Mackinac Island weather in March

In March, Mackinac Island sees average daytime highs of 33°F and overnight lows near 21°F, with 2.0 in of precipitation across 8.4 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 28°F in the first days to 37°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 48 min at the start of March to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Mackinac Island's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Mackinac Island's year-round climate.

Daytime high: 33°; 9th warmest
Overnight low: 21°; 3rd coldest
Precipitation: 2.0 in; 8.4 wet days
Daylight: 11 h 36 min; 7:00 AM – 6:36 PM
Cloud cover: 64%; 7th clearest
Wind: 10 mph; 8th windiest
Solar energy: 4.2 kWh/m²
Travel score: 0.0; out of 10

Mackinac Island is city located on Mackinac Island in Michigan.

Founded: 1671

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

← February Mackinac Island year-round climate April →Best places to visit in March

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 28°F in the first days to 37°F by the end.

A typical March day in Mackinac Island reaches about 33°F in the afternoon and slips back to 21°F overnight — a 12°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°F and 44°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 8°F warmer than February and about 11°F cooler than April.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Avg high (°F)	27	27	28	28	28	29	29	30	30	31	31	31	32	32	33	33	33	34	34	34	35	35	35	36	36	37	37	37	37	38	38
Avg low (°F)	15	16	16	16	17	17	17	18	18	18	19	19	20	20	20	21	21	22	22	22	23	23	24	24	24	25	25	25	26	26	27

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	27	15
2	27	16
3	28	16
4	28	16
5	28	17
6	29	17
7	29	17
8	30	18
9	30	18
10	31	18
11	31	19
12	31	19
13	32	20
14	32	20
15	33	20
16	33	21
17	33	21
18	34	22
19	34	22
20	34	22
21	35	23
22	35	23
23	35	24
24	36	24
25	36	24
26	37	25
27	37	25
28	37	25
29	37	26
30	38	26
31	38	27

How March really feels in Mackinac Island

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

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 32°F

24 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Mackinac Island weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 9th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

Month	High / Low (°F)	Rainfall (inches)	Wet days	Snow days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	24° / 14°	1.9	9.9	10.9	8.9	0.0
Feb	24° / 13°	1.6	7.4	7.3	10.1	0.0
Mar	33° / 21°	2.0	8.4	6.1	11.6	0.0
Apr	44° / 32°	2.9	9.7	3.2	13.3	0.9
May	56° / 43°	2.9	10.2	0.3	14.7	3.7
Jun	68° / 55°	3.0	10	0	15.5	6.3
Jul	74° / 62°	3.3	10.9	0	15.2	6.9
Aug	73° / 62°	3.4	10	0	13.9	6.9
Sep	66° / 55°	3.5	11.4	0	12.3	5.9
Oct	54° / 44°	3.7	13.5	0.2	10.7	3.0
Nov	42° / 34°	2.6	11.6	5.7	9.3	0.5
Dec	32° / 24°	2.3	11.3	11.3	8.5	0.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 11% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Clearer (%)	35	35	35	35	36	37	37	38	38	39	39	39	39	39	39	40	40	39	40	40	40	41	41	39	39	39	39	39	39	38	38
Cloudier (%)	65	65	65	65	64	63	63	62	62	61	61	61	61	61	61	60	60	61	60	60	60	59	59	61	61	61	61	61	61	62	62

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	35	65
2	35	65
3	35	65
4	35	65
5	36	64
6	37	63
7	37	63
8	38	62
9	38	62
10	39	61
11	39	61
12	39	61
13	39	61
14	39	61
15	39	61
16	40	60
17	40	60
18	39	61
19	40	60
20	40	60
21	40	60
22	41	59
23	41	59
24	39	61
25	39	61
26	39	61
27	39	61
28	39	61
29	39	61
30	38	62
31	38	62

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Mackinac Island gets around 2.0 in of rain and snow over 8.4 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 28% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Rain chance (%)	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	29	28	28	28	28	27	27	27	27	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	26	27	28	28	29	30	30	31
Snow chance (%)	28	27	27	27	27	26	26	25	24	24	23	23	22	22	21	20	19	19	18	17	16	16	15	15	15	14	14	14	14	14	14

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	29	28
2	29	27
3	29	27
4	29	27
5	29	27
6	29	26
7	29	26
8	29	25
9	28	24
10	28	24
11	28	23
12	28	23
13	27	22
14	27	22
15	27	21
16	27	20
17	26	19
18	26	19
19	26	18
20	26	17
21	26	16
22	26	16
23	26	15
24	26	15
25	27	15
26	28	14
27	28	14
28	29	14
29	30	14
30	30	14
31	31	14

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.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Dry (%)	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

Wind in March

Winds average 10 mph in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 10 mph on the calmest days to 10 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Wind speed (mph)	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10
Feels	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze	light breeze

	Wind speed (mph)	Feels
1	10	light breeze
2	10	light breeze
3	10	light breeze
4	10	light breeze
5	10	light breeze
6	10	light breeze
7	10	light breeze
8	10	light breeze
9	10	light breeze
10	10	light breeze
11	10	light breeze
12	10	light breeze
13	10	light breeze
14	10	light breeze
15	10	light breeze
16	10	light breeze
17	10	light breeze
18	10	light breeze
19	10	light breeze
20	10	light breeze
21	10	light breeze
22	10	light breeze
23	10	light breeze
24	10	light breeze
25	10	light breeze
26	10	light breeze
27	10	light breeze
28	10	light breeze
29	10	light breeze
30	10	light breeze
31	10	light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 48 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 96 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:28 AM to 6:31 AM, and sunset from 6:15 PM to 6:56 PM.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Daylight (h)	10.8	10.8	10.9	10.9	11.0	11.1	11.1	11.2	11.2	11.3	11.3	11.4	11.4	11.5	11.5	11.6	11.7	11.7	11.8	11.8	11.9	11.9	12.0	12.0	12.1	12.2	12.2	12.3	12.3	12.4	12.4
Sunrise (AM)	7:28	7:26	7:25	7:23	7:21	7:19	7:17	7:15	7:14	7:12	7:10	7:08	7:06	7:04	7:02	7:00	6:58	6:56	6:54	6:52	6:50	6:48	6:46	6:44	6:42	6:40	6:38	6:37	6:35	6:33	6:31
Sunset (PM)	6:15	6:17	6:18	6:19	6:21	6:22	6:24	6:25	6:26	6:28	6:29	6:31	6:32	6:33	6:35	6:36	6:37	6:39	6:40	6:42	6:43	6:44	6:46	6:47	6:48	6:50	6:51	6:52	6:54	6:55	6:56

	Daylight (h)	Sunrise (AM)	Sunset (PM)
1	10.8	7:28	6:15
2	10.8	7:26	6:17
3	10.9	7:25	6:18
4	10.9	7:23	6:19
5	11.0	7:21	6:21
6	11.1	7:19	6:22
7	11.1	7:17	6:24
8	11.2	7:15	6:25
9	11.2	7:14	6:26
10	11.3	7:12	6:28
11	11.3	7:10	6:29
12	11.4	7:08	6:31
13	11.4	7:06	6:32
14	11.5	7:04	6:33
15	11.5	7:02	6:35
16	11.6	7:00	6:36
17	11.7	6:58	6:37
18	11.7	6:56	6:39
19	11.8	6:54	6:40
20	11.8	6:52	6:42
21	11.9	6:50	6:43
22	11.9	6:48	6:44
23	12.0	6:46	6:46
24	12.0	6:44	6:47
25	12.1	6:42	6:48
26	12.2	6:40	6:50
27	12.2	6:38	6:51
28	12.3	6:37	6:52
29	12.3	6:35	6:54
30	12.4	6:33	6:55
31	12.4	6:31	6:56

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.2 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.15 kWh/m² to a high of 6.61 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.2 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31
Solar energy (kWh/m²)	3.5	3.5	3.6	3.6	3.7	3.7	3.8	3.8	3.9	3.9	4.0	4.0	4.1	4.1	4.2	4.2	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.4	4.4	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.6	4.6	4.6	4.7	4.7	4.7	4.7
Level	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright	Bright

	Solar energy (kWh/m²)	Level
1	3.5	Moderate
2	3.5	Moderate
3	3.6	Moderate
4	3.6	Moderate
5	3.7	Moderate
6	3.7	Moderate
7	3.8	Moderate
8	3.8	Moderate
9	3.9	Moderate
10	3.9	Moderate
11	4.0	Moderate
12	4.0	Bright
13	4.1	Bright
14	4.1	Bright
15	4.2	Bright
16	4.2	Bright
17	4.3	Bright
18	4.3	Bright
19	4.3	Bright
20	4.4	Bright
21	4.4	Bright
22	4.5	Bright
23	4.5	Bright
24	4.5	Bright
25	4.6	Bright
26	4.6	Bright
27	4.6	Bright
28	4.7	Bright
29	4.7	Bright
30	4.7	Bright
31	4.7	Bright

Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Mackinac Island?

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

0.0

Sightseeing

9th-best month of the year

0.0

Beach & pool

7th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Mackinac Island.

What to pack for Mackinac Island in March

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

In March, Mackinac Island sees daytime highs around 33°F and nights near 21°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Mackinac Island in March

The nearest coast averages about 34°F in March — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 66°F and coldest in February near 34°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Sea temperature (°F)	35	34	34	36	41	52	62	66	61	53	44	38
Comfort	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Cool	Cool	Cool	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing

	Sea temperature (°F)	Comfort
Jan	35	Bracing
Feb	34	Bracing
Mar	34	Bracing
Apr	36	Bracing
May	41	Bracing
Jun	52	Bracing
Jul	62	Cool
Aug	66	Cool
Sep	61	Cool
Oct	53	Bracing
Nov	44	Bracing
Dec	38	Bracing

UV index in Mackinac Island 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 Mackinac Island peaks around June 19 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 7 months of the year.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	1	2	3	5	7	8	8	7	5	3	2	1
Level	Low	Low	Moderate	Moderate	High	Very high	Very high	High	Moderate	Moderate	Low	Low

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	1	Low
Feb	2	Low
Mar	3	Moderate
Apr	5	Moderate
May	7	High
Jun	8	Very high
Jul	8	Very high
Aug	7	High
Sep	5	Moderate
Oct	3	Moderate
Nov	2	Low
Dec	1	Low

Location & terrain

Where is Mackinac Island?

Mackinac Island sits at 45.8°N, 84.6°W, 0 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Sault Ste. Marie, 47 mi away.

Topography around Mackinac Island

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Mackinac Island has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 351 ft around an average of 614 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 351 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,037 ft.

The land around Mackinac Island is covered by water (72%) and trees (24%) within 2 miles, water (75%) and trees (22%) within 10 miles, and trees (48%) and water (44%) within 50 miles.

2 miles

351 ft

water 72%

10 miles

351 ft

water 75%

50 miles

1,037 ft

trees 48%

treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater

← February Mackinac Island year-round climate April →Best places to visit in March

March weather nearby: Sault Ste. Marie 47 mi · Sault Ste. Marie 48 mi · Traverse City 89 mi · Marquette 141 mi · Midland 155 mi · Mount Pleasant 156 mi · Bay City 160 mi · Saginaw Township North 168 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

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 Mackinac Island (45.8492°, -84.6189°, elevation 0 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	27	15
2	27	16
3	28	16
4	28	16
5	28	17
6	29	17
7	29	17
8	30	18
9	30	18
10	31	18
11	31	19
12	31	19
13	32	20
14	32	20
15	33	20
16	33	21
17	33	21
18	34	22
19	34	22
20	34	22
21	35	23
22	35	23
23	35	24
24	36	24
25	36	24
26	37	25
27	37	25
28	37	25
29	37	26
30	38	26
31	38	27

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	35	65
2	35	65
3	35	65
4	35	65
5	36	64
6	37	63
7	37	63
8	38	62
9	38	62
10	39	61
11	39	61
12	39	61
13	39	61
14	39	61
15	39	61
16	40	60
17	40	60
18	39	61
19	40	60
20	40	60
21	40	60
22	41	59
23	41	59
24	39	61
25	39	61
26	39	61
27	39	61
28	39	61
29	39	61
30	38	62
31	38	62

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	29	28
2	29	27
3	29	27
4	29	27
5	29	27
6	29	26
7	29	26
8	29	25
9	28	24
10	28	24
11	28	23
12	28	23
13	27	22
14	27	22
15	27	21
16	27	20
17	26	19
18	26	19
19	26	18
20	26	17
21	26	16
22	26	16
23	26	15
24	26	15
25	27	15
26	28	14
27	28	14
28	29	14
29	30	14
30	30	14
31	31	14

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	27	15
2	27	16
3	28	16
4	28	16
5	28	17
6	29	17
7	29	17
8	30	18
9	30	18
10	31	18
11	31	19
12	31	19
13	32	20
14	32	20
15	33	20
16	33	21
17	33	21
18	34	22
19	34	22
20	34	22
21	35	23
22	35	23
23	35	24
24	36	24
25	36	24
26	37	25
27	37	25
28	37	25
29	37	26
30	38	26
31	38	27

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	35	65
2	35	65
3	35	65
4	35	65
5	36	64
6	37	63
7	37	63
8	38	62
9	38	62
10	39	61
11	39	61
12	39	61
13	39	61
14	39	61
15	39	61
16	40	60
17	40	60
18	39	61
19	40	60
20	40	60
21	40	60
22	41	59
23	41	59
24	39	61
25	39	61
26	39	61
27	39	61
28	39	61
29	39	61
30	38	62
31	38	62

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	29	28
2	29	27
3	29	27
4	29	27
5	29	27
6	29	26
7	29	26
8	29	25
9	28	24
10	28	24
11	28	23
12	28	23
13	27	22
14	27	22
15	27	21
16	27	20
17	26	19
18	26	19
19	26	18
20	26	17
21	26	16
22	26	16
23	26	15
24	26	15
25	27	15
26	28	14
27	28	14
28	29	14
29	30	14
30	30	14
31	31	14

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100

	Avg high (°F)	Avg low (°F)
1	27	15
2	27	16
3	28	16
4	28	16
5	28	17
6	29	17
7	29	17
8	30	18
9	30	18
10	31	18
11	31	19
12	31	19
13	32	20
14	32	20
15	33	20
16	33	21
17	33	21
18	34	22
19	34	22
20	34	22
21	35	23
22	35	23
23	35	24
24	36	24
25	36	24
26	37	25
27	37	25
28	37	25
29	37	26
30	38	26
31	38	27

	Clearer (%)	Cloudier (%)
1	35	65
2	35	65
3	35	65
4	35	65
5	36	64
6	37	63
7	37	63
8	38	62
9	38	62
10	39	61
11	39	61
12	39	61
13	39	61
14	39	61
15	39	61
16	40	60
17	40	60
18	39	61
19	40	60
20	40	60
21	40	60
22	41	59
23	41	59
24	39	61
25	39	61
26	39	61
27	39	61
28	39	61
29	39	61
30	38	62
31	38	62

	Rain chance (%)	Snow chance (%)
1	29	28
2	29	27
3	29	27
4	29	27
5	29	27
6	29	26
7	29	26
8	29	25
9	28	24
10	28	24
11	28	23
12	28	23
13	27	22
14	27	22
15	27	21
16	27	20
17	26	19
18	26	19
19	26	18
20	26	17
21	26	16
22	26	16
23	26	15
24	26	15
25	27	15
26	28	14
27	28	14
28	29	14
29	30	14
30	30	14
31	31	14

	Dry (%)
1	100
2	100
3	100
4	100
5	100
6	100
7	100
8	100
9	100
10	100
11	100
12	100
13	100
14	100
15	100
16	100
17	100
18	100
19	100
20	100
21	100
22	100
23	100
24	100
25	100
26	100
27	100
28	100
29	100
30	100
31	100