Oak Forest weather in March

In March, Oak Forest sees average daytime highs of 47°F and overnight lows near 31°F, with 2.9 in of precipitation across 10.6 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 41°F in the first days to 53°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% 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 Oak Forest's 9th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Oak Forest's year-round climate.

Daytime high
47°
9th warmest
Overnight low
31°
4th coldest
Precipitation
2.9 in
10.6 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:11 AM – 5:50 PM
Cloud cover
67%
9th clearest
Wind
9 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
4.1 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.5
out of 10

Oak Forest is city in Cook County, Illinois, United States.

Density
1,807/km²
people per km²
Founded
1800

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 41°F in the first days to 53°F by the end.

A typical March day in Oak Forest reaches about 47°F in the afternoon and slips back to 31°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 33°F and 64°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 11°F warmer than February and about 12°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14025
24126
34126
44226
54226
64327
74327
84428
94428
104528
114529
124629
134629
144630
154730
164731
174831
184831
194932
204932
214932
225033
235033
245133
255134
265134
275234
285235
295335
305335
315436

How March really feels in Oak Forest

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.

Oak Forest weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 9th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 19°2.38.75.79.30.0
Feb36° / 21°2.07.14.810.30.0
Mar47° / 31°2.910.6311.71.5
Apr59° / 41°4.412.60.913.14.3
May70° / 51°4.612.6014.36.0
Jun79° / 62°4.311.60156.3
Jul83° / 66°3.911.9014.75.8
Aug81° / 64°3.810.8013.76.5
Sep75° / 56°3.08.5012.37.1
Oct62° / 44°3.29.50.110.95.4
Nov48° / 34°2.78.61.29.71.9
Dec37° / 24°2.283.990.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 22% 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 63%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13466
23466
33466
43565
53664
63664
73664
83664
93763
103763
113763
123862
133862
143961
153961
163862
173961
183961
193862
203862
213862
223763
233763
243763
253664
263664
273664
283565
293565
303565
313367

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Oak Forest gets around 2.9 in of rain and snow over 10.6 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 34% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
13317
23316
33316
43315
53314
63314
73213
83212
93212
103211
113211
123110
133210
14329
15329
16329
17329
18339
19338
20348
21348
22358
23367
24367
25377
26377
27386
28386
29386
30395
31395

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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14982
15982
16982
17982
18982
19982
20982
21982
22982
23982
24982
25982
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982
31982

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 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 6:36 AM to 5:45 AM, and sunset from 5:33 PM to 6:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:365:33
211.06:345:34
311.06:335:35
411.16:315:36
511.16:295:38
611.26:285:39
711.26:265:40
811.36:245:41
911.36:235:42
1011.46:215:43
1111.46:195:45
1211.56:185:46
1311.56:165:47
1411.66:145:48
1511.66:135:49
1611.76:115:50
1711.76:095:51
1811.76:085:53
1911.86:065:54
2011.86:045:55
2111.96:025:56
2211.96:015:57
2312.05:595:58
2412.05:575:59
2512.15:556:00
2612.15:546:01
2712.25:526:03
2812.25:506:04
2912.35:486:05
3012.35:476:06
3112.45:456:07

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.1 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.66 kWh/m² to a high of 6.5 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.1 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.5Moderate
23.5Moderate
33.6Moderate
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
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.4Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.5Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Oak Forest?

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

1.5
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 Oak Forest.

What to pack for Oak Forest in March

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

In March, Oak Forest sees daytime highs around 47°F and nights near 31°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Oak Forest in March

The nearest coast averages about 35°F in March — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 19 mi away) is warmest in August at about 73°F and coldest in February near 35°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 10 to Sep 16 — about 2.3 months when the water holds above 68°F.

30°40°50°60°70°80°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan38Bracing
Feb35Bracing
Mar35Bracing
Apr39Bracing
May46Bracing
Jun59Cool
Jul70Refreshing
Aug73Refreshing
Sep68Refreshing
Oct58Bracing
Nov49Bracing
Dec42Bracing

UV index in Oak Forest 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 Oak Forest peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Oak Forest 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 Oak Forest is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1418 µg/m³Oct 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun17Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct8Good
Nov9Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Oak Forest?

Oak Forest sits at 41.6°N, 87.7°W, 673 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Country Club Hills, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around Oak Forest

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Oak Forest has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 164 ft around an average of 673 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 541 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 741 ft.

The land around Oak Forest is covered by trees (43%) and artificial surfaces (35%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (40%) and trees (35%) within 10 miles, and cropland (38%) and water (21%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
164 ft
10 miles
541 ft
50 miles
741 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Country Club Hills 2.5 mi · Tinley Park 3.1 mi · Alsip 4.3 mi · Blue Island 5.0 mi · Harvey 5.0 mi · Homewood 5.0 mi · Orland Park 6.2 mi · Mount Greenwood 6.8 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 Oak Forest (41.6028°, -87.7439°, elevation 673 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. 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).