Dover weather in March

In March, Dover sees average daytime highs of 53°F and overnight lows near 38°F, with 4.1 in of precipitation across 10.3 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 49°F in the first days to 57°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% 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 Dover's 12th-clearest and 1st-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dover's year-round climate.

Daytime high
53°
9th warmest
Overnight low
38°
4th coldest
Precipitation
4.1 in
10.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:21 AM – 6:02 PM
Cloud cover
61%
12th clearest
Wind
9 mph
1st windiest
Solar energy
4.18 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.9
out of 10

Dover is capital city of the U.S. state of Delaware and seat of Kent County.

Density
648/km²
people per km²
Founded
1683

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 49°F in the first days to 57°F by the end.

A typical March day in Dover reaches about 53°F in the afternoon and slips back to 38°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 41°F and 66°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 8°F warmer than February and about 11°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14834
24934
34934
44934
54935
65035
75035
85035
95135
105136
115136
125136
135237
145237
155237
165237
175338
185338
195338
205338
215439
225439
235539
245540
255540
265640
275641
285641
295742
305742
315842

How March really feels in Dover

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 19 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
19
wind chill below the day's low

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

Dover weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 9th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan43° / 30°3.19.22.99.60.4
Feb45° / 31°3.08.92.910.51.0
Mar53° / 38°4.110.31.611.72.9
Apr64° / 47°3.39.90.2135.6
May72° / 57°3.410.7014.16.6
Jun81° / 66°3.610.2014.76.2
Jul85° / 71°3.711014.55.2
Aug83° / 70°4.310.5013.55.8
Sep77° / 63°4.19.2012.37.0
Oct67° / 52°3.780116.5
Nov56° / 42°2.97.50.29.94.0
Dec47° / 35°3.79.11.39.31.6

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in March, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24456
34555
44456
54555
64654
74654
84555
94654
104654
114654
124654
134654
144654
154654
164555
174654
184555
194456
204555
214456
224357
234357
244357
254357
264357
274357
284357
294456
304456
314555

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Dover gets around 4.1 in of rain and snow over 10.3 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 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1369
2359
3358
4348
5347
6337
7337
8326
9326
10326
11315
12315
13315
14315
15315
16315
17315
18315
19315
20324
21324
22334
23334
24344
25343
26343
27343
28353
29352
30352
31352

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 99% 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
99910
109910
119910
129910
139910
149910
159910
169910
179910
189910
199910
209910
219910
229910
239910
249820
259820
269820
279820
289820
299820
309820
319721

Wind in March

Winds average 9 mph in March, the windiest month of the year.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 9 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light 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 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 6:44 AM to 5:57 AM, and sunset from 5:46 PM to 6:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:445:46
211.16:435:48
311.16:415:49
411.26:405:50
511.26:385:51
611.36:375:52
711.36:355:53
811.36:345:54
911.46:325:55
1011.46:315:56
1111.56:295:57
1211.56:285:58
1311.66:265:59
1411.66:246:00
1511.66:236:01
1611.76:216:02
1711.76:206:03
1811.86:186:04
1911.86:166:05
2011.96:156:06
2111.96:136:07
2211.96:126:08
2312.06:106:09
2412.06:086:10
2512.16:076:11
2612.16:056:12
2712.26:036:13
2812.26:026:14
2912.36:006:15
3012.35:596:16
3112.35:576:17

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.18 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.93 kWh/m² to a high of 6.33 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.18 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.7Moderate
23.7Moderate
33.8Moderate
43.8Moderate
53.9Moderate
63.9Moderate
73.9Moderate
84.0Moderate
94.0Bright
104.1Bright
114.1Bright
124.1Bright
134.2Bright
144.2Bright
154.2Bright
164.2Bright
174.3Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.4Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.7Bright
314.7Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Dover

In seasonPeak

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

Dover 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 Dover?

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

2.9
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 Dover.

What to pack for Dover in March

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

In March, Dover sees daytime highs around 53°F and nights near 38°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Dover in March

The nearest coast averages about 41°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 8 mi away) is warmest in August at about 76°F and coldest in February near 37°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 19 to Oct 3 — about 3.5 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan39Bracing
Feb37Bracing
Mar41Bracing
Apr49Bracing
May58Bracing
Jun67Cool
Jul74Refreshing
Aug76Warm
Sep73Refreshing
Oct64Cool
Nov53Bracing
Dec44Bracing

UV index in Dover 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 Dover peaks around July 10 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 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 highHighModerateLowJul 10UV 8Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug6High
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Dover 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 Dover is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (November, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1115 µg/m³Nov 127 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Good
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug13Moderate
Sep10Good
Oct8Good
Nov7Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Dover?

Dover sits at 39.2°N, 75.5°W, 30 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Middletown, 22 mi away.

Topography around Dover

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Dover has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 131 ft around an average of 39 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 174 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 761 ft.

The land around Dover is covered by trees (41%), artificial surfaces (29%) and grassland (21%) within 2 miles, trees (30%) and cropland (26%) within 10 miles, and trees (39%), water (27%) and cropland (20%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
131 ft
10 miles
174 ft
50 miles
761 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
March weather nearby: Middletown 22 mi · Bridgeton 24 mi · Millville 31 mi · South Vineland 33 mi · Bear 34 mi · Vineland 35 mi · Elkton 35 mi · Cape May 37 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 Dover (39.1582°, -75.5244°, elevation 30 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).