Ottumwa weather in March

In March, Ottumwa sees average daytime highs of 49°F and overnight lows near 31°F, with 2.7 in of precipitation across 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 42°F in the first days to 55°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% 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 Ottumwa's 8th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ottumwa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
49°
8th warmest
Overnight low
31°
4th coldest
Precipitation
2.7 in
9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:29 AM – 6:09 PM
Cloud cover
63%
8th clearest
Wind
10 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.19 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.1
out of 10

Ottumwa is city in and the county seat of Wapello County, Iowa, United States.

Density
575/km²
people per km²
Founded
1844

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 42°F in the first days to 55°F by the end.

A typical March day in Ottumwa reaches about 49°F in the afternoon and slips back to 31°F overnight — a 19°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 34°F and 66°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 13°F warmer than February and about 12°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14224
24224
34224
44325
54425
64426
74526
84527
94627
104728
114728
124829
134829
144930
154931
165031
175031
185132
195133
205233
215233
225234
235334
245335
255435
265435
275535
285536
295536
305637
315637

How March really feels in Ottumwa

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
2 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Ottumwa 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° / 16°1.46.84.59.40.0
Feb36° / 20°1.874.310.40.0
Mar49° / 31°2.792.511.72.1
Apr62° / 42°4.311.60.813.14.9
May72° / 53°4.812.70.114.36.2
Jun81° / 63°5.011.8014.96.0
Jul85° / 67°3.39.6014.65.4
Aug83° / 64°3.59.4013.66.2
Sep76° / 56°3.68.1012.37.2
Oct64° / 44°2.87.90.210.95.9
Nov49° / 32°2.26.71.29.72.2
Dec37° / 22°1.86.33.59.10.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% 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 58%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24159
34258
44258
54357
64357
74456
84456
94456
104555
114555
124456
134456
144456
154357
164357
174258
184159
194159
204060
213961
223961
234060
244060
253961
263961
274060
284060
294159
304159
314159

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Ottumwa gets around 2.7 in of rain and snow over 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 29% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12713
22713
32712
42711
52611
62610
72610
8259
9259
10259
11258
12258
13268
14268
15268
16278
17278
18288
19298
20297
21307
22317
23317
24326
25326
26335
27335
28335
29344
30344
31344

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
22964
23964
24964
25964
26964
27964
28964
29964
30964
31964

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 6:54 AM to 6:04 AM, and sunset from 5:52 PM to 6:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:545:52
211.06:525:53
311.16:515:54
411.16:495:56
511.26:475:57
611.26:465:58
711.26:445:59
811.36:436:00
911.36:416:01
1011.46:396:02
1111.46:386:04
1211.56:366:05
1311.56:346:06
1411.66:336:07
1511.66:316:08
1611.76:296:09
1711.76:286:10
1811.86:266:11
1911.86:246:12
2011.86:236:14
2111.96:216:15
2211.96:196:16
2312.06:186:17
2412.06:166:18
2512.16:146:19
2612.16:126:20
2712.26:116:21
2812.26:096:22
2912.36:076:23
3012.36:056:24
3112.46:046:25

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.19 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.82 kWh/m² to a high of 6.44 kWh/m² in July across the year — March's 4.19 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.7Moderate
23.7Moderate
33.8Moderate
43.8Moderate
53.9Moderate
63.9Moderate
74.0Moderate
84.0Moderate
94.0Bright
104.1Bright
114.1Bright
124.1Bright
134.2Bright
144.2Bright
154.2Bright
164.2Bright
174.3Bright
184.3Bright
194.3Bright
204.3Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Ottumwa?

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

2.1
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 Ottumwa.

What to pack for Ottumwa in March

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

In March, Ottumwa sees daytime highs around 49°F and nights near 31°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Ottumwa 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 Ottumwa 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
Mar4Moderate
Apr6High
May7Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Ottumwa 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 Ottumwa is worst in July — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1816 µg/m³Oct 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb14Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May12Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul17Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct7Good
Nov8Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Ottumwa?

Ottumwa sits at 41.0°N, 92.4°W, 673 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Newton, 57 mi away.

Topography around Ottumwa

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Ottumwa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 249 ft around an average of 715 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 322 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 574 ft.

The land around Ottumwa is covered by trees (45%), artificial surfaces (25%) and grassland (20%) within 2 miles, cropland (40%), trees (33%) and grassland (24%) within 10 miles, and cropland (52%), grassland (25%) and trees (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
249 ft
10 miles
322 ft
50 miles
574 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Newton 57 mi · Kirksville 58 mi · Coralville 63 mi · Iowa City 63 mi · Indianola 64 mi · North Liberty 66 mi · Burlington 70 mi · Altoona 70 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 Ottumwa (41.02°, -92.4113°, 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. 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).