Cape Girardeau weather in March

In March, Cape Girardeau sees average daytime highs of 58°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 4.8 in of precipitation across 11.8 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 53°F in the first days to 63°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 Cape Girardeau's 9th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Cape Girardeau's year-round climate.

Daytime high
58°
8th warmest
Overnight low
40°
5th coldest
Precipitation
4.8 in
11.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:17 AM – 5:59 PM
Cloud cover
61%
9th clearest
Wind
8 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.16 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
out of 10

Cape Girardeau is city in Cape Girardeau and Scott Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri.

Density
535/km²
people per km²
Founded
1793

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 63°F by the end.

A typical March day in Cape Girardeau reaches about 58°F in the afternoon and slips back to 40°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 43°F and 72°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 10°F warmer than February and about 10°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15234
25335
35335
45335
55435
65436
75536
85537
95537
105637
115638
125638
135738
145739
155839
165840
175840
185940
195941
205941
216042
226042
236042
246142
256143
266243
276243
286244
296344
306344
316345

How March really feels in Cape Girardeau

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 11 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
11
wind chill below the day's low

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

Cape Girardeau weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan43° / 28°3.89.229.70.6
Feb48° / 31°3.48.21.710.61.8
Mar58° / 40°4.811.80.711.74.1
Apr68° / 49°5.311.1012.96.1
May77° / 60°4.712.30146.4
Jun85° / 68°3.510.1014.55.3
Jul88° / 72°3.310.1014.34.4
Aug87° / 69°2.88013.45.0
Sep81° / 61°3.27.6012.36.8
Oct69° / 50°3.97.90.1117.0
Nov56° / 39°4.18.70.5104.1
Dec46° / 31°3.78.91.39.51.4

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24456
34456
44555
54555
64555
74555
84555
94456
104456
114555
124456
134555
144456
154456
164357
174357
184258
194258
204357
214357
224357
234357
244357
254357
264357
274456
284456
294456
304555
314555

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Cape Girardeau gets around 4.8 in of rain and snow over 11.8 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 37% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1314
2314
3324
4324
5334
6334
7344
8344
9353
10353
11363
12363
13373
14372
15372
16382
17382
18382
19391
20391
21391
22401
23401
24401
25400
26400
27390
28390
29390
30390
31390

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 94% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19721
29721
39721
49721
59721
69631
79631
89631
99541
109541
119541
129541
139451
149451
159451
169451
179451
189361
199361
209361
219262
229262
239172
249172
259172
269073
279073
289073
298884
308884
318785

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.

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
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 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 6:38 AM to 5:54 AM, and sunset from 5:44 PM to 6:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:385:44
211.16:375:45
311.26:365:46
411.26:345:47
511.36:335:48
611.36:315:49
711.36:305:50
811.46:285:51
911.46:275:52
1011.56:265:53
1111.56:245:54
1211.56:235:55
1311.66:215:56
1411.66:205:57
1511.76:185:58
1611.76:175:59
1711.76:156:00
1811.86:146:01
1911.86:126:02
2011.96:116:03
2111.96:096:03
2211.96:076:04
2312.06:066:05
2412.06:046:06
2512.16:036:07
2612.16:016:08
2712.26:006:09
2812.25:586:10
2912.25:576:11
3012.35:556:12
3112.35:546:13

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.16 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.99 kWh/m² to a high of 6.5 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.16 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.7Moderate
23.7Moderate
33.8Moderate
43.8Moderate
53.9Moderate
63.9Moderate
73.9Moderate
84.0Moderate
94.0Moderate
104.0Bright
114.0Bright
124.1Bright
134.1Bright
144.1Bright
154.1Bright
164.2Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.6Bright
284.6Bright
294.7Bright
304.7Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Cape Girardeau

In seasonPeak

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

Cape Girardeau 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 Cape Girardeau?

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

4.1
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.4
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Cape Girardeau for sightseeing.

What to pack for Cape Girardeau in March

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

In March, Cape Girardeau sees daytime highs around 58°F and nights near 40°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Cape Girardeau 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 Cape Girardeau peaks around June 21 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 highHighModerateJun 21UV 10Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Cape Girardeau 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 Cape Girardeau is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1318 µg/m³Nov 128 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Cape Girardeau?

Cape Girardeau sits at 37.3°N, 89.5°W, 354 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Sikeston, 30 mi away.

Topography around Cape Girardeau

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Cape Girardeau has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 285 ft around an average of 371 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 869 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,375 ft.

The land around Cape Girardeau is covered by trees (36%) and cropland (20%) within 2 miles, trees (49%) and cropland (30%) within 10 miles, and trees (47%) and cropland (39%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
285 ft
10 miles
869 ft
50 miles
1,375 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Sikeston 30 mi · Carbondale 34 mi · Marion 43 mi · Paducah 53 mi · Farmington 60 mi · Poplar Bluff 62 mi · Mount Vernon 78 mi · Murray 82 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 Cape Girardeau (37.3059°, -89.5182°, elevation 354 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).