Hickory weather in March

In March, Hickory sees average daytime highs of 60°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 4.4 in of precipitation across 10.4 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 57°F in the first days to 64°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 12 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Hickory's 7th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Hickory's year-round climate.

Daytime high
60°
8th warmest
Overnight low
40°
5th coldest
Precipitation
4.4 in
10.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:43 AM – 6:27 PM
Cloud cover
56%
7th clearest
Wind
6 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.41 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Hickory is city in Catawba County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
523/km²
people per km²
Founded
1870

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 57°F in the first days to 64°F by the end.

A typical March day in Hickory reaches about 60°F in the afternoon and slips back to 40°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 47°F and 74°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 8°F warmer than February and about 9°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15637
25637
35737
45737
55737
65837
75837
85838
95838
105938
115938
125939
136039
146039
156040
166040
176140
186140
196141
206241
216241
226242
236242
246342
256343
266343
276443
286444
296444
306544
316544

How March really feels in Hickory

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 4 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
4
wind chill below the day's low

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

Hickory weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan49° / 31°3.79.61.59.92.0
Feb53° / 34°3.491.510.63.0
Mar60° / 40°4.410.40.811.75.0
Apr70° / 49°3.99.1012.96.6
May77° / 57°3.410.8013.96.7
Jun84° / 65°3.613014.45.1
Jul88° / 69°3.514014.24.1
Aug86° / 68°3.712.5013.44.8
Sep80° / 62°3.89.6012.26.6
Oct70° / 50°3.57.2011.17.1
Nov59° / 39°3.47.6010.15.1
Dec51° / 34°3.88.80.79.62.7

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% 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 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25248
35248
45347
55347
65347
75347
85347
95347
105347
115347
125248
135248
145248
155248
165149
175050
184951
195050
205050
214951
224951
234951
244951
254951
264951
275050
285149
295149
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Hickory gets around 4.4 in of rain and snow over 10.4 wet days in March, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 33% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1335
2334
3324
4324
5324
6324
7324
8324
9323
10323
11333
12333
13333
14333
15333
16333
17332
18332
19342
20342
21342
22342
23332
24331
25331
26321
27321
28311
29311
30311
31311

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 95% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19730
29730
39730
49730
59730
69640
79640
89640
99640
109640
119640
129640
139640
149550
159550
169550
179550
189550
199550
209550
219460
229460
239361
249361
259361
269271
279271
289271
299271
309271
319181

Wind in March

Winds average 6 mph in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:04 AM to 6:21 AM, and sunset from 6:13 PM to 6:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.27:046:13
211.27:036:14
311.27:016:15
411.37:006:16
511.36:596:17
611.36:576:18
711.46:566:19
811.46:556:20
911.56:536:20
1011.56:526:21
1111.56:516:22
1211.66:496:23
1311.66:486:24
1411.66:466:25
1511.76:456:26
1611.76:436:27
1711.86:426:27
1811.86:416:28
1911.86:396:29
2011.96:386:30
2111.96:366:31
2212.06:356:32
2312.06:336:33
2412.06:326:33
2512.16:306:34
2612.16:296:35
2712.16:276:36
2812.26:266:37
2912.26:246:38
3012.36:236:38
3112.36:216:39

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.41 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.27 kWh/m² to a high of 6.16 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.41 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
23.9Moderate
34.0Moderate
44.0Bright
54.1Bright
64.1Bright
74.2Bright
84.2Bright
94.3Bright
104.3Bright
114.3Bright
124.3Bright
134.4Bright
144.4Bright
154.4Bright
164.5Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.5Bright
204.6Bright
214.6Bright
224.6Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.8Bright
274.8Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Hickory?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.8
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Hickory for sightseeing.

What to pack for Hickory in March

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

In March, Hickory sees daytime highs around 60°F and nights near 40°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Hickory in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Hickory peaks around July 13 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul10Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Hickory 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 Hickory is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (December, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1619 µg/m³Dec 158 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb10Good
Mar13Moderate
Apr12Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep13Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov9Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Hickory?

Hickory sits at 35.7°N, 81.3°W, 1,148 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Lenoir, 17 mi away.

Topography around Hickory

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Hickory has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 312 ft around an average of 1,106 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,368 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,899 ft.

The land around Hickory is covered by trees (57%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 2 miles, trees (65%) and grassland (25%) within 10 miles, and trees (79%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
312 ft
10 miles
1,368 ft
50 miles
5,899 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Lenoir 17 mi · Morganton 19 mi · Statesville 25 mi · Mooresville 32 mi · Cornelius 32 mi · Shelby 32 mi · Gastonia 34 mi · Huntersville 36 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 Hickory (35.7332°, -81.3412°, elevation 1,148 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).