Morganton weather in March

In March, Morganton sees average daytime highs of 60°F and overnight lows near 39°F, with 4.6 in of precipitation across 10.8 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 56°F in the first days to 64°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% 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 Morganton's 6th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Morganton's year-round climate.

Daytime high
60°
8th warmest
Overnight low
39°
5th coldest
Precipitation
4.6 in
10.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:45 AM – 6:28 PM
Cloud cover
56%
6th clearest
Wind
6 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.4 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Morganton is city in Burke County, North Carolina, United States.

Density
336/km²
people per km²
Founded
1777

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 56°F in the first days to 64°F by the end.

A typical March day in Morganton reaches about 60°F in the afternoon and slips back to 39°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 46°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)
15636
25636
35636
45737
55737
65737
75837
85837
95837
105838
115938
125938
135938
146039
156039
166039
176040
186140
196140
206140
216241
226241
236241
246242
256342
266342
276342
286443
296443
306443
316544

How March really feels in Morganton

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.

Morganton 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°4.39.91.79.92.0
Feb52° / 33°3.58.91.810.62.9
Mar60° / 39°4.610.80.711.74.9
Apr69° / 47°4.29.4012.96.5
May76° / 56°3.510.2013.96.8
Jun82° / 64°3.411.8014.45.7
Jul86° / 67°3.412.9014.24.8
Aug84° / 66°3.511.4013.45.3
Sep79° / 60°4.09.1012.26.9
Oct69° / 49°3.77.7011.17.0
Nov59° / 39°3.78.20.110.14.9
Dec51° / 33°4.19.10.99.62.6

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% 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 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25248
35347
45248
55248
65347
75347
85347
95347
105248
115248
125248
135149
145149
155050
165149
175050
185050
194951
204951
214753
224753
234852
244753
254852
264852
274852
284951
294951
304951
314951

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Morganton gets around 4.6 in of rain and snow over 10.8 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 35% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1335
2334
3334
4334
5334
6334
7334
8333
9333
10333
11333
12333
13333
14333
15332
16332
17332
18342
19342
20342
21342
22342
23351
24351
25341
26341
27341
28331
29331
30331
31321

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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1982
2982
3982
4982
5982
6982
7982
8982
9982
10982
11982
12973
13973
14973
15973
16973
17973
18964
19964
20964
21964
22964
23964
24955
25955
26955
27955
28955
29946
30946
31946

Wind in March

Winds average 6 mph in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 5 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
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
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 7:05 AM to 6:23 AM, and sunset from 6:15 PM to 6:41 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.27:056:15
211.27:046:15
311.27:036:16
411.37:026:17
511.37:006:18
611.36:596:19
711.46:576:20
811.46:566:21
911.56:556:22
1011.56:536:23
1111.56:526:24
1211.66:516:24
1311.66:496:25
1411.66:486:26
1511.76:466:27
1611.76:456:28
1711.86:436:29
1811.86:426:30
1911.86:406:31
2011.96:396:31
2111.96:386:32
2212.06:366:33
2312.06:356:34
2412.06:336:35
2512.16:326:36
2612.16:306:37
2712.16:296:37
2812.26:276:38
2912.26:266:39
3012.36:246:40
3112.36:236:41

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.4 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.28 kWh/m² to a high of 6.1 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.4 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
23.9Moderate
34.0Moderate
44.0Bright
54.1Bright
64.1Bright
74.2Bright
84.2Bright
94.2Bright
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
284.8Bright
294.9Bright
304.9Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Morganton?

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

4.9
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.7
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Morganton for sightseeing.

What to pack for Morganton in March

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

In March, Morganton sees daytime highs around 60°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 Morganton 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 Morganton peaks around July 13 at about 10 (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 10Dec 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 Morganton 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 Morganton is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1617 µg/m³Dec 197 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug15Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Morganton?

Morganton sits at 35.7°N, 81.7°W, 1,155 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Lenoir, 14 mi away.

Topography around Morganton

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Morganton has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 272 ft around an average of 1,122 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,034 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,145 ft.

The land around Morganton is covered by trees (64%) within 2 miles, trees (83%) within 10 miles, and trees (84%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
272 ft
10 miles
2,034 ft
50 miles
6,145 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
March weather nearby: Lenoir 14 mi · Hickory 19 mi · Shelby 32 mi · Boone 32 mi · Gastonia 43 mi · Statesville 45 mi · Cornelius 50 mi · Asheville 50 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 Morganton (35.7454°, -81.6848°, elevation 1,155 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).