Ottawa weather in March

In March, Ottawa sees average daytime highs of 49°F and overnight lows near 31°F, with 2.8 in of precipitation across 9.9 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 43°F in the first days to 55°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 Ottawa's 8th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ottawa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
49°
8th warmest
Overnight low
31°
4th coldest
Precipitation
2.8 in
9.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:15 AM – 5:55 PM
Cloud cover
66%
8th clearest
Wind
9 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
4.08 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.9
out of 10

Ottawa is city in Illinois, United States.

Density
553/km²
people per km²
Founded
1853

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 43°F in the first days to 55°F by the end.

A typical March day in Ottawa reaches about 49°F in the afternoon and slips back to 31°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 66°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)
14225
24226
34326
44326
54427
64427
74427
84528
94628
104629
114729
124729
134830
144830
154931
164931
175031
185032
195132
205133
215133
225233
235234
245334
255334
265435
275435
285435
295536
305536
315636

How March really feels in Ottawa

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.

Ottawa weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan32° / 18°2.28.25.49.40.0
Feb37° / 21°2.07.24.210.30.0
Mar49° / 31°2.89.92.411.71.9
Apr61° / 41°4.311.90.613.14.8
May71° / 52°4.713014.36.1
Jun80° / 62°4.411.7014.96.2
Jul83° / 66°3.811.3014.75.7
Aug82° / 64°3.59.7013.76.6
Sep76° / 56°3.18.4012.37.1
Oct63° / 44°3.190.110.95.7
Nov49° / 33°2.78.61.19.72.1
Dec37° / 23°2.28.13.79.10.0

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 15% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13664
23763
33763
43862
53862
63961
73961
84060
94060
104159
114159
124060
134159
144060
154060
164060
174060
184060
194060
203961
213862
223862
233664
243664
253565
263565
273565
283565
293466
303367
313466

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Ottawa gets around 2.8 in of rain and snow over 9.9 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 32% and peaks near 37% 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 (%)
12914
22913
32913
42912
52911
62911
72910
82810
9289
10299
11299
12299
13308
14308
15318
16318
17328
18328
19338
20347
21347
22357
23356
24366
25366
26365
27375
28374
29374
30374
31374

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 (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14982
15982
16982
17982
18973
19973
20973
21973
22973
23973
24973
25973
26973
27973
28973
29973
30973
31973

Wind in March

Winds average 9 mph in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 9 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
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
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 6:40 AM to 5:49 AM, and sunset from 5:37 PM to 6:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:405:37
211.06:385:39
311.16:375:40
411.16:355:41
511.16:345:42
611.26:325:43
711.26:305:44
811.36:295:46
911.36:275:47
1011.46:255:48
1111.46:245:49
1211.56:225:50
1311.56:205:51
1411.66:195:52
1511.66:175:54
1611.76:155:55
1711.76:145:56
1811.86:125:57
1911.86:105:58
2011.86:085:59
2111.96:076:00
2211.96:056:01
2312.06:036:03
2412.06:026:04
2512.16:006:05
2612.15:586:06
2712.25:566:07
2812.25:556:08
2912.35:536:09
3012.35:516:10
3112.45:496:11

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.08 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.72 kWh/m² to a high of 6.31 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.08 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.6Moderate
43.7Moderate
53.7Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.8Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.9Moderate
104.0Moderate
114.0Moderate
124.0Bright
134.0Bright
144.1Bright
154.1Bright
164.1Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.2Bright
214.2Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.3Bright
264.3Bright
274.4Bright
284.4Bright
294.4Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Ottawa?

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

1.9
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 Ottawa.

What to pack for Ottawa in March

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

In March, Ottawa sees daytime highs around 49°F and nights near 31°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Ottawa 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 Ottawa peaks around June 20 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 19 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 highHighModerateLowJun 20UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Ottawa 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 Ottawa is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (October, 9 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodJul 1917 µg/m³Oct 229 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr13Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov9Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ottawa?

Ottawa sits at 41.3°N, 88.8°W, 482 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Yorkville, 29 mi away.

Topography around Ottawa

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Ottawa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 295 ft around an average of 531 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 417 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 692 ft.

The land around Ottawa is covered by trees (36%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 2 miles, cropland (69%) within 10 miles, and cropland (78%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
295 ft
10 miles
417 ft
50 miles
692 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Yorkville 29 mi · Oswego 34 mi · Shorewood 35 mi · Montgomery 37 mi · Plainfield 39 mi · Aurora 39 mi · DeKalb 40 mi · Crest Hill 41 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 Ottawa (41.3456°, -88.8426°, elevation 482 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).