Athens weather in March

In March, Athens sees average daytime highs of 62°F and overnight lows near 45°F, with 5.5 in of precipitation across 11.4 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 58°F in the first days to 66°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 12 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Athens's 9th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Athens's year-round climate.

Daytime high
62°
8th warmest
Overnight low
45°
5th coldest
Precipitation
5.5 in
11.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:06 AM – 5:49 PM
Cloud cover
60%
9th clearest
Wind
8 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
4.28 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

Athens is county seat of Limestone County, Alabama, United States.

Density
240/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 58°F in the first days to 66°F by the end.

A typical March day in Athens reaches about 62°F in the afternoon and slips back to 45°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 50°F and 73°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 8°F warmer than February and about 9°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15841
25841
35842
45842
55942
65942
75942
86043
96043
106043
116044
126144
136144
146144
156245
166245
176245
186346
196346
206346
216447
226447
236447
246447
256547
266548
276548
286548
296649
306649
316649

How March really feels in Athens

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 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
0
wind chill below the day's low

March sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Athens weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan50° / 35°5.09.90.69.92.2
Feb54° / 38°4.810.60.910.73.1
Mar62° / 45°5.511.40.311.75.1
Apr71° / 53°4.99.9012.86.5
May78° / 62°4.010.9013.86.6
Jun85° / 70°3.812014.35.0
Jul87° / 73°4.012.1014.14.4
Aug87° / 72°3.010.8013.34.7
Sep82° / 66°3.37.2012.26.6
Oct71° / 54°3.47.3011.17.3
Nov60° / 44°4.08.6010.25.2
Dec52° / 38°5.310.70.49.72.8

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 12% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24456
34456
44456
54555
64654
74654
84654
94555
104555
114654
124555
134555
144555
154555
164555
174555
184456
194456
204456
214456
224456
234456
244456
254456
264456
274456
284555
294456
304456
314456

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Athens gets around 5.5 in of rain and snow over 11.4 wet days in March, the wettest month. 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 38% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1382
2372
3372
4372
5372
6372
7362
8361
9361
10361
11361
12361
13361
14361
15361
16351
17351
18351
19351
20351
21351
22351
23350
24360
25360
26360
27360
28360
29360
30370
31370

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 88% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19352
29352
39352
49352
59352
69262
79262
89262
99172
109172
119082
129082
138992
148992
158992
1688102
1788102
1888102
1988102
2087112
2187112
2285123
2385123
2485123
2584133
2683134
2782144
2882144
2981145
3080155
3179156

Wind in March

Winds average 8 mph in March, the windiest month of the year.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
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
177light breeze
187light breeze
197light breeze
207light breeze
217light breeze
227light breeze
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307light breeze
317light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min 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 66 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:26 AM to 5:44 AM, and sunset from 5:37 PM to 6:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:265:37
211.26:245:37
311.36:235:38
411.36:225:39
511.36:215:40
611.46:195:41
711.46:185:42
811.46:175:43
911.56:155:44
1011.56:145:44
1111.56:135:45
1211.66:115:46
1311.66:105:47
1411.76:085:48
1511.76:075:49
1611.76:065:49
1711.86:045:50
1811.86:035:51
1911.86:015:52
2011.96:005:53
2111.95:595:54
2212.05:575:54
2312.05:565:55
2412.05:545:56
2512.15:535:57
2612.15:515:58
2712.15:505:58
2812.25:485:59
2912.25:476:00
3012.35:466:01
3112.35:446:02

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.28 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.17 kWh/m² to a high of 6.23 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.28 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.7Moderate
23.8Moderate
33.8Moderate
43.9Moderate
53.9Moderate
64.0Moderate
74.0Bright
84.0Bright
94.1Bright
104.1Bright
114.1Bright
124.2Bright
134.2Bright
144.2Bright
154.3Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.4Bright
194.4Bright
204.4Bright
214.5Bright
224.5Bright
234.5Bright
244.6Bright
254.6Bright
264.7Bright
274.7Bright
284.8Bright
294.8Bright
304.8Bright
314.9Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Athens?

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

5.1
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
1.1
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Athens for sightseeing.

What to pack for Athens in March

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

In March, Athens sees daytime highs around 62°F and nights near 45°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Athens in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Athens peaks around July 12 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 19UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5High
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Athens 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 Athens is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.3× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1719 µg/m³Jan 116 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb8Good
Mar10Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Athens?

Athens sits at 34.8°N, 87.0°W, 722 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Decatur, 14 mi away.

Topography around Athens

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Athens has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 157 ft around an average of 715 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 371 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,493 ft.

The land around Athens is covered by trees (41%) and grassland (31%) within 2 miles, trees (38%), cropland (30%) and grassland (26%) within 10 miles, and trees (61%) and grassland (24%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
157 ft
10 miles
371 ft
50 miles
1,493 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Decatur 14 mi · Madison 14 mi · Huntsville 22 mi · East Florence 39 mi · Florence 40 mi · Cullman 44 mi · Shelbyville 55 mi · Columbia 57 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 Athens (34.8024°, -86.9722°, elevation 722 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. 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).