Jacksonville weather in March

In March, Jacksonville sees average daytime highs of 52°F and overnight lows near 34°F, with 3.1 in of precipitation across 10.3 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 46°F in the first days to 57°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 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Jacksonville's 9th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Jacksonville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
52°
8th warmest
Overnight low
34°
4th coldest
Precipitation
3.1 in
10.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:20 AM – 6:01 PM
Cloud cover
65%
9th clearest
Wind
9 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.12 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.8
out of 10

Jacksonville is city in Morgan County, Illinois, United States.

Density
691/km²
people per km²
Founded
1825

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 46°F in the first days to 57°F by the end.

A typical March day in Jacksonville reaches about 52°F in the afternoon and slips back to 34°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 37°F and 69°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)
14628
24628
34629
44729
54729
64830
74830
84931
94931
105031
115032
125132
135133
145233
155234
165334
175335
185335
195435
205436
215436
225537
235537
245537
255638
265638
275738
285738
295739
305839
315839

How March really feels in Jacksonville

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 27 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
27
wind chill below the day's low

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

Jacksonville weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan36° / 21°2.37.749.50.0
Feb41° / 24°2.27.23.410.40.3
Mar52° / 34°3.110.31.611.72.8
Apr64° / 45°4.611.50.4135.4
May74° / 55°4.413.4014.26.2
Jun82° / 65°4.111.1014.85.8
Jul85° / 68°3.39.5014.55.3
Aug84° / 66°3.09013.65.7
Sep78° / 58°2.97.5012.37.3
Oct66° / 46°3.08.30.110.96.3
Nov52° / 35°3.28.20.99.82.8
Dec40° / 26°2.37.42.79.20.2

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 14% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23961
33961
43961
53961
63961
73961
84060
94060
104060
114060
124060
134060
143961
153862
163862
173862
183763
193763
203763
213763
223763
233763
243763
253862
263862
273862
283862
293862
303961
314060

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Jacksonville gets around 3.1 in of rain and snow over 10.3 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 33% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13010
23010
33010
4309
5308
6308
7307
8307
9306
10306
11316
12316
13326
14325
15335
16335
17345
18345
19345
20355
21355
22355
23364
24364
25364
26354
27353
28353
29353
30353
31353

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 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19910
29910
39910
49910
59910
69910
79910
89910
99820
109820
119820
129820
139820
149730
159730
169730
179640
189640
199640
209640
219550
229550
239550
249451
259451
269451
279451
289451
299451
309361
319361

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 11 hours 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 78 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:44 AM to 5:56 AM, and sunset from 5:45 PM to 6:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:445:45
211.16:425:46
311.16:415:47
411.16:395:48
511.26:385:49
611.26:365:50
711.36:355:51
811.36:335:52
911.46:315:53
1011.46:305:55
1111.56:285:56
1211.56:275:57
1311.56:255:58
1411.66:245:59
1511.66:226:00
1611.76:206:01
1711.76:196:02
1811.86:176:03
1911.86:156:04
2011.96:146:05
2111.96:126:06
2211.96:106:07
2312.06:096:08
2412.06:076:09
2512.16:056:10
2612.16:046:11
2712.26:026:12
2812.26:006:13
2912.35:596:14
3012.35:576:15
3112.35:566:16

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.12 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.84 kWh/m² to a high of 6.46 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.12 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.7Moderate
33.7Moderate
43.8Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.9Moderate
73.9Moderate
83.9Moderate
94.0Moderate
104.0Bright
114.0Bright
124.1Bright
134.1Bright
144.1Bright
154.1Bright
164.2Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.2Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.4Bright
264.4Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Jacksonville?

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

2.8
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 Jacksonville.

What to pack for Jacksonville in March

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

In March, Jacksonville sees daytime highs around 52°F and nights near 34°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Jacksonville 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 Jacksonville peaks around June 21 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 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highModerateJun 21UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Jacksonville 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 Jacksonville is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1716 µg/m³Oct 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar12Moderate
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Jacksonville?

Jacksonville sits at 39.7°N, 90.2°W, 610 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Springfield, 32 mi away.

Topography around Jacksonville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Jacksonville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 177 ft around an average of 604 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 243 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 604 ft.

The land around Jacksonville is covered by trees (32%), grassland (25%) and cropland (23%) within 2 miles, cropland (74%) within 10 miles, and cropland (65%) and trees (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
177 ft
10 miles
243 ft
50 miles
604 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Springfield 32 mi · Godfrey 54 mi · Macomb 55 mi · Upper Alton 57 mi · Alton 58 mi · Hannibal 60 mi · Old Jamestown 62 mi · Quincy 64 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 Jacksonville (39.7339°, -90.229°, elevation 610 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).