Urbana weather in March

In March, Urbana sees average daytime highs of 51°F and overnight lows near 33°F, with 3.3 in of precipitation across 10.3 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 46°F in the first days to 57°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 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 Urbana's 9th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Urbana's year-round climate.

Daytime high
51°
8th warmest
Overnight low
33°
4th coldest
Precipitation
3.3 in
10.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:12 AM – 5:53 PM
Cloud cover
66%
9th clearest
Wind
10 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
4.09 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.5
out of 10

Urbana is town in and county seat of Champaign County, Illinois, United States.

Density
1,410/km²
people per km²
Founded
1833

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 46°F in the first days to 57°F by the end.

A typical March day in Urbana reaches about 51°F in the afternoon and slips back to 33°F overnight — a 18°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 36°F and 68°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)
14528
24528
34628
44628
54629
64729
74729
84830
94830
104931
114931
125031
135032
145132
155133
165233
175233
185234
195334
205335
215435
225435
235436
245536
255536
265637
275637
285637
295738
305738
315838

How March really feels in Urbana

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.

Urbana weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan35° / 21°2.78.64.49.50.0
Feb40° / 24°2.37.43.810.40.2
Mar51° / 33°3.310.31.611.72.5
Apr64° / 44°4.511.80.3135.2
May73° / 54°4.713.2014.26.2
Jun81° / 64°4.111.4014.86.0
Jul84° / 67°3.610.4014.65.6
Aug83° / 65°2.98.7013.66.2
Sep78° / 57°3.07.3012.37.3
Oct65° / 46°3.38.50.110.96.1
Nov51° / 35°3.38.70.89.82.7
Dec40° / 26°2.58.93.19.20.1

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 13% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13565
23565
33565
43763
53763
63763
73862
83862
93862
103862
113862
123862
133862
143862
153763
163763
173862
183862
193862
203763
213763
223664
233664
243664
253763
263763
273763
283763
293763
303763
313961

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Urbana gets around 3.3 in of rain and snow over 10.3 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 33% 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 (%)
12910
22910
3299
4299
5298
6298
7297
8297
9297
10297
11306
12306
13316
14316
15326
16335
17335
18345
19355
20355
21364
22364
23374
24374
25373
26373
27373
28373
29373
30372
31372

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 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
110000
29910
39910
49910
59910
69910
79910
89910
99910
109820
119820
129820
139820
149820
159820
169730
179730
189730
199730
209730
219730
229640
239640
249640
259640
269640
279640
289640
299541
309541
319451

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 6:36 AM to 5:47 AM, and sunset from 5:36 PM to 6:08 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.06:365:36
211.06:345:37
311.16:335:38
411.16:315:40
511.26:305:41
611.26:285:42
711.36:275:43
811.36:255:44
911.46:245:45
1011.46:225:46
1111.46:205:47
1211.56:195:48
1311.56:175:49
1411.66:165:51
1511.66:145:52
1611.76:125:53
1711.76:115:54
1811.86:095:55
1911.86:075:56
2011.96:065:57
2111.96:045:58
2211.96:025:59
2312.06:016:00
2412.05:596:01
2512.15:576:02
2612.15:566:03
2712.25:546:04
2812.25:526:05
2912.35:516:06
3012.35:496:07
3112.45:476:08

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.09 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.77 kWh/m² to a high of 6.41 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.09 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.6Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.7Moderate
43.7Moderate
53.8Moderate
63.8Moderate
73.8Moderate
83.9Moderate
93.9Moderate
103.9Moderate
114.0Moderate
124.0Bright
134.0Bright
144.1Bright
154.1Bright
164.1Bright
174.2Bright
184.2Bright
194.2Bright
204.2Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.4Bright
264.4Bright
274.5Bright
284.5Bright
294.5Bright
304.6Bright
314.6Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Urbana?

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

2.5
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 Urbana.

What to pack for Urbana in March

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

In March, Urbana sees daytime highs around 51°F and nights near 33°F. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Urbana 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 Urbana peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 9Jan 1UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov3Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Urbana 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 Urbana is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.1× the cleanest month (October, 8 µg/m³).

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodJul 1616 µg/m³Oct 218 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan10Good
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr11Good
May14Moderate
Jun15Moderate
Jul16Moderate
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct8Good
Nov8Good
Dec9Good
Location & terrain

Where is Urbana?

Urbana sits at 40.1°N, 88.2°W, 728 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Champaign, 1.9 mi away.

Topography around Urbana

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Urbana has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 82 ft around an average of 735 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 203 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 495 ft.

The land around Urbana is covered by artificial surfaces (38%) and trees (37%) within 2 miles, cropland (80%) within 10 miles, and cropland (85%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
82 ft
10 miles
203 ft
50 miles
495 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
March weather nearby: Champaign 1.9 mi · Danville 30 mi · Charleston 42 mi · Decatur 43 mi · Mattoon 44 mi · Bloomington 49 mi · Normal 50 mi · Terre Haute 62 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 Urbana (40.1106°, -88.2073°, elevation 728 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).