Norton Shores weather in March

In March, Norton Shores sees average daytime highs of 40°F and overnight lows near 27°F, with 2.4 in of precipitation across 9.4 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 35°F in the first days to 45°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 10 h 54 min at the start of March to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Norton Shores's 8th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Norton Shores's year-round climate.

Daytime high
40°
9th warmest
Overnight low
27°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
2.4 in
9.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
7:06 AM – 6:44 PM
Cloud cover
64%
8th clearest
Wind
9 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.15 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.3
out of 10

Norton Shores is city in Muskegon County, Michigan, United States of America.

Density
380/km²
people per km²
Founded
1845

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 35°F in the first days to 45°F by the end.

A typical March day in Norton Shores reaches about 40°F in the afternoon and slips back to 27°F overnight — a 13°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 29°F and 52°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 9°F warmer than February and about 12°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13422
23523
33523
43523
53623
63624
73624
83724
93725
103825
113825
123826
133926
143927
154027
164027
174128
184128
194129
204229
214229
224330
234330
244330
254431
264431
274531
284532
294532
304633
314633

How March really feels in Norton Shores

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
5 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Norton Shores 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.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan30° / 21°2.311.1119.20.0
Feb31° / 20°1.887.110.20.0
Mar40° / 27°2.49.44.411.60.3
Apr52° / 38°3.912.11.713.12.6
May63° / 49°4.011.4014.45.4
Jun74° / 60°3.510.6015.16.8
Jul78° / 65°3.910.7014.96.7
Aug77° / 64°3.810.7013.86.9
Sep70° / 56°3.410.4012.36.5
Oct58° / 46°3.712.10.110.84.0
Nov46° / 36°2.811.63.49.51.1
Dec36° / 28°2.511.59.58.90.0

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 15% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23466
33466
43565
53565
63664
73862
83862
93862
103961
114159
124159
134258
144258
154159
164258
174258
184258
194258
204357
214357
224357
234258
244159
254060
264060
274060
284060
294060
304060
313862

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Norton Shores gets around 2.4 in of rain and snow over 9.4 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 31% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13121
23121
33221
43220
53120
63120
73119
83019
93018
103017
113017
123016
132916
142915
152914
162814
172813
182812
192812
202811
212811
222910
233010
243010
25319
26329
27339
28349
29359
30369
31379

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.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

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 10 h 54 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 90 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:32 AM to 6:38 AM, and sunset from 6:25 PM to 7:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.97:326:25
210.97:306:26
311.07:286:28
411.07:276:29
511.17:256:30
611.17:236:31
711.27:226:33
811.27:206:34
911.37:186:35
1011.37:166:36
1111.47:156:38
1211.47:136:39
1311.57:116:40
1411.57:096:41
1511.67:076:43
1611.67:066:44
1711.77:046:45
1811.77:026:46
1911.87:006:47
2011.86:586:49
2111.96:576:50
2211.96:556:51
2312.06:536:52
2412.06:516:53
2512.16:496:55
2612.16:476:56
2712.26:466:57
2812.26:446:58
2912.36:426:59
3012.36:407:01
3112.46:387:02

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.15 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.25 kWh/m² to a high of 6.7 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.15 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.4Moderate
23.5Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.6Moderate
53.7Moderate
63.7Moderate
73.8Moderate
83.8Moderate
93.9Moderate
103.9Moderate
114.0Moderate
124.0Bright
134.0Bright
144.1Bright
154.1Bright
164.2Bright
174.2Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.4Bright
224.4Bright
234.4Bright
244.5Bright
254.5Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Norton Shores?

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

0.3
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Norton Shores.

What to pack for Norton Shores in March

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

In March, Norton Shores sees daytime highs around 40°F and nights near 27°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

Sea temperature near Norton Shores in March

The nearest coast averages about 36°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 70°F and coldest in March near 36°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 24 to Sep 5 — about 1.4 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarm
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan39Bracing
Feb37Bracing
Mar36Bracing
Apr38Bracing
May43Bracing
Jun55Bracing
Jul67Cool
Aug70Refreshing
Sep67Cool
Oct58Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec43Bracing

UV index in Norton Shores in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Norton Shores peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 23 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 20UV 9Dec 23UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr5High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug7Very high
Sep5High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Norton Shores?

Norton Shores sits at 43.2°N, 86.3°W, 614 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Muskegon, 4.3 mi away.

Topography around Norton Shores

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Norton Shores has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 210 ft around an average of 623 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 240 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 810 ft.

The land around Norton Shores is covered by trees (57%) within 2 miles, water (42%) and trees (41%) within 10 miles, and water (46%) and trees (33%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
210 ft
10 miles
240 ft
50 miles
810 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
March weather nearby: Muskegon 4.3 mi · Allendale 21 mi · Holland 27 mi · Walker 27 mi · Jenison 30 mi · Grandville 31 mi · Grand Rapids 34 mi · Wyoming 34 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 Norton Shores (43.1689°, -86.2639°, elevation 614 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).