Carbondale weather in March

In March, Carbondale sees average daytime highs of 57°F and overnight lows near 39°F, with 4.3 in of precipitation across 11.2 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 52°F in the first days to 62°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% 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 Carbondale's 8th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Carbondale's year-round climate.

Daytime high
57°
8th warmest
Overnight low
39°
4th coldest
Precipitation
4.3 in
11.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:16 AM – 5:57 PM
Cloud cover
62%
8th clearest
Wind
8 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.13 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.9
out of 10

Carbondale is city in Jackson County, Illinois, United States.

Density
582/km²
people per km²
Founded
1852

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 52°F in the first days to 62°F by the end.

A typical March day in Carbondale reaches about 57°F in the afternoon and slips back to 39°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 42°F and 72°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 10°F warmer than February and about 11°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15134
25234
35234
45235
55335
65335
75436
85436
95437
105537
115537
125638
135638
145638
155739
165739
175740
185840
195840
205841
215941
225941
236042
246042
256042
266143
276143
286143
296244
306244
316344

How March really feels in Carbondale

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 12 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
12
wind chill below the day's low

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

Carbondale weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan42° / 27°3.38.92.39.70.3
Feb47° / 30°3.082.210.51.4
Mar57° / 39°4.311.20.911.73.9
Apr68° / 49°5.011.6012.96.0
May76° / 59°4.612.50146.3
Jun85° / 68°3.610.5014.65.3
Jul88° / 71°3.510014.34.5
Aug87° / 69°2.77.6013.55.1
Sep81° / 61°3.07.4012.36.9
Oct69° / 50°3.67.70.1116.9
Nov56° / 39°3.78.60.5103.9
Dec46° / 31°3.391.99.41.1

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% 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 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24456
34456
44456
54456
64456
74456
84456
94555
104555
114456
124456
134357
144456
154357
164357
174258
184258
194159
204159
214159
224159
234159
244159
254159
264258
274357
284357
294357
304456
314456

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Carbondale gets around 4.3 in of rain and snow over 11.2 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 36% and peaks near 38% 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 (%)
1306
2316
3316
4315
5325
6325
7324
8334
9334
10344
11354
12353
13363
14363
15363
16373
17373
18372
19382
20382
21382
22382
23382
24382
25381
26381
27381
28381
29381
30381
31381

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 95% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19910
29910
39820
49820
59820
69721
79721
89721
99631
109631
119631
129631
139631
149631
159631
169541
179541
189541
199541
209541
219451
229352
239352
249352
259262
269262
279163
289163
299163
308974
318974

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 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 6:37 AM to 5:52 AM, and sunset from 5:43 PM to 6:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:375:43
211.16:365:44
311.26:355:45
411.26:335:46
511.26:325:47
611.36:305:48
711.36:295:49
811.46:285:50
911.46:265:51
1011.56:255:52
1111.56:235:53
1211.56:225:54
1311.66:205:55
1411.66:195:56
1511.76:175:57
1611.76:165:57
1711.76:145:58
1811.86:125:59
1911.86:116:00
2011.96:096:01
2111.96:086:02
2211.96:066:03
2312.06:056:04
2412.06:036:05
2512.16:026:06
2612.16:006:07
2712.25:586:08
2812.25:576:09
2912.25:556:10
3012.35:546:11
3112.35:526:12

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 1.94 kWh/m² to a high of 6.46 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.13 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.7Moderate
23.7Moderate
33.8Moderate
43.8Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.9Moderate
73.9Moderate
83.9Moderate
94.0Moderate
104.0Moderate
114.0Bright
124.0Bright
134.1Bright
144.1Bright
154.1Bright
164.1Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.2Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.7Bright
314.7Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Carbondale?

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

3.9
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.3
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Carbondale.

What to pack for Carbondale in March

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

In March, Carbondale sees daytime highs around 57°F and nights near 39°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Carbondale 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 Carbondale peaks around June 22 at about 9 (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 22UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Carbondale 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 Carbondale 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 Carbondale?

Carbondale sits at 37.7°N, 89.2°W, 413 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Marion, 16 mi away.

Topography around Carbondale

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Carbondale has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 167 ft around an average of 420 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 489 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,030 ft.

The land around Carbondale is covered by trees (48%) and artificial surfaces (22%) within 2 miles, trees (61%) within 10 miles, and trees (46%) and cropland (39%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
167 ft
10 miles
489 ft
50 miles
1,030 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Marion 16 mi · Cape Girardeau 34 mi · Mount Vernon 44 mi · Paducah 56 mi · Sikeston 62 mi · Farmington 66 mi · Belleville 69 mi · O'Fallon 71 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 Carbondale (37.7273°, -89.2168°, elevation 413 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).