Columbus weather in March

In March, Columbus sees average daytime highs of 50°F and overnight lows near 33°F, with 3.8 in of precipitation across 11.2 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 45°F in the first days to 55°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% 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 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Columbus's year-round climate.

Daytime high
50°
9th warmest
Overnight low
33°
4th coldest
Precipitation
3.8 in
11.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:51 AM – 6:32 PM
Cloud cover
70%
9th clearest
Wind
9 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
3.9 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.1
out of 10

Columbus is capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio and seat of Franklin County, also located in Delaware and Fairfield counties.

Density
1,572/km²
people per km²
Founded
1812

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 45°F in the first days to 55°F by the end.

A typical March day in Columbus reaches about 50°F in the afternoon and slips back to 33°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 35°F and 67°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 10°F warmer than February and about 13°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14428
24428
34528
44529
54529
64629
74629
84630
94730
104730
114831
124831
134931
144932
154932
165033
175033
185133
195134
205134
215234
225235
235335
245335
255436
265436
275537
285537
295537
305638
315638

How March really feels in Columbus

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 31 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
31
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 9th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan37° / 22°3.310.75.29.50.0
Feb40° / 25°2.79.34.410.40.1
Mar50° / 33°3.811.22.611.72.1
Apr62° / 43°4.512.40.5135.0
May72° / 53°4.413.3014.26.1
Jun80° / 62°4.011.9014.86.2
Jul83° / 66°3.411.2014.55.6
Aug82° / 64°2.99.7013.66.3
Sep76° / 57°2.98.3012.37.1
Oct64° / 45°2.990.210.95.8
Nov51° / 35°3.19.419.82.5
Dec41° / 28°3.410.33.19.20.2

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% 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 67%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23169
33268
43268
53268
63268
73367
83367
93466
103565
113565
123466
133466
143466
153565
163466
173466
183367
193466
203367
213367
223367
233268
243268
253169
263268
273268
283268
293268
303367
313367

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Columbus gets around 3.8 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 37% and peaks near 42% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13513
23513
33513
43413
53413
63412
73412
83412
93412
103411
113411
123411
133410
143510
15359
16359
17358
18368
19367
20377
21376
22386
23396
24395
25405
26405
27415
28414
29414
30424
31424

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 (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13982
14982
15982
16982
17982
18982
19973
20973
21973
22973
23973
24973
25982
26982
27982
28982
29982
30973
31973

Wind in March

Winds average 9 mph in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 8 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
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light 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 7:15 AM to 6:27 AM, and sunset from 6:16 PM to 6:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.07:156:16
211.17:136:17
311.17:126:18
411.17:106:19
511.27:096:20
611.27:076:21
711.37:066:22
811.37:046:23
911.47:036:24
1011.47:016:25
1111.57:006:27
1211.56:586:28
1311.56:566:29
1411.66:556:30
1511.66:536:31
1611.76:516:32
1711.76:506:33
1811.86:486:34
1911.86:476:35
2011.96:456:36
2111.96:436:37
2211.96:426:38
2312.06:406:39
2412.06:386:40
2512.16:376:41
2612.16:356:42
2712.26:336:43
2812.26:326:44
2912.36:306:45
3012.36:286:46
3112.36:276:47

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 3.9 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.61 kWh/m² to a high of 6.22 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 3.9 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.3Moderate
23.4Moderate
33.4Moderate
43.5Moderate
53.5Moderate
63.6Moderate
73.6Moderate
83.7Moderate
93.7Moderate
103.7Moderate
113.8Moderate
123.8Moderate
133.9Moderate
143.9Moderate
153.9Moderate
163.9Moderate
174.0Moderate
184.0Bright
194.0Bright
204.1Bright
214.1Bright
224.1Bright
234.2Bright
244.2Bright
254.2Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.4Bright
294.4Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
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).

2.1
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-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 50°F and nights near 33°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 21 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 21UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Very 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 2.3× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1117 µg/m³Oct 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb11Good
Mar11Good
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Columbus?

Columbus sits at 40.0°N, 83.0°W, 771 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Upper Arlington, 4.3 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 171 ft around an average of 758 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 512 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,010 ft.

The land around Columbus is covered by artificial surfaces (69%) within 2 miles, trees (39%) and artificial surfaces (33%) within 10 miles, and cropland (49%) and trees (33%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
171 ft
10 miles
512 ft
50 miles
1,010 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Upper Arlington 4.3 mi · Whitehall 6.2 mi · Grove City 7.5 mi · Gahanna 7.5 mi · Hilliard 9.9 mi · Reynoldsburg 9.9 mi · Dublin 11 mi · Westerville 12 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 (39.9612°, -82.9988°, elevation 771 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).