Charlottesville weather in March

In March, Charlottesville sees average daytime highs of 57°F and overnight lows near 37°F, with 3.9 in of precipitation across 10.2 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 62°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% 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 Charlottesville's 7th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Charlottesville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
57°
8th warmest
Overnight low
37°
4th coldest
Precipitation
3.9 in
10.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:33 AM – 6:14 PM
Cloud cover
58%
7th clearest
Wind
6 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.28 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.1
out of 10

Charlottesville is independent city in Virginia, United States.

Density
1,754/km²
people per km²
Founded
1762

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 Charlottesville reaches about 57°F in the afternoon and slips back to 37°F overnight — a 20°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 9°F warmer than February and about 10°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15333
25333
35333
45333
55434
65434
75434
85534
95535
105535
115635
125635
135636
145636
155736
165737
175737
185737
195838
205838
215838
225939
235939
245939
256040
266040
276140
286141
296241
306242
316342

How March really feels in Charlottesville

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 16 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
16
wind chill below the day's low

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

Charlottesville 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
Jan45° / 29°3.18.22.79.71.1
Feb49° / 30°2.88.12.610.52.0
Mar57° / 37°3.910.21.611.74.1
Apr68° / 47°3.49.60.1136.2
May75° / 56°3.511.20146.6
Jun83° / 64°3.210.9014.65.5
Jul87° / 69°3.311.6014.44.5
Aug85° / 67°3.19.5013.55.2
Sep79° / 60°4.28.7012.36.8
Oct68° / 48°3.37.30116.8
Nov57° / 38°3.17.40.29.94.4
Dec48° / 32°3.48.21.69.41.9

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% 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 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
25050
35149
45149
55149
65248
75248
85248
95248
105248
115248
125149
135149
145050
154951
164951
174852
184753
194753
204654
214654
224753
234654
244654
254753
264753
274852
284951
294951
304951
315050

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Charlottesville gets around 3.9 in of rain and snow over 10.2 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 32% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1318
2318
3318
4318
5318
6317
7317
8317
9317
10317
11316
12316
13316
14315
15315
16315
17315
18324
19324
20324
21324
22333
23333
24333
25333
26333
27333
28332
29332
30332
31332

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 (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18982
19982
20982
21982
22982
23982
24982
25973
26973
27973
28973
29973
30973
31973

Wind in March

Winds average 6 mph in March.

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 6:55 AM to 6:09 AM, and sunset from 5:59 PM to 6:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:555:59
211.16:536:00
311.26:526:02
411.26:516:03
511.26:496:04
611.36:486:05
711.36:466:06
811.46:456:07
911.46:436:08
1011.46:426:09
1111.56:406:10
1211.56:396:11
1311.66:376:12
1411.66:366:12
1511.76:346:13
1611.76:336:14
1711.76:316:15
1811.86:306:16
1911.86:286:17
2011.96:266:18
2111.96:256:19
2211.96:236:20
2312.06:226:21
2412.06:206:22
2512.16:196:23
2612.16:176:24
2712.26:156:25
2812.26:146:26
2912.26:126:27
3012.36:116:28
3112.36:096:29

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 2.11 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.28 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.8Moderate
23.8Moderate
33.9Moderate
43.9Moderate
54.0Moderate
64.0Bright
74.1Bright
84.1Bright
94.1Bright
104.2Bright
114.2Bright
124.2Bright
134.2Bright
144.3Bright
154.3Bright
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 Charlottesville?

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

4.1
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.3
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Charlottesville for sightseeing.

What to pack for Charlottesville in March

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

In March, Charlottesville sees daytime highs around 57°F and nights near 37°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Charlottesville 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 Charlottesville peaks around June 22 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5High
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Charlottesville 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 Charlottesville is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1216 µg/m³Nov 187 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar10Good
Apr14Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Charlottesville?

Charlottesville sits at 38.0°N, 78.5°W, 466 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Waynesboro, 22 mi away.

Topography around Charlottesville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Charlottesville has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 915 ft around an average of 466 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,529 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,416 ft.

The land around Charlottesville is covered by trees (67%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 2 miles, trees (76%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (75%) and grassland (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
915 ft
10 miles
1,529 ft
50 miles
4,416 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
March weather nearby: Waynesboro 22 mi · Staunton 34 mi · Harrisonburg 36 mi · Culpeper 40 mi · Short Pump 54 mi · Lynchburg 56 mi · West Lynchburg 58 mi · Midlothian 58 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 Charlottesville (38.0293°, -78.4767°, elevation 466 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).