Alton is covered by trees (38%) and water (28%) within 2 miles, trees (41%) and cropland (28%) within 10 miles, and cropland (47%) and trees (39%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
256 ft
10 miles
636 ft
50 miles
801 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Upper Alton 2.5 mi · Godfrey 4.3 mi · Old Jamestown 6.8 mi · Spanish Lake 7.5 mi · Florissant 9.9 mi · Ferguson 12 mi · Hazelwood 13 mi · Granite City 13 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 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 Alton (38.8906°, -90.1843°, elevation 492 ft), 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).