Freeport weather in March

In March, Freeport sees average daytime highs of 46°F and overnight lows near 29°F, with 2.6 in of precipitation across 9.5 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 39°F in the first days to 52°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% 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 Freeport's 6th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Freeport's year-round climate.

Daytime high
46°
8th warmest
Overnight low
29°
4th coldest
Precipitation
2.6 in
9.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:19 AM – 5:58 PM
Cloud cover
65%
6th clearest
Wind
9 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
4.08 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.2
out of 10

Freeport is city and county seat and largest city of Stephenson County, Illinois, United States.

Density
802/km²
people per km²
Founded
1827

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 39°F in the first days to 52°F by the end.

A typical March day in Freeport reaches about 46°F in the afternoon and slips back to 29°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 32°F and 61°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 13°F warmer than February and about 12°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13823
23923
33923
44024
54024
64124
74125
84225
94226
104326
114327
124427
134428
144528
154629
164629
174629
184730
194730
204831
214831
224931
234932
245032
255033
265033
275133
285133
295234
305234
315334

How March really feels in Freeport

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
3 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Freeport weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan29° / 15°1.87.55.89.30.0
Feb33° / 18°1.86.65.110.30.0
Mar46° / 29°2.69.52.911.61.2
Apr58° / 39°4.311.91.113.14.0
May69° / 50°4.413.1014.45.9
Jun79° / 60°4.3120156.3
Jul82° / 64°3.610.4014.86.4
Aug80° / 62°3.79.9013.76.7
Sep73° / 54°3.68.8012.37.0
Oct60° / 42°2.98.80.210.85.0
Nov46° / 31°2.47.81.79.61.3
Dec34° / 21°2.17.64.690.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23961
33961
43961
54060
64060
74060
84159
94159
104159
114060
124060
134159
144159
154060
163961
173961
183961
193862
203763
213763
223763
233763
243565
253565
263565
273565
283565
293565
303565
313466

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Freeport gets around 2.6 in of rain and snow over 9.5 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 30% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12916
22916
32915
42915
52914
62914
72913
82913
92912
102912
112911
122911
132910
142910
15289
16289
17289
18298
19298
20297
21307
22307
23316
24326
25326
26335
27335
28345
29345
30355
31355

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
71000
81000
91000
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16982
17982
18982
19982
20973
21973
22973
23973
24973
25973
26973
27973
28973
29973
30973
31973

Wind in March

Winds average 9 mph in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 9 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
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 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 6:44 AM to 5:52 AM, and sunset from 5:39 PM to 6:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.96:445:39
211.06:425:41
311.06:415:42
411.16:395:43
511.16:385:44
611.26:365:46
711.26:345:47
811.36:335:48
911.36:315:49
1011.46:295:50
1111.46:275:52
1211.56:265:53
1311.56:245:54
1411.56:225:55
1511.66:215:56
1611.66:195:58
1711.76:175:59
1811.76:156:00
1911.86:136:01
2011.86:126:02
2111.96:106:03
2211.96:086:04
2312.06:066:06
2412.06:056:07
2512.16:036:08
2612.16:016:09
2712.25:596:10
2812.25:576:11
2912.35:566:13
3012.35:546:14
3112.45:526:15

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.08 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.66 kWh/m² to a high of 6.32 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.08 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
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
214.2Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.3Bright
264.3Bright
274.4Bright
284.4Bright
294.4Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Freeport?

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

1.2
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 Freeport.

What to pack for Freeport in March

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

In March, Freeport sees daytime highs around 46°F and nights near 29°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Freeport 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 Freeport peaks around June 19 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 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 19UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Freeport 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 Freeport is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1915 µg/m³Oct 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Good
May13Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Freeport?

Freeport sits at 42.3°N, 89.6°W, 778 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Rockford, 27 mi away.

Topography around Freeport

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Freeport has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 177 ft around an average of 797 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 472 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 853 ft.

The land around Freeport is covered by trees (33%), grassland (24%) and cropland (21%) within 2 miles, cropland (75%) within 10 miles, and cropland (67%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
177 ft
10 miles
472 ft
50 miles
853 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Rockford 27 mi · Loves Park 29 mi · Machesney Park 30 mi · Dixon 32 mi · Beloit 34 mi · Sterling 35 mi · Belvidere 40 mi · Janesville 40 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 Freeport (42.2967°, -89.6212°, elevation 778 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).