Columbia weather in March

In March, Columbia sees average daytime highs of 61°F and overnight lows near 42°F, with 5.2 in of precipitation across 11.3 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 57°F in the first days to 65°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 12 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Columbia's 9th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Columbia's year-round climate.

Daytime high
61°
8th warmest
Overnight low
42°
5th coldest
Precipitation
5.2 in
11.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:06 AM – 5:49 PM
Cloud cover
62%
9th clearest
Wind
7 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
4.22 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Columbia is city in and county seat of Maury County, Tennessee, United States.

Density
450/km²
people per km²
Founded
1808

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 57°F in the first days to 65°F by the end.

A typical March day in Columbia reaches about 61°F in the afternoon and slips back to 42°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 47°F and 75°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 9°F warmer than February and about 9°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15738
25738
35738
45838
55838
65839
75839
85939
95940
105940
116040
126041
136041
146141
156142
166142
176242
186242
196243
206343
216343
226344
236444
246444
256444
266445
276545
286545
296546
306646
316646

How March really feels in Columbia

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

March sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Columbia weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan48° / 32°4.49.71.19.91.9
Feb53° / 35°4.710.51.310.72.8
Mar61° / 42°5.211.30.711.75.0
Apr70° / 50°4.910.3012.96.4
May78° / 60°4.511.9013.96.4
Jun85° / 68°4.012.7014.44.8
Jul88° / 71°4.313014.24.1
Aug88° / 69°3.210.7013.34.5
Sep82° / 62°3.27.8012.26.3
Oct72° / 51°3.57.9011.17.2
Nov60° / 41°3.98.70.110.15.0
Dec51° / 35°5.010.40.59.62.5

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 12% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24357
34555
44555
54555
64654
74654
84555
94555
104654
114654
124555
134456
144357
154357
164357
174258
184258
194258
204060
214060
224060
234060
244060
254159
264159
274060
284159
294159
304258
314258

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Columbia gets around 5.2 in of rain and snow over 11.3 wet days in March, the wettest month. 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.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1384
2384
3374
4374
5374
6374
7374
8373
9373
10373
11363
12363
13363
14362
15362
16352
17352
18352
19352
20351
21351
22351
23351
24351
25351
26351
27350
28350
29350
30360
31360

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 90% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19451
29451
39451
49451
59361
69361
79361
89361
99361
109361
119361
129271
139172
149172
159172
169172
179172
189172
199172
209082
219082
228992
238992
2488102
2587112
2687112
2785123
2885123
2984133
3083134
3182144

Wind in March

Winds average 7 mph in March, the windiest month of the year.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 7 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
97light breeze
107light breeze
117light breeze
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 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 66 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:27 AM to 5:44 AM, and sunset from 5:36 PM to 6:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:275:36
211.26:255:37
311.26:245:38
411.36:235:39
511.36:215:40
611.36:205:41
711.46:195:42
811.46:175:42
911.56:165:43
1011.56:155:44
1111.56:135:45
1211.66:125:46
1311.66:105:47
1411.66:095:48
1511.76:085:49
1611.76:065:49
1711.86:055:50
1811.86:035:51
1911.86:025:52
2011.96:005:53
2111.95:595:54
2212.05:575:55
2312.05:565:55
2412.05:545:56
2512.15:535:57
2612.15:525:58
2712.15:505:59
2812.25:496:00
2912.25:476:00
3012.35:466:01
3112.35:446:02

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.22 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.1 kWh/m² to a high of 6.2 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.22 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.7Moderate
23.8Moderate
33.8Moderate
43.9Moderate
53.9Moderate
63.9Moderate
74.0Moderate
84.0Bright
94.0Bright
104.1Bright
114.1Bright
124.1Bright
134.1Bright
144.2Bright
154.2Bright
164.2Bright
174.3Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
204.4Bright
214.4Bright
224.5Bright
234.5Bright
244.5Bright
254.6Bright
264.6Bright
274.7Bright
284.7Bright
294.8Bright
304.8Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Columbia?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Columbia for sightseeing.

What to pack for Columbia in March

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

In March, Columbia sees daytime highs around 61°F and nights near 42°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Columbia 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 Columbia peaks around July 12 at about 10 (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 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 12UV 10Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep7Very high
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Columbia 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 Columbia is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.2× the cleanest month (January, 6 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1618 µg/m³Jan 16 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar9Good
Apr9Good
May12Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Columbia?

Columbia sits at 35.6°N, 87.0°W, 643 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Spring Hill, 11 mi away.

Topography around Columbia

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Columbia has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 374 ft around an average of 653 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 643 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,194 ft.

The land around Columbia is covered by trees (50%) and grassland (29%) within 2 miles, trees (56%) and grassland (34%) within 10 miles, and trees (70%) and grassland (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
374 ft
10 miles
643 ft
50 miles
1,194 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Spring Hill 11 mi · Franklin 24 mi · Brentwood Estates 32 mi · Brentwood 32 mi · Shelbyville 34 mi · Dickson 37 mi · La Vergne 37 mi · Smyrna 39 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 Columbia (35.6151°, -87.0353°, elevation 643 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).