Raleigh weather in March

In March, Raleigh sees average daytime highs of 62°F and overnight lows near 42°F, with 4.1 in of precipitation across 10.4 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 58°F in the first days to 66°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 12 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Raleigh's 6th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Raleigh's year-round climate.

Daytime high
62°
8th warmest
Overnight low
42°
5th coldest
Precipitation
4.1 in
10.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:33 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
56%
6th clearest
Wind
7 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.41 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10

Raleigh is capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina and seat of Wake County.

Density
1,274/km²
people per km²
Founded
1770

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 58°F in the first days to 66°F by the end.

A typical March day in Raleigh reaches about 62°F in the afternoon and slips back to 42°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 49°F and 76°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 8°F warmer than February and about 10°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15838
25838
35839
45939
55939
65939
76040
86040
96040
106040
116141
126141
136141
146241
156242
166242
176242
186243
196343
206343
216344
226444
236444
246444
256545
266545
276546
286646
296646
306746
316747

How March really feels in Raleigh

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 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
0
wind chill below the day's low

March sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Raleigh weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan51° / 34°3.79.31.29.92.7
Feb55° / 36°3.291.310.63.4
Mar62° / 42°4.110.40.511.75.4
Apr72° / 51°3.59.1012.96.8
May79° / 60°3.510.4013.96.6
Jun86° / 68°4.112.1014.44.8
Jul89° / 72°4.615.2014.23.7
Aug87° / 70°4.412.4013.44.5
Sep81° / 64°4.710.2012.26.3
Oct72° / 53°3.17.2011.17.2
Nov62° / 42°3.37.70.110.15.7
Dec54° / 37°3.69.10.69.63.4

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% 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 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14951
24951
35050
45050
55149
65149
75149
85149
95149
105149
115050
125050
135050
145050
155050
164951
174951
184951
194951
204951
214951
224951
234852
244852
254951
264951
275050
285050
295149
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Raleigh gets around 4.1 in of rain and snow over 10.4 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 32% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1334
2333
3323
4323
5323
6323
7323
8323
9323
10322
11322
12322
13322
14322
15322
16321
17321
18321
19331
20331
21331
22331
23330
24330
25330
26330
27330
28330
29320
30320
31320

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 90% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19451
29451
39361
49361
59361
69361
79361
89271
99271
109271
119271
129172
139172
149082
159082
169082
179082
189082
199082
208983
218893
228893
238893
248893
258893
268794
278794
2886104
2986104
3086104
3186104

Wind in March

Winds average 7 mph in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27light breeze
37light breeze
47light breeze
57light breeze
67light breeze
77light breeze
87light breeze
97light breeze
107light breeze
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287light breeze
297light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:53 AM to 6:11 AM, and sunset from 6:02 PM to 6:29 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:536:02
211.26:526:03
311.26:516:04
411.36:496:05
511.36:486:06
611.36:476:07
711.46:456:08
811.46:446:09
911.56:436:10
1011.56:416:11
1111.56:406:11
1211.66:386:12
1311.66:376:13
1411.66:366:14
1511.76:346:15
1611.76:336:16
1711.86:316:17
1811.86:306:18
1911.86:286:18
2011.96:276:19
2111.96:256:20
2212.06:246:21
2312.06:226:22
2412.06:216:23
2512.16:196:23
2612.16:186:24
2712.16:166:25
2812.26:156:26
2912.26:136:27
3012.36:126:28
3112.36:116:29

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.41 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.26 kWh/m² to a high of 6.17 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.41 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
23.9Moderate
34.0Moderate
44.0Bright
54.1Bright
64.1Bright
74.2Bright
84.2Bright
94.2Bright
104.3Bright
114.3Bright
124.3Bright
134.3Bright
144.4Bright
154.4Bright
164.4Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.5Bright
204.5Bright
214.6Bright
224.6Bright
234.7Bright
244.7Bright
254.7Bright
264.8Bright
274.8Bright
284.9Bright
294.9Bright
305.0Bright
315.0Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Raleigh?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
1.2
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Raleigh for sightseeing.

What to pack for Raleigh in March

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

In March, Raleigh sees daytime highs around 62°F and nights near 42°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Raleigh in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Raleigh peaks around July 13 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJul 13UV 9Dec 20UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov4Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Raleigh 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 Raleigh is worst in July — around 18 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.3× the cleanest month (November, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodJul 1718 µg/m³Nov 238 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb10Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun16Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep12Good
Oct9Good
Nov8Good
Dec8Good
Location & terrain

Where is Raleigh?

Raleigh sits at 35.8°N, 78.6°W, 315 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is West Raleigh, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around Raleigh

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Raleigh has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 249 ft around an average of 305 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 604 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,122 ft.

The land around Raleigh is covered by trees (51%) and artificial surfaces (37%) within 2 miles, trees (69%) within 10 miles, and trees (73%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
249 ft
10 miles
604 ft
50 miles
1,122 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: West Raleigh 1.9 mi · Garner 4.3 mi · Cary 8.1 mi · Morrisville 11 mi · Apex 12 mi · Clayton 13 mi · Holly Springs 14 mi · Fuquay-Varina 16 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 Raleigh (35.7721°, -78.6386°, elevation 315 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).