South Bend in Spring

In spring (March, April and May), South Bend sees average daytime highs around 58°F and overnight lows near 40°F, with 11.3 in of precipitation over about 37 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.

Over the season highs climb from about 40°F in early March to 74°F by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.

Spring is South Bend's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see South Bend's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high: 58°F; 3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low: 40°F
Precipitation: 11.3 in; 37 wet days
Avg wind: 9 mph
Travel score: 3.8; 3rd-best season
Months: Mar · Apr · May

← Winter South Bend year-round climate Summer →

Spring Summer Fall Winter

Temperature in South Bend in Spring

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 40°F in early March to 74°F by late May.

A typical spring day in South Bend reaches about 58°F and drops to 40°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.

How spring really feels in South Bend

Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 41 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 32°F

wind chill below the day's low

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

South Bend weather by month

How the three spring months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

Month	High / Low (°F)	Rainfall (inches)	Wet days	Snow days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	32° / 20°	2.7	10.9	9.6	9.3	0.0
Feb	35° / 21°	2.1	8.3	5.8	10.3	0.0
Mar	46° / 30°	2.8	10.9	3.8	11.7	1.3
Apr	59° / 40°	4.0	12.5	1.1	13.1	4.2
May	69° / 51°	4.5	13.1	0	14.3	6.0
Jun	79° / 61°	4.2	11.8	0	15	6.3
Jul	82° / 65°	4.1	11.7	0	14.7	6.1
Aug	80° / 63°	3.8	10.9	0	13.7	6.5
Sep	74° / 55°	3.3	9.8	0	12.3	6.8
Oct	61° / 44°	3.3	10.5	0.2	10.9	5.0
Nov	48° / 34°	2.9	9.7	2.5	9.6	1.7
Dec	37° / 26°	2.4	10.4	6.2	9	0.0

Cloud cover in Spring

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time across spring.

Chance of precipitation in Spring

Any precipitationSnow

South Bend gets around 11.3 in of rain and snow over 37 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Humidity in Spring

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

Wind in Spring

Winds average 9 mph across spring.

Sunrise & sunset in Spring

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min in early March to 14 h 48 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Solar energy in Spring

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 4.9 kWh/m².

Planning a trip in spring

Is spring a good time to visit South Bend?

Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

3.8

Sightseeing

3rd-best month of the year

1.3

Beach & pool

3rd-best month of the year

spring is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in South Bend.

What to pack for South Bend in Spring

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

In spring, South Bend sees daytime highs around 58°F and nights near 40°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 37 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near South Bend in Spring

The nearest coast averages about 40°F across spring — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 35 mi away) is warmest in August at about 73°F and coldest in March near 36°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 11 to Sep 17 — about 2.3 months when the water holds above 68°F.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Sea temperature (°F)	38	36	36	39	46	58	70	73	69	59	49	43
Comfort	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Refreshing	Refreshing	Refreshing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing

	Sea temperature (°F)	Comfort
Jan	38	Bracing
Feb	36	Bracing
Mar	36	Bracing
Apr	39	Bracing
May	46	Bracing
Jun	58	Bracing
Jul	70	Refreshing
Aug	73	Refreshing
Sep	69	Refreshing
Oct	59	Bracing
Nov	49	Bracing
Dec	43	Bracing

UV index in South Bend in Spring

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages 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 South Bend peaks around June 21 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.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	2	3	5	6	7	9	9	8	6	3	2	2
Level	Low	Moderate	Moderate	High	Very high	Very high	Very high	Very high	High	Moderate	Moderate	Low

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	2	Low
Feb	3	Moderate
Mar	5	Moderate
Apr	6	High
May	7	Very high
Jun	9	Very high
Jul	9	Very high
Aug	8	Very high
Sep	6	High
Oct	3	Moderate
Nov	2	Moderate
Dec	2	Low

Air quality in South Bend in Spring

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where spring falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in South Bend is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.2× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

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

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
PM2.5 (µg/m³)	9	11	13	13	14	15	16	14	11	7	7	8
Level	Good	Good	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Good	Good	Good	Good

	PM2.5 (µg/m³)	Level
Jan	9	Good
Feb	11	Good
Mar	13	Moderate
Apr	13	Moderate
May	14	Moderate
Jun	15	Moderate
Jul	16	Moderate
Aug	14	Moderate
Sep	11	Good
Oct	7	Good
Nov	7	Good
Dec	8	Good

Location & terrain

Where is South Bend?

South Bend sits at 41.7°N, 86.3°W, 692 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Mishawaka, 5.0 mi away.

Topography around South Bend

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around South Bend has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 128 ft around an average of 725 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 331 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 614 ft.

The land around South Bend is covered by artificial surfaces (43%) and trees (37%) within 2 miles, trees (40%) and cropland (31%) within 10 miles, and cropland (44%) and trees (29%) within 50 miles.

2 miles

128 ft

artificial surfaces 43%

10 miles

331 ft

trees 40%

50 miles

614 ft

cropland 44%

treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater

← Winter South Bend year-round climate Summer →

Spring weather nearby: Mishawaka 5.0 mi · Granger 8.7 mi · Elkhart 14 mi · Goshen 22 mi · La Porte 24 mi · Michigan City 34 mi · Valparaiso 44 mi · Portage 48 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

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 South Bend (41.6834°, -86.25°, elevation 692 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.