Dover weather in March

In March, Dover sees average daytime highs of 42°F and overnight lows near 28°F, with 4.2 in of precipitation across 10.9 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 38°F in the first days to 46°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 54 min at the start of March to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Dover's 9th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dover's year-round climate.

Daytime high
42°
9th warmest
Overnight low
28°
4th coldest
Precipitation
4.2 in
10.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:04 AM – 5:42 PM
Cloud cover
62%
9th clearest
Wind
9 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
4.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.4
out of 10

Dover is county seat city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States.

Density
411/km²
people per km²
Founded
1623

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 38°F in the first days to 46°F by the end.

A typical March day in Dover reaches about 42°F in the afternoon and slips back to 28°F overnight — a 14°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°F and 53°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 7°F warmer than February and about 12°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13823
23824
33824
43824
53824
63924
73925
83925
93925
104026
114026
124026
134026
144127
154127
164127
174228
184228
194228
204229
214329
224329
234430
244430
254531
264531
274632
284632
294633
304733
314733

How March really feels in Dover

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
2 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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
Jan32° / 19°3.49.36.89.20.0
Feb34° / 20°3.296.110.20.0
Mar42° / 28°4.210.95.411.60.4
Apr54° / 38°4.010.51.413.13.1
May64° / 48°3.010.3014.45.5
Jun74° / 58°3.610.8015.16.5
Jul79° / 64°3.210.7014.96.5
Aug78° / 62°3.39.2013.86.9
Sep71° / 55°3.48.3012.36.9
Oct59° / 45°4.29.50.210.84.8
Nov48° / 35°3.69.21.29.51.8
Dec38° / 26°4.410.45.28.90.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% 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 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24258
34258
44258
54159
64159
74159
84159
94159
104258
114258
124357
134456
144456
154555
164555
174555
184555
194555
204555
214555
224555
234555
244555
254456
264456
274258
284258
294159
304159
313961

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Dover gets around 4.2 in of rain and snow over 10.9 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 37% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13420
23420
33420
43420
53520
63520
73520
83520
93619
103619
113619
123619
133619
143519
153519
163519
173418
183418
193418
203417
213417
223416
233516
243515
253515
263614
273613
283713
293712
303711
313711

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

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
179light breeze
189light 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 10 h 54 min at the start of March to 12 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 90 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:30 AM to 5:37 AM, and sunset from 5:23 PM to 6:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.96:305:23
210.96:285:25
311.06:275:26
411.06:255:27
511.16:235:29
611.16:225:30
711.26:205:31
811.26:185:32
911.36:175:34
1011.36:155:35
1111.46:135:36
1211.46:115:37
1311.56:095:39
1411.56:085:40
1511.66:065:41
1611.66:045:42
1711.76:025:43
1811.76:015:45
1911.85:595:46
2011.85:575:47
2111.95:555:48
2211.95:535:49
2312.05:515:51
2412.05:505:52
2512.15:485:53
2612.15:465:54
2712.25:445:55
2812.25:425:57
2912.35:405:58
3012.35:395:59
3112.45:376:00

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.02 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.54 kWh/m² to a high of 6.07 kWh/m² in July across the year — March's 4.02 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.4Moderate
23.4Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.5Moderate
53.5Moderate
63.6Moderate
73.6Moderate
83.7Moderate
93.7Moderate
103.8Moderate
113.8Moderate
123.9Moderate
133.9Moderate
144.0Moderate
154.0Bright
164.1Bright
174.1Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.4Bright
274.4Bright
284.4Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
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).

0.4
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 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 42°F and nights near 28°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Dover in March

The nearest coast averages about 38°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 14 mi away) is warmest in August at about 65°F and coldest in March near 38°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshing
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan42Bracing
Feb39Bracing
Mar38Bracing
Apr42Bracing
May49Bracing
Jun57Bracing
Jul63Cool
Aug65Cool
Sep62Cool
Oct55Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec45Bracing

UV index in Dover in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 4 — 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 7 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighHighModerateModerateLowJul 10UV 7Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7High
Jun7High
Jul7Very high
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Dover?

Dover sits at 43.2°N, 70.9°W, 62 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Rochester, 8.7 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 315 ft around an average of 121 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 696 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,943 ft.

The land around Dover is covered by trees (62%) and grassland (20%) within 2 miles, trees (75%) within 10 miles, and trees (67%) and water (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
315 ft
10 miles
696 ft
50 miles
2,943 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
March weather nearby: Rochester 8.7 mi · Portsmouth 9.9 mi · Sanford 17 mi · Amesbury 24 mi · Newburyport 27 mi · Biddeford 29 mi · Saco 30 mi · Derry Village 30 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 (43.1979°, -70.8737°, elevation 62 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).