Great Falls weather in March

In March, Great Falls sees average daytime highs of 45°F and overnight lows near 26°F, with 1.0 in of precipitation across 7 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 39°F in the first days to 49°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 42 min at the start of March to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Great Falls's 11th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Great Falls's year-round climate.

Daytime high
45°
8th warmest
Overnight low
26°
4th coldest
Precipitation
1.0 in
7 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:48 AM – 6:22 PM
Cloud cover
65%
11th clearest
Wind
9 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
4.14 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.2
out of 10

Great Falls is city in and county seat of Cascade County, Montana, United States.

Density
985/km²
people per km²
Founded
1883

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 49°F by the end.

A typical March day in Great Falls reaches about 45°F in the afternoon and slips back to 26°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 28°F and 61°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 9°F warmer than February and about 10°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13820
23920
33921
44021
54022
64122
74123
84223
94324
104324
114425
124425
134526
144526
154626
164627
174627
184727
194728
204728
214728
224828
234828
244829
254829
264929
274929
284929
294929
305030
315030

How March really feels in Great Falls

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
8 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Great Falls 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
Jan33° / 18°0.85.75.78.70.0
Feb36° / 19°0.75.85.99.90.0
Mar45° / 26°1.075.311.61.2
Apr55° / 34°2.09.44.213.33.5
May65° / 43°2.410.81.114.95.7
Jun73° / 50°2.910.50.115.76.6
Jul84° / 56°0.95.1015.46.5
Aug83° / 55°1.14.8014.17.0
Sep71° / 47°1.46.30.212.47.3
Oct57° / 37°1.372.510.64.3
Nov43° / 27°0.95.84.79.10.7
Dec34° / 20°0.85.75.68.30.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24159
34159
44159
54159
64060
74060
84060
94060
104060
114060
123961
133961
143961
153961
164060
173961
183961
193961
203862
213763
223763
233664
243664
253664
263565
273466
283367
293367
303367
313268

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Great Falls gets around 1.0 in of rain and snow over 7 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 23% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12222
22221
32221
42120
52120
62019
72019
82018
92018
102018
112017
122017
132117
142117
152116
162216
172216
182316
192316
202416
212516
222516
232616
242616
252616
262717
272717
282717
292717
302717
312817

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
199light breeze
209light 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 42 min at the start of March to 12 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 108 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:17 AM to 6:17 AM, and sunset from 6:00 PM to 6:44 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.77:176:00
210.87:156:01
310.87:136:03
410.97:116:04
510.97:106:06
611.07:086:07
711.17:066:09
811.17:046:10
911.27:026:12
1011.27:006:13
1111.36:586:15
1211.36:566:16
1311.46:546:18
1411.56:526:19
1511.56:506:21
1611.66:486:22
1711.66:466:24
1811.76:446:25
1911.86:416:26
2011.86:396:28
2111.96:376:29
2211.96:356:31
2312.06:336:32
2412.06:316:34
2512.16:296:35
2612.26:276:37
2712.26:256:38
2812.36:236:40
2912.36:216:41
3012.46:196:42
3112.56:176:44

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.14 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.39 kWh/m² to a high of 7.32 kWh/m² in July across the year — March's 4.14 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.4Moderate
23.5Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.6Moderate
53.6Moderate
63.7Moderate
73.8Moderate
83.8Moderate
93.8Moderate
103.9Moderate
113.9Moderate
124.0Moderate
134.0Bright
144.1Bright
154.1Bright
164.2Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.4Bright
234.4Bright
244.5Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.6Bright
284.6Bright
294.7Bright
304.7Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Great Falls?

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

1.2
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Great Falls.

What to pack for Great Falls in March

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

In March, Great Falls sees daytime highs around 45°F and nights near 26°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Great Falls in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Great Falls peaks around July 14 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 14UV 8Dec 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar3Moderate
Apr4Moderate
May7High
Jun7Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep5Moderate
Oct4Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Great Falls 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 Great Falls is worst in August — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.8× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodAug 1323 µg/m³Dec 106 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb6Good
Mar11Good
Apr13Moderate
May12Good
Jun9Good
Jul20Moderate
Aug23Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Great Falls?

Great Falls sits at 47.5°N, 111.3°W, 3,330 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Helena, 71 mi away.

Topography around Great Falls

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Great Falls has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 217 ft around an average of 3,366 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,270 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,588 ft.

The land around Great Falls is covered by artificial surfaces (52%) and grassland (22%) within 2 miles, grassland (51%) and cropland (38%) within 10 miles, and grassland (55%) and cropland (31%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
217 ft
10 miles
1,270 ft
50 miles
6,588 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Helena 71 mi · Butte 119 mi · Bozeman 126 mi · Missoula 134 mi · Kalispell 148 mi · Whitefish 154 mi · Lethbridge 167 mi · Medicine Hat 178 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 Great Falls (47.5002°, -111.3008°, elevation 3,330 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).