Normal weather in March

In March, Normal sees average daytime highs of 50°F and overnight lows near 32°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 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 44°F in the first days to 56°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% 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 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Normal's 9th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Normal's year-round climate.

Daytime high
50°
8th warmest
Overnight low
32°
4th coldest
Precipitation
3.1 in
10.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:16 AM – 5:56 PM
Cloud cover
66%
9th clearest
Wind
10 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
4.11 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.2
out of 10

Normal is town in McLean County, Illinois, United States.

Density
1,140/km²
people per km²
Founded
1865

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 44°F in the first days to 56°F by the end.

A typical March day in Normal reaches about 50°F in the afternoon and slips back to 32°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 35°F and 67°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)
14326
24427
34427
44427
54528
64528
74628
84629
94729
104730
114830
124831
134931
144931
155032
165032
175133
185133
195233
205234
215234
225335
235335
245435
255435
265436
275536
285537
295637
305637
315637

How March really feels in Normal

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
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
31
wind chill below the day's low

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

Normal weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan33° / 19°2.38.34.99.40.0
Feb38° / 22°2.17.44.110.40.0
Mar50° / 32°3.110.31.811.72.2
Apr62° / 43°4.4120.5134.9
May72° / 53°4.713.5014.26.1
Jun81° / 63°4.312.2014.86.1
Jul83° / 66°3.810.8014.65.7
Aug82° / 64°3.29.4013.66.5
Sep76° / 56°3.07.8012.37.2
Oct64° / 45°3.38.90.110.95.8
Nov50° / 34°3.08.41.19.72.3
Dec38° / 24°2.38.33.69.20.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% 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 62%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23664
33763
43763
53763
63763
73862
83862
93961
103961
113961
124060
133961
143961
153961
163961
173961
183862
193862
203862
213862
223763
233763
243763
253763
263763
273763
283763
293862
303763
313763

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Normal 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 38% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13012
23012
33011
43010
53010
6299
7299
8298
9298
10297
11297
12306
13306
14316
15326
16326
17335
18345
19345
20355
21365
22374
23374
24384
25384
26384
27384
28383
29383
30383
31383

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
110000
210000
310000
410000
510000
610000
710000
89910
99910
109910
119910
129910
139910
149820
159820
169820
179820
189820
199730
209730
219730
229730
239730
249730
259730
269730
279640
289541
299541
309541
319541

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.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
110light breeze
210light breeze
310light breeze
410light breeze
510light breeze
610light breeze
710light breeze
810light breeze
910light breeze
1010light breeze
1110light breeze
1210light breeze
1310light breeze
1410light breeze
1510light breeze
1610light breeze
1710light breeze
1810light breeze
1910light breeze
2010light breeze
2110light breeze
2210light breeze
2310light breeze
2410light breeze
2510light breeze
2610light breeze
2710light breeze
2810light breeze
2910light breeze
3010light breeze
3110light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 hours 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 84 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:39 AM to 5:50 AM, and sunset from 5:39 PM to 6:12 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:395:39
211.06:385:40
311.16:365:41
411.16:355:42
511.26:335:43
611.26:325:45
711.36:305:46
811.36:295:47
911.36:275:48
1011.46:255:49
1111.46:245:50
1211.56:225:51
1311.56:215:52
1411.66:195:53
1511.66:175:55
1611.76:165:56
1711.76:145:57
1811.86:125:58
1911.86:115:59
2011.96:096:00
2111.96:076:01
2211.96:066:02
2312.06:046:03
2412.06:026:04
2512.16:006:05
2612.15:596:06
2712.25:576:07
2812.25:556:08
2912.35:546:10
3012.35:526:11
3112.45:506:12

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.11 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.77 kWh/m² to a high of 6.4 kWh/m² in July across the year — March's 4.11 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.7Moderate
43.7Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.9Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.9Moderate
104.0Moderate
114.0Bright
124.0Bright
134.1Bright
144.1Bright
154.1Bright
164.2Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.4Bright
264.4Bright
274.4Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Normal?

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

2.2
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Normal.

What to pack for Normal in March

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

In March, Normal sees daytime highs around 50°F and nights near 32°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Normal 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 Normal peaks around June 22 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 9Dec 23UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Normal 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 Normal is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1816 µg/m³Oct 228 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Normal?

Normal sits at 40.5°N, 89.0°W, 801 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Bloomington, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around Normal

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Normal has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 151 ft around an average of 810 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 276 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 531 ft.

The land around Normal is covered by artificial surfaces (39%), trees (30%) and grassland (21%) within 2 miles, cropland (74%) within 10 miles, and cropland (83%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
151 ft
10 miles
276 ft
50 miles
531 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Bloomington 1.9 mi · Washington 25 mi · Morton 25 mi · East Peoria 33 mi · Peoria 34 mi · North Peoria 34 mi · Pekin 34 mi · Decatur 47 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 Normal (40.5142°, -88.9906°, elevation 801 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).