Bristol weather in March

In March, Bristol sees average daytime highs of 57°F and overnight lows near 38°F, with 4.5 in of precipitation across 13 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 53°F in the first days to 62°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 06 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Bristol's 9th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bristol's year-round climate.

Daytime high
57°
8th warmest
Overnight low
38°
5th coldest
Precipitation
4.5 in
13 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:47 AM – 6:30 PM
Cloud cover
63%
9th clearest
Wind
6 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
4.22 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Bristol is city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States.

Density
315/km²
people per km²
Founded
1856

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 53°F in the first days to 62°F by the end.

A typical March day in Bristol reaches about 57°F in the afternoon and slips back to 38°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 42°F and 71°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)
15334
25335
35335
45435
55435
65435
75535
85536
95536
105536
115636
125637
135637
145737
155738
165738
175838
185838
195839
205839
215939
225940
235940
246040
256040
266041
276141
286141
296242
306242
316242

How March really feels in Bristol

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 13 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
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.

Bristol 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
Jan46° / 29°4.012.43.99.81.1
Feb49° / 32°3.711.63.510.61.9
Mar57° / 38°4.5132.311.73.9
Apr67° / 46°3.911.90.512.95.8
May73° / 54°3.612.8013.96.3
Jun80° / 62°3.213.2014.56.1
Jul83° / 66°3.313.5014.25.5
Aug82° / 65°2.810.4013.46.3
Sep77° / 58°3.08.3012.27.1
Oct67° / 47°2.88.90.211.16.5
Nov56° / 37°3.29.70.6104.0
Dec48° / 32°4.011.72.89.51.8

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24258
34258
44258
54258
64357
74357
84357
94357
104357
114357
124456
134357
144357
154258
164258
174258
184357
194258
204258
214258
224258
234159
244159
254258
264258
274258
284258
294357
304357
314357

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Bristol gets around 4.5 in of rain and snow over 13 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 41% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14211
24111
34111
44111
54111
64111
74111
84110
94110
10419
11419
12418
13418
14417
15417
16417
17416
18416
19416
20416
21415
22415
23415
24415
25415
26414
27414
28414
29414
30414
31414

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21982
22982
23982
24982
25982
26982
27982
28982
29973
30973
31964

Wind in March

Winds average 6 mph in March, the windiest month of the year.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 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 72 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:08 AM to 6:24 AM, and sunset from 6:16 PM to 6:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.17:086:16
211.27:076:17
311.27:066:18
411.27:046:19
511.37:036:20
611.37:016:20
711.47:006:21
811.46:596:22
911.46:576:23
1011.56:566:24
1111.56:546:25
1211.66:536:26
1311.66:526:27
1411.66:506:28
1511.76:496:29
1611.76:476:30
1711.86:466:31
1811.86:446:32
1911.86:436:32
2011.96:416:33
2111.96:406:34
2212.06:386:35
2312.06:376:36
2412.06:356:37
2512.16:346:38
2612.16:326:39
2712.16:316:40
2812.26:296:40
2912.26:276:41
3012.36:266:42
3112.36:246:43

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.22 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.09 kWh/m² to a high of 6.06 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.22 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.7Moderate
23.7Moderate
33.8Moderate
43.8Moderate
53.9Moderate
63.9Moderate
74.0Moderate
84.0Bright
94.0Bright
104.1Bright
114.1Bright
124.1Bright
134.2Bright
144.2Bright
154.2Bright
164.3Bright
174.3Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
204.4Bright
214.4Bright
224.4Bright
234.5Bright
244.5Bright
254.5Bright
264.6Bright
274.6Bright
284.7Bright
294.7Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Bristol?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.2
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Bristol.

What to pack for Bristol in March

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

In March, Bristol sees daytime highs around 57°F and nights near 38°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 13 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Bristol 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 Bristol peaks around July 13 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (moderate).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 10Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Extreme
Aug9Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Bristol 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 Bristol is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.8× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1517 µg/m³Dec 196 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar9Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Bristol?

Bristol sits at 36.6°N, 82.2°W, 1,677 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Bristol, 0.0 mi away.

Topography around Bristol

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Bristol has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 597 ft around an average of 1,772 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,411 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,486 ft.

The land around Bristol is covered by trees (56%), artificial surfaces (22%) and grassland (21%) within 2 miles, trees (60%) and grassland (33%) within 10 miles, and trees (80%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
597 ft
10 miles
1,411 ft
50 miles
5,486 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Bristol 0.0 mi · Kingsport 21 mi · Johnson City 22 mi · Boone 39 mi · Greeneville 47 mi · Lenoir 60 mi · Morganton 65 mi · Morristown 67 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 Bristol (36.5951°, -82.1887°, elevation 1,677 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).