Sterling weather in March

In March, Sterling sees average daytime highs of 48°F and overnight lows near 30°F, with 2.6 in of precipitation across 9.4 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 41°F in the first days to 54°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 54 min at the start of March to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Sterling's 7th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sterling's year-round climate.

Daytime high
48°
8th warmest
Overnight low
30°
4th coldest
Precipitation
2.6 in
9.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:19 AM – 5:58 PM
Cloud cover
65%
7th clearest
Wind
9 mph
2nd windiest
Solar energy
4.1 kWh/m²
Travel score
1.7
out of 10

Sterling is city in Whiteside County, Illinois, United States.

Density
978/km²
people per km²
Founded
1838

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 54°F by the end.

A typical March day in Sterling reaches about 48°F in the afternoon and slips back to 30°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 34°F and 64°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 13°F warmer than February and about 13°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14024
24024
34124
44125
54225
64226
74326
84427
94427
104528
114528
124628
134629
144729
154730
164830
174931
184931
194931
205032
215032
225133
235133
245233
255234
265334
275334
285335
295435
305435
315536

How March really feels in Sterling

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.

Sterling 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
Jan30° / 15°1.97.65.19.30.0
Feb35° / 19°1.96.74.210.30.0
Mar48° / 30°2.69.42.411.71.7
Apr60° / 41°4.311.50.813.14.6
May71° / 52°4.713.2014.36.0
Jun80° / 62°4.5120156.3
Jul83° / 65°3.710.1014.76.0
Aug81° / 63°3.39.1013.76.7
Sep75° / 55°3.48.3012.37.1
Oct62° / 43°2.98.50.210.95.5
Nov47° / 32°2.57.71.39.61.7
Dec35° / 22°2.27.5490.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% 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 61%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23862
33862
43961
53862
63961
73961
84060
94060
104159
114159
124159
134258
144060
154060
164060
174060
184060
193862
203862
213862
223862
233862
243763
253565
263565
273565
283565
293565
303565
313664

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Sterling gets around 2.6 in of rain and snow over 9.4 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 30% and peaks near 35% 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 (%)
12712
22812
32812
42811
52811
62810
72710
82710
9279
10279
11279
12289
13289
14289
15288
16298
17298
18298
19308
20317
21317
22327
23327
24336
25336
26345
27345
28355
29354
30354
31354

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
18982
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
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
3110light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min 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 90 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:44 AM to 5:53 AM, and sunset from 5:40 PM to 6:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.96:445:40
211.06:425:42
311.06:415:43
411.16:395:44
511.16:375:45
611.26:365:46
711.26:345:48
811.36:325:49
911.36:315:50
1011.46:295:51
1111.46:275:52
1211.56:265:53
1311.56:245:55
1411.66:225:56
1511.66:215:57
1611.76:195:58
1711.76:175:59
1811.76:156:00
1911.86:146:01
2011.86:126:03
2111.96:106:04
2211.96:086:05
2312.06:076:06
2412.06:056:07
2512.16:036:08
2612.16:016:09
2712.26:006:10
2812.25:586:12
2912.35:566:13
3012.35:546:14
3112.45:536:15

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 1.71 kWh/m² to a high of 6.34 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.1 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.7Moderate
43.7Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.9Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.9Moderate
104.0Moderate
114.0Bright
124.0Bright
134.1Bright
144.1Bright
154.1Bright
164.2Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.2Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.3Bright
264.4Bright
274.4Bright
284.4Bright
294.4Bright
304.5Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Sterling?

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

1.7
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sterling.

What to pack for Sterling in March

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

In March, Sterling sees daytime highs around 48°F and nights near 30°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 Sterling 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 Sterling peaks around June 18 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 18UV 9Dec 19UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Sterling 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 Sterling is worst in July — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodJul 1915 µg/m³Oct 227 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan11Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May13Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct7Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Sterling?

Sterling sits at 41.8°N, 89.7°W, 659 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Dixon, 12 mi away.

Topography around Sterling

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Sterling has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 ft around an average of 656 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 295 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 830 ft.

The land around Sterling is covered by trees (28%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 2 miles, cropland (81%) within 10 miles, and cropland (77%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
121 ft
10 miles
295 ft
50 miles
830 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Dixon 12 mi · Clinton 25 mi · Freeport 35 mi · East Moline 43 mi · Rockford 45 mi · Bettendorf 46 mi · Moline 47 mi · Davenport 49 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 Sterling (41.7886°, -89.6962°, elevation 659 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).