Burlington weather in March

In March, Burlington sees average daytime highs of 50°F and overnight lows near 32°F, with 2.9 in of precipitation across 9.9 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 43°F in the first days to 56°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Burlington's 9th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Burlington's year-round climate.

Daytime high
50°
8th warmest
Overnight low
32°
4th coldest
Precipitation
2.9 in
9.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:24 AM – 6:04 PM
Cloud cover
65%
9th clearest
Wind
9 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.13 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.2
out of 10

Burlington is city in Des Moines County, Iowa, United States.

Density
644/km²
people per km²
Founded
1833

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 43°F in the first days to 56°F by the end.

A typical March day in Burlington reaches about 50°F in the afternoon and slips back to 32°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 35°F and 66°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 13°F warmer than February and about 12°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14326
24326
34326
44427
54427
64528
74628
84628
94729
104729
114830
124830
134931
144931
155032
165032
175133
185133
195133
205234
215234
225335
235335
245335
255436
265436
275536
285537
295637
305637
315638

How March really feels in Burlington

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 31 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
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.

Burlington weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan33° / 18°1.87.44.79.40.0
Feb37° / 21°2.06.93.810.40.0
Mar50° / 32°2.99.92.311.72.2
Apr62° / 43°4.411.90.613.15.0
May72° / 54°4.613014.26.2
Jun82° / 64°4.611.6014.96.0
Jul85° / 67°3.19.5014.65.5
Aug83° / 65°3.39013.66.1
Sep76° / 57°3.67.9012.37.3
Oct64° / 45°2.88.10.210.96.0
Nov49° / 33°2.67.71.19.72.3
Dec38° / 23°2.16.93.39.10.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% 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 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23961
34060
43961
54060
64159
74159
84159
94258
104159
114258
124159
134159
144060
154060
163961
173961
183862
193862
203862
213664
223664
233664
243763
253763
263763
273763
283763
293862
303862
313961

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Burlington gets around 2.9 in of rain and snow over 9.9 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 32% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12913
22913
32912
42912
52912
62811
72811
82810
92810
10289
11289
12299
13298
14308
15308
16317
17317
18327
19326
20336
21346
22355
23355
24365
25364
26374
27374
28373
29373
30373
31373

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15982
16982
17982
18982
19973
20973
21973
22973
23973
24973
25964
26964
27964
28964
29964
30964
31964

Wind in March

Winds average 9 mph in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 9 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
19light breeze
29light breeze
39light breeze
49light breeze
59light breeze
69light breeze
79light breeze
89light breeze
99light breeze
109light breeze
119light breeze
129light breeze
139light breeze
149light breeze
159light breeze
169light breeze
179light breeze
189light breeze
199light breeze
209light breeze
219light breeze
229light breeze
239light breeze
249light breeze
259light breeze
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 hours at the start of March to 12 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 84 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:48 AM to 5:59 AM, and sunset from 5:47 PM to 6:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:485:47
211.06:475:48
311.16:455:49
411.16:445:51
511.26:425:52
611.26:415:53
711.36:395:54
811.36:375:55
911.36:365:56
1011.46:345:57
1111.46:325:58
1211.56:316:00
1311.56:296:01
1411.66:286:02
1511.66:266:03
1611.76:246:04
1711.76:236:05
1811.86:216:06
1911.86:196:07
2011.86:176:08
2111.96:166:09
2211.96:146:11
2312.06:126:12
2412.06:116:13
2512.16:096:14
2612.16:076:15
2712.26:056:16
2812.26:046:17
2912.36:026:18
3012.36:006:19
3112.45:596:20

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.13 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.78 kWh/m² to a high of 6.41 kWh/m² in July across the year — March's 4.13 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.7Moderate
43.8Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.9Moderate
83.9Moderate
94.0Moderate
104.0Bright
114.0Bright
124.1Bright
134.1Bright
144.1Bright
154.2Bright
164.2Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.4Bright
264.4Bright
274.4Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Burlington?

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

2.2
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Burlington.

What to pack for Burlington in March

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

In March, Burlington sees daytime highs around 50°F and nights near 32°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Burlington 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 Burlington peaks around June 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 19UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Burlington 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 Burlington is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1815 µg/m³Oct 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar12Good
Apr10Good
May13Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Burlington?

Burlington sits at 40.8°N, 91.1°W, 607 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Macomb, 34 mi away.

Topography around Burlington

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Burlington has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 243 ft around an average of 633 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 443 ft.

The land around Burlington is covered by trees (34%) and artificial surfaces (26%) within 2 miles, cropland (47%) and trees (31%) within 10 miles, and cropland (64%) and trees (24%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
243 ft
10 miles
272 ft
50 miles
443 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Macomb 34 mi · Galesburg 40 mi · Muscatine 43 mi · Rock Island 56 mi · Davenport 57 mi · Moline 57 mi · Bettendorf 58 mi · East Moline 59 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 Burlington (40.8075°, -91.1129°, elevation 607 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).