El Marsa weather in March

In March, El Marsa sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 6 mm of rain across 1 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 72% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 24 min at the start of March to 12 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is El Marsa's 6th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see El Marsa's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
9th warmest
Overnight low
16°
4th coldest
Rainfall
6 mm
1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 48 min
7:09 AM – 6:57 PM
Cloud cover
29%
6th clearest
Wind
22 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.14 kWh/m²
Travel score
8.4
out of 10

El Marsa is port city in Western Sahara.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month.

A typical March day in El Marsa reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and on par with April.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12115
22115
32115
42115
52115
62115
72115
82115
92115
102116
112116
122116
132116
142116
152116
162116
172116
182116
192116
202116
212116
222116
232116
242116
252116
262116
272116
282116
292116
302116
312116

El Marsa weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 9th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan20° / 14°71.410.58.1
Feb21° / 15°71.4118.2
Mar21° / 16°6111.88.4
Apr21° / 16°10.212.68.5
May22° / 17°00.113.38.7
Jun23° / 19°0013.79.2
Jul24° / 20°0013.59.5
Aug25° / 20°00139.3
Sep25° / 20°30.512.29.1
Oct25° / 19°6111.48.9
Nov23° / 17°61.110.78.7
Dec21° / 15°91.410.38.3

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 72% 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 14%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
18614
28515
38416
48416
58416
68317
78317
88416
98416
108416
118416
128515
138515
148515
158614
168614
178614
188812
198812
208812
218812
228812
238812
248812
258812
268812
278812
288812
298812
308812
318812

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

El Marsa gets around 6 mm of rain over 1 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 3% and peaks near 4% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
14
24
34
44
54
64
74
84
94
104
114
124
134
144
154
163
173
183
193
203
213
223
233
243
253
263
273
282
292
302
312

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 54% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
164333
263343
363343
462353
562353
661363
761363
860373
960373
1059383
1158393
1257394
1356404
1455414
1555414
1654424
1754424
1853434
1952435
2051445
2151445
2250455
2349466
2448476
2547476
2646486
2745496
2845496
2944506
3043516
3142526

Wind in March

Winds average 22 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 22 km/h on the calmest days to 23 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
123breezy
223breezy
323breezy
423breezy
523breezy
623breezy
723breezy
823breezy
923breezy
1023breezy
1122breezy
1222breezy
1322breezy
1422breezy
1522breezy
1622breezy
1722breezy
1822breezy
1922breezy
2022breezy
2122breezy
2222breezy
2322breezy
2422breezy
2522breezy
2623breezy
2723breezy
2823breezy
2923breezy
3023breezy
3123breezy

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 24 min at the start of March to 12 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:25 AM to 6:52 AM, and sunset from 6:49 PM to 7:05 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.47:256:49
211.47:246:49
311.47:236:50
411.57:226:51
511.57:216:51
611.57:206:52
711.67:196:52
811.67:186:53
911.67:176:54
1011.67:166:54
1111.77:156:55
1211.77:146:55
1311.77:136:56
1411.77:126:56
1511.87:106:57
1611.87:096:57
1711.87:086:58
1811.97:076:58
1911.97:066:59
2011.97:056:59
2111.97:047:00
2212.07:037:00
2312.07:017:01
2412.07:007:01
2512.06:597:02
2612.16:587:03
2712.16:577:03
2812.16:567:04
2912.26:557:04
3012.26:537:05
3112.26:527:05

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 6.14 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.72 kWh/m² to a high of 7.53 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 6.14 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.6Bright
35.6Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
116.0Bright
126.0Intense
136.1Intense
146.1Intense
156.1Intense
166.2Intense
176.2Intense
186.2Intense
196.3Intense
206.3Intense
216.3Intense
226.4Intense
236.4Intense
246.4Intense
256.4Intense
266.5Intense
276.5Intense
286.5Intense
296.5Intense
306.6Intense
316.6Intense
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for El Marsa

In seasonPeak

None of El Marsa's seasonal hazards are active in March. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

El Marsa sees seasonal dust haze (July–August), heaviest in July.

Dust
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is March a good time to visit El Marsa?

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

8.4
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
5.1
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

March is one of the better times to visit El Marsa for general sightseeing.

What to pack for El Marsa in March

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

In March, El Marsa sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 16°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a windbreaker.

sun protectiona windbreaker

Sea temperature near El Marsa in March

The nearest coast averages about 18°C in March — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in October at about 21°C and coldest in February near 17°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Aug 4 to Nov 19 — about 3.6 months when the water holds above 20°C.

16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan18Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr18Cool
May19Cool
Jun20Cool
Jul20Cool
Aug20Refreshing
Sep21Refreshing
Oct21Refreshing
Nov20Refreshing
Dec19Cool

UV index in El Marsa in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 9 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in El Marsa peaks around June 22 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 4 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateJun 22UV 11Dec 17UV 4
UV index (midday)Level
Jan5Moderate
Feb6High
Mar9Very high
Apr9Very high
May10Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct8Very high
Nov5Moderate
Dec4Moderate

Air quality in El Marsa 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 El Marsa is worst in December — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.2× the cleanest month (June, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateDec 2228 µg/m³Jun 117 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan25Moderate
Feb26Moderate
Mar14Moderate
Apr10Good
May8Good
Jun7Good
Jul11Good
Aug12Good
Sep9Good
Oct12Moderate
Nov12Moderate
Dec28Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is El Marsa?

El Marsa sits at 27.1°N, 13.4°W, 4 m above sea level, in Western Sahara. The nearest listed city is Laayoune, 23 km away.

BoujdourSmara

Topography around El Marsa

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of El Marsa.

Within 3 km, the terrain around El Marsa has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 16 m around an average of 4 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 74 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 264 m.

The land around El Marsa is covered by bare terrain (50%) and water (41%) within 3 km, bare terrain (51%) and water (48%) within 16 km, and bare terrain (68%) and water (32%) within 80 km.

3 km
16 m
16 km
74 m
80 km
264 m
artificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Laayoune 23 km · Boujdour 151 km · Pájara 155 km · Puerto del Rosario 162 km · La Oliva 176 km · Smara 177 km · Puerto del Carmen 205 km · Arrecife 208 km

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for El Marsa (27.0961°, -13.4158°, elevation 4 m), 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).