Dubuque weather in March

In March, Dubuque sees average daytime highs of 45°F and overnight lows near 29°F, with 2.5 in of precipitation across 9 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 38°F in the first days to 51°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 Dubuque's 6th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Dubuque's year-round climate.

Daytime high
45°
9th warmest
Overnight low
29°
4th coldest
Precipitation
2.5 in
9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:23 AM – 6:02 PM
Cloud cover
63%
6th clearest
Wind
8 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
4.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.1
out of 10

Dubuque is city in and county seat of Dubuque, Iowa, United States.

Density
719/km²
people per km²
Founded
1788

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 51°F by the end.

A typical March day in Dubuque reaches about 45°F in the afternoon and slips back to 29°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 31°F and 60°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 13°F warmer than February and about 13°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13722
23722
33823
43823
53923
63924
74024
84025
94125
104226
114226
124327
134327
144428
154428
164529
174629
184630
194630
204731
214731
224832
234832
244932
254933
265033
275033
285134
295134
305234
315235

How March really feels in Dubuque

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
5 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Dubuque weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan28° / 13°1.57.469.20.0
Feb32° / 17°1.76.6510.30.0
Mar45° / 29°2.593.411.61.1
Apr58° / 40°4.211.71.113.14.0
May69° / 51°4.412.7014.45.9
Jun78° / 61°4.712015.16.4
Jul82° / 65°3.89.9014.86.5
Aug80° / 63°3.89.7013.76.8
Sep73° / 55°3.68.3012.37.1
Oct60° / 42°2.78.60.410.84.9
Nov45° / 31°2.37.529.61.1
Dec33° / 20°1.97.75.48.90.0

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 15% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14060
24159
34159
44159
54159
64258
74258
84357
94357
104357
114456
124357
134357
144357
154357
164357
174258
184258
194258
204357
214258
224258
234258
244159
254060
264060
274060
284060
294060
304060
313961

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Dubuque gets around 2.5 in of rain and snow over 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 29% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12717
22716
32716
42716
52715
62715
72714
82714
92713
102813
112812
122812
132812
142911
152911
162911
172910
182910
192910
202910
21299
22309
23308
24308
25317
26317
27326
28326
29336
30345
31345

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 (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17982
18982
19982
20982
21982
22982
23982
24982
25982
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982
31982

Wind in March

Winds average 8 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
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
269light breeze
279light breeze
289light breeze
299light breeze
309light breeze
319light 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 6:48 AM to 5:56 AM, and sunset from 5:43 PM to 6:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.96:485:43
211.06:475:45
311.06:455:46
411.16:445:47
511.16:425:48
611.26:405:50
711.26:395:51
811.36:375:52
911.36:355:53
1011.36:335:54
1111.46:325:56
1211.46:305:57
1311.56:285:58
1411.56:275:59
1511.66:256:00
1611.66:236:02
1711.76:216:03
1811.76:196:04
1911.86:186:05
2011.86:166:06
2111.96:146:07
2211.96:126:09
2312.06:116:10
2412.06:096:11
2512.16:076:12
2612.16:056:13
2712.26:036:14
2812.26:026:16
2912.36:006:17
3012.35:586:18
3112.45:566:19

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.09 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.62 kWh/m² to a high of 6.3 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.09 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.5Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.6Moderate
43.7Moderate
53.7Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.8Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.9Moderate
104.0Moderate
114.0Moderate
124.0Bright
134.0Bright
144.1Bright
154.1Bright
164.1Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.2Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.3Bright
264.4Bright
274.4Bright
284.4Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Dubuque?

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

1.1
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Dubuque.

What to pack for Dubuque in March

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

In March, Dubuque sees daytime highs around 45°F and nights near 29°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Dubuque 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 Dubuque peaks around June 18 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 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 18UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

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

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1915 µg/m³Oct 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May12Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Dubuque?

Dubuque sits at 42.5°N, 90.7°W, 620 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Clinton, 52 mi away.

Topography around Dubuque

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Dubuque has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 328 ft around an average of 715 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 633 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 896 ft.

The land around Dubuque is covered by artificial surfaces (36%) and trees (34%) within 2 miles, cropland (35%), trees (34%) and grassland (20%) within 10 miles, and cropland (57%) and trees (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
328 ft
10 miles
633 ft
50 miles
896 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Clinton 52 mi · Freeport 55 mi · Marion 58 mi · Cedar Rapids 60 mi · Davenport 68 mi · Bettendorf 68 mi · Fitchburg 68 mi · Rock Island 68 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 Dubuque (42.5006°, -90.6646°, elevation 620 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).