Galesburg weather in March

In March, Galesburg sees average daytime highs of 49°F and overnight lows near 31°F, with 2.9 in of precipitation across 10.1 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 42°F in the first days to 54°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Galesburg's 9th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Galesburg's year-round climate.

Daytime high
49°
8th warmest
Overnight low
31°
4th coldest
Precipitation
2.9 in
10.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:21 AM – 6:01 PM
Cloud cover
65%
9th clearest
Wind
9 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.11 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.9
out of 10

Galesburg is county seat of Knox County, Illinois, United States.

Density
674/km²
people per km²
Founded
1837

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 42°F in the first days to 54°F by the end.

A typical March day in Galesburg reaches about 49°F in the afternoon and slips back to 31°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 34°F and 65°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 12°F warmer than February and about 12°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14225
24226
34226
44326
54327
64427
74428
84528
94628
104629
114729
124730
134830
144831
154931
164931
175032
185032
195033
205133
215133
225234
235234
245235
255335
265335
275435
285436
295436
305536
315537

How March really feels in Galesburg

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.

Galesburg weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 17°2.07.85.29.40.0
Feb36° / 21°2.07.14.310.40.0
Mar49° / 31°2.910.12.211.71.9
Apr61° / 42°4.4120.713.14.7
May71° / 53°4.713.2014.36.1
Jun80° / 63°4.711.6014.96.2
Jul83° / 66°3.59.6014.65.8
Aug82° / 64°3.39.4013.66.5
Sep76° / 56°3.48.5012.37.2
Oct63° / 44°2.98.70.210.95.7
Nov48° / 33°2.67.71.29.72.0
Dec37° / 23°2.17.13.69.10.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% 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 (%)
13763
23862
33763
43862
53862
63862
73961
83961
93961
104060
114060
123961
133961
144060
153961
163961
173961
183862
193862
203862
213763
223763
233664
243664
253664
263664
273664
283664
293664
303763
313763

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Galesburg gets around 2.9 in of rain and snow over 10.1 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 32% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13013
23013
33012
43011
53011
63010
72910
8299
9299
10298
11308
12308
13308
14318
15317
16327
17327
18337
19337
20347
21356
22356
23366
24365
25365
26365
27364
28364
29364
30363
31363

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
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15982
16982
17982
18982
19973
20973
21973
22973
23973
24973
25973
26973
27973
28973
29964
30964
31964

Wind in March

Winds average 9 mph in March.

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
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
3010light breeze
3110light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 hours 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 84 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:45 AM to 5:56 AM, and sunset from 5:44 PM to 6:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:455:44
211.06:445:45
311.16:425:46
411.16:415:47
511.26:395:49
611.26:385:50
711.26:365:51
811.36:345:52
911.36:335:53
1011.46:315:54
1111.46:305:55
1211.56:285:57
1311.56:265:58
1411.66:255:59
1511.66:236:00
1611.76:216:01
1711.76:206:02
1811.86:186:03
1911.86:166:04
2011.86:146:05
2111.96:136:06
2211.96:116:08
2312.06:096:09
2412.06:086:10
2512.16:066:11
2612.16:046:12
2712.26:026:13
2812.26:016:14
2912.35:596:15
3012.35:576:16
3112.45:566:17

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.11 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.75 kWh/m² to a high of 6.41 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.11 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.7Moderate
43.7Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.9Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.9Moderate
104.0Moderate
114.0Bright
124.0Bright
134.1Bright
144.1Bright
154.1Bright
164.2Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.4Bright
264.4Bright
274.4Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Galesburg?

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

1.9
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 Galesburg.

What to pack for Galesburg in March

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

In March, Galesburg sees daytime highs around 49°F and nights near 31°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Galesburg 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 Galesburg peaks around June 19 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 19UV 9Dec 21UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Galesburg 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 Galesburg is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1915 µg/m³Oct 228 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Galesburg?

Galesburg sits at 40.9°N, 90.4°W, 771 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Macomb, 37 mi away.

Topography around Galesburg

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Galesburg has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 75 ft around an average of 778 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 259 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 528 ft.

The land around Galesburg is covered by artificial surfaces (31%), trees (26%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, cropland (67%) and trees (21%) within 10 miles, and cropland (68%) and trees (21%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
75 ft
10 miles
259 ft
50 miles
528 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Macomb 37 mi · East Moline 39 mi · Moline 39 mi · Burlington 40 mi · Rock Island 40 mi · Bettendorf 40 mi · Davenport 41 mi · North Peoria 44 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 Galesburg (40.9478°, -90.3712°, 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).