Marion weather in March

In March, Marion sees average daytime highs of 57°F and overnight lows near 39°F, with 4.2 in of precipitation across 11.4 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 52°F in the first days to 62°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 06 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Marion's 8th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Marion's year-round climate.

Daytime high
57°
8th warmest
Overnight low
39°
5th coldest
Precipitation
4.2 in
11.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:14 AM – 5:56 PM
Cloud cover
62%
8th clearest
Wind
8 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.12 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.0
out of 10

Marion is city in and the county seat of Williamson County, Illinois, United States.

Density
412/km²
people per km²
Founded
1839

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 52°F in the first days to 62°F by the end.

A typical March day in Marion reaches about 57°F in the afternoon and slips back to 39°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 42°F and 72°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 10°F warmer than February and about 11°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15134
25234
35235
45335
55335
65336
75436
85436
95537
105537
115538
125638
135638
145639
155739
165740
175840
185840
195841
205941
215941
225942
236042
246042
256043
266143
276143
286244
296244
306244
316344

How March really feels in Marion

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 12 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
12
wind chill below the day's low

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

Marion weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan42° / 28°3.492.39.70.3
Feb47° / 31°3.18.12.310.51.5
Mar57° / 39°4.211.40.911.74.0
Apr68° / 49°5.011.4012.96.0
May76° / 60°4.612.60146.3
Jun85° / 68°3.610.6014.65.2
Jul88° / 72°3.510.2014.34.5
Aug87° / 69°2.88.1013.55.1
Sep81° / 61°2.97.5012.36.9
Oct69° / 50°3.57.60116.9
Nov56° / 39°3.88.70.5103.9
Dec46° / 31°3.38.91.89.41.2

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% 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 57%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24456
34456
44456
54555
64555
74555
84456
94555
104555
114456
124456
134357
144456
154357
164357
174258
184159
194159
204159
214159
224159
234159
244159
254258
264258
274258
284258
294258
304357
314357

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Marion gets around 4.2 in of rain and snow over 11.4 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 36% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1316
2316
3326
4325
5325
6335
7335
8334
9344
10344
11354
12353
13363
14363
15363
16363
17373
18372
19382
20382
21382
22392
23392
24392
25391
26391
27391
28391
29391
30391
31381

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 (%)
19910
29910
39910
49820
59820
69820
79820
89820
99721
109631
119631
129631
139631
149631
159541
169541
179541
189541
199541
209451
219451
229451
239352
249262
259262
269262
279262
289073
299073
309073
318974

Wind in March

Winds average 8 mph in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light 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 11 h 06 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 72 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:36 AM to 5:51 AM, and sunset from 5:42 PM to 6:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:365:42
211.16:355:43
311.26:345:44
411.26:325:45
511.26:315:46
611.36:295:47
711.36:285:48
811.46:265:49
911.46:255:50
1011.56:235:51
1111.56:225:52
1211.56:215:53
1311.66:195:53
1411.66:175:54
1511.76:165:55
1611.76:145:56
1711.76:135:57
1811.86:115:58
1911.86:105:59
2011.96:086:00
2111.96:076:01
2211.96:056:02
2312.06:046:03
2412.06:026:04
2512.16:006:05
2612.15:596:06
2712.25:576:07
2812.25:566:08
2912.25:546:09
3012.35:536:09
3112.35:516:10

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 1.93 kWh/m² to a high of 6.45 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
104.0Moderate
114.0Bright
124.0Bright
134.0Bright
144.1Bright
154.1Bright
164.1Bright
174.1Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.2Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.6Bright
294.7Bright
304.7Bright
314.8Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Marion?

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

4.0
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.3
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Marion for sightseeing.

What to pack for Marion in March

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

In March, Marion sees daytime highs around 57°F and nights near 39°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Marion 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 Marion peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 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 highHighModerateJun 23UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Marion 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 Marion is worst in July — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1318 µg/m³Nov 128 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb11Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul19Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Marion?

Marion sits at 37.7°N, 88.9°W, 423 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Carbondale, 16 mi away.

Topography around Marion

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Marion has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 148 ft around an average of 446 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 331 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,030 ft.

The land around Marion is covered by trees (32%), grassland (26%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 2 miles, trees (51%), grassland (21%) and cropland (20%) within 10 miles, and trees (46%) and cropland (40%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
148 ft
10 miles
331 ft
50 miles
1,030 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Carbondale 16 mi · Mount Vernon 40 mi · Cape Girardeau 43 mi · Paducah 48 mi · Sikeston 69 mi · Henderson 74 mi · Evansville 77 mi · Belleville 79 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 Marion (37.7306°, -88.9331°, elevation 423 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).