Columbus weather in March

In March, Columbus sees average daytime highs of 53°F and overnight lows near 35°F, with 4.1 in of precipitation across 10.8 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 47°F in the first days to 58°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 hours at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Columbus's 9th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Columbus's year-round climate.

Daytime high
53°
8th warmest
Overnight low
35°
4th coldest
Precipitation
4.1 in
10.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
7:03 AM – 6:44 PM
Cloud cover
67%
9th clearest
Wind
8 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.8
out of 10

Columbus is city in Bartholomew County, Indiana, United States.

Density
644/km²
people per km²
Founded
1820

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 47°F in the first days to 58°F by the end.

A typical March day in Columbus reaches about 53°F in the afternoon and slips back to 35°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 38°F and 69°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 10°F warmer than February and about 12°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14730
24730
34731
44831
54831
64831
74932
84932
95032
105033
115133
125133
135134
145234
155235
165335
175335
185336
195436
205437
215537
225537
235537
245638
255638
265638
275739
285739
295840
305840
315940

How March really feels in Columbus

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 24 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
24
wind chill below the day's low

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

Columbus weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan38° / 24°3.39.33.79.60.0
Feb42° / 26°2.98.53.410.50.4
Mar53° / 35°4.110.81.611.72.8
Apr64° / 46°4.912.30.2135.4
May73° / 56°5.013.3014.16.2
Jun82° / 65°4.411.8014.75.8
Jul85° / 68°3.611.6014.55.1
Aug84° / 66°3.19.1013.55.8
Sep78° / 58°3.08.1012.37.1
Oct66° / 47°3.28.50116.2
Nov52° / 37°3.59.20.79.92.9
Dec42° / 29°3.510.23.19.30.3

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% 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 63%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23664
33664
43664
53862
63862
73862
83961
93961
103961
113961
123961
133961
143862
153862
163862
173664
183664
193664
203565
213565
223565
233565
243565
253466
263466
273466
283565
293664
303664
313664

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Columbus gets around 4.1 in of rain and snow over 10.8 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 35% and peaks near 40% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13310
23310
3339
4339
5339
6339
7338
8338
9338
10337
11337
12337
13346
14346
15346
16345
17345
18355
19354
20354
21364
22363
23373
24373
25383
26382
27382
28392
29392
30401
31401

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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19910
29910
39910
49910
59910
69910
79910
89910
99820
109820
119820
129820
139820
149730
159730
169730
179730
189730
199730
209730
219730
229730
239640
249640
259640
269640
279541
289541
299541
309541
319451

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 hours 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 78 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:26 AM to 6:38 AM, and sunset from 6:28 PM to 6:59 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.07:266:28
211.17:246:29
311.17:236:30
411.27:216:31
511.27:206:32
611.27:186:33
711.37:176:34
811.37:156:36
911.47:146:37
1011.47:126:38
1111.57:116:39
1211.57:096:40
1311.67:086:41
1411.67:066:42
1511.67:046:43
1611.77:036:44
1711.77:016:45
1811.87:006:46
1911.86:586:47
2011.96:566:48
2111.96:556:49
2211.96:536:50
2312.06:526:51
2412.06:506:52
2512.16:486:53
2612.16:476:54
2712.26:456:55
2812.26:436:56
2912.36:426:57
3012.36:406:58
3112.36:386:59

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.72 kWh/m² to a high of 6.24 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.4Moderate
23.5Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.6Moderate
53.6Moderate
63.7Moderate
73.7Moderate
83.7Moderate
93.8Moderate
103.8Moderate
113.9Moderate
123.9Moderate
133.9Moderate
144.0Moderate
154.0Bright
164.0Bright
174.1Bright
184.1Bright
194.1Bright
204.2Bright
214.2Bright
224.2Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.3Bright
264.4Bright
274.4Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Columbus?

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

2.8
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Columbus.

What to pack for Columbus in March

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

In March, Columbus sees daytime highs around 53°F and nights near 35°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Columbus 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 Columbus peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 23UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Columbus 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 Columbus is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1316 µg/m³Oct 237 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct7Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Columbus?

Columbus sits at 39.2°N, 85.9°W, 630 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Seymour, 17 mi away.

Topography around Columbus

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Columbus has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 112 ft around an average of 623 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 463 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 778 ft.

The land around Columbus is covered by cropland (33%), trees (26%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 2 miles, cropland (46%) and trees (38%) within 10 miles, and trees (47%) and cropland (39%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
112 ft
10 miles
463 ft
50 miles
778 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Seymour 17 mi · Franklin 21 mi · Shelbyville 24 mi · Greenwood 30 mi · Bloomington 32 mi · Greenfield 41 mi · Indianapolis 41 mi · Plainfield 43 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 Columbus (39.2014°, -85.9214°, elevation 630 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).