Chesapeake weather in March

In March, Chesapeake sees average daytime highs of 59°F and overnight lows near 42°F, with 3.9 in of precipitation across 10.4 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 55°F in the first days to 62°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% 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 Chesapeake's 7th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Chesapeake's year-round climate.

Daytime high
59°
9th warmest
Overnight low
42°
4th coldest
Precipitation
3.9 in
10.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:24 AM – 6:06 PM
Cloud cover
58%
7th clearest
Wind
9 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.36 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Chesapeake is independent city in Virginia, United States.

Density
259/km²
people per km²
Founded
1963

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 55°F in the first days to 62°F by the end.

A typical March day in Chesapeake reaches about 59°F in the afternoon and slips back to 42°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 45°F and 73°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 7°F warmer than February and about 9°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15538
25538
35538
45638
55639
65639
75639
85739
95740
105740
115740
125840
135840
145841
155841
165841
175842
185942
195942
205942
216043
226043
236043
246044
256144
266144
276245
286245
296245
306346
316346

How March really feels in Chesapeake

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 3 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
3
wind chill below the day's low

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

Chesapeake weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 9th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan49° / 34°3.49.11.39.82.2
Feb52° / 35°3.091.110.62.8
Mar59° / 42°3.910.40.511.74.5
Apr68° / 51°3.39.7012.96.4
May75° / 59°3.710.9013.96.7
Jun83° / 68°4.111.7014.55.6
Jul87° / 73°5.215.1014.34.3
Aug85° / 71°4.712.9013.45.0
Sep80° / 66°4.711.1012.26.4
Oct71° / 55°3.77.90117.0
Nov61° / 45°3.48.50.1105.3
Dec53° / 38°3.59.30.59.53.2

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14654
24852
34951
45050
55050
65050
75149
85149
95149
105149
115149
125050
135050
145050
155050
164951
174852
184852
194852
204753
214753
224654
234753
244753
254852
264951
275050
285050
295149
305149
315248

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Chesapeake gets around 3.9 in of rain and snow over 10.4 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 33% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1313
2313
3303
4303
5302
6302
7302
8302
9302
10312
11312
12322
13322
14331
15331
16341
17341
18351
19351
20351
21361
22361
23361
24361
25361
26361
27361
28351
29351
30351
31341

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 92% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19631
29541
39541
49541
59541
69451
79451
89451
99550
109460
119460
129460
139361
149361
159361
169361
179361
189262
199262
209262
219262
229163
239163
249073
259073
268983
278983
288893
298893
3087103
3186113

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 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 6:45 AM to 6:01 AM, and sunset from 5:52 PM to 6:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:455:52
211.26:435:53
311.26:425:54
411.26:415:55
511.36:395:56
611.36:385:57
711.46:375:58
811.46:355:59
911.46:346:00
1011.56:326:00
1111.56:316:01
1211.56:296:02
1311.66:286:03
1411.66:266:04
1511.76:256:05
1611.76:246:06
1711.76:226:07
1811.86:216:08
1911.86:196:09
2011.96:176:10
2111.96:166:11
2211.96:146:11
2312.06:136:12
2412.06:116:13
2512.16:106:14
2612.16:086:15
2712.26:076:16
2812.26:056:17
2912.26:046:18
3012.36:026:19
3112.36:016:19

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.36 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.17 kWh/m² to a high of 6.42 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.36 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.8Moderate
23.8Moderate
33.9Moderate
43.9Moderate
54.0Moderate
64.0Bright
74.1Bright
84.1Bright
94.2Bright
104.2Bright
114.2Bright
124.3Bright
134.3Bright
144.3Bright
154.4Bright
164.4Bright
174.4Bright
184.5Bright
194.5Bright
204.5Bright
214.5Bright
224.6Bright
234.6Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.8Bright
274.8Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Chesapeake

In seasonPeak

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

Chesapeake 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 Chesapeake?

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

4.5
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.4
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Chesapeake for sightseeing.

What to pack for Chesapeake in March

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

In March, Chesapeake sees daytime highs around 59°F and nights near 42°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Chesapeake in March

The nearest coast averages about 46°F in March — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 22 mi away) is warmest in August at about 78°F and coldest in February near 43°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 3 to Oct 16 — about 4.5 months when the water holds above 68°F.

40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan46Bracing
Feb43Bracing
Mar46Bracing
Apr53Bracing
May63Cool
Jun72Refreshing
Jul77Warm
Aug78Warm
Sep75Warm
Oct68Refreshing
Nov59Cool
Dec52Bracing

UV index in Chesapeake 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 Chesapeake peaks around July 12 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 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 highHighModerateJul 12UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Chesapeake 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 Chesapeake is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1216 µg/m³Nov 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Chesapeake?

Chesapeake sits at 36.8°N, 76.3°W, 10 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Portsmouth, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around Chesapeake

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Chesapeake has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 79 ft around an average of 13 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 194 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 230 ft.

The land around Chesapeake is covered by artificial surfaces (43%) and trees (28%) within 2 miles, trees (48%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 10 miles, and trees (41%) and water (39%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
79 ft
10 miles
194 ft
50 miles
230 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
March weather nearby: Portsmouth 1.9 mi · Norfolk 1.9 mi · Portsmouth Heights 5.0 mi · Newport News 14 mi · Hampton 15 mi · East Hampton 16 mi · Virginia Beach 17 mi · Suffolk 18 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 Chesapeake (36.819°, -76.2749°, elevation 10 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). Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).