Palabana weather in March

In March, Palabana sees average daytime highs of 26°C and overnight lows near 18°C, with 166 mm of rain across 21.3 wet days and about 12.1 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in March, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 18 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Palabana's 9th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Palabana's year-round climate.

Daytime high
26°
5th warmest
Overnight low
18°
7th coldest
Rainfall
166 mm
21.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:12 AM – 6:19 PM
Cloud cover
68%
9th clearest
Wind
9 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.9
out of 10

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 26°C through the month.

A typical March day in Palabana reaches about 26°C in the afternoon and slips back to 18°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 24°C and 29°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)
12618
22618
32618
42618
52618
62618
72618
82618
92618
102618
112618
122618
132618
142618
152618
162618
172618
182618
192618
202618
212618
222618
232618
242618
252618
262618
272617
282617
292617
302617
312617

Palabana weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 5th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 19°30827.112.83.9
Feb26° / 19°2432412.54.0
Mar26° / 18°16621.312.14.9
Apr26° / 16°387.811.77.2
May25° / 13°51.411.38.8
Jun23° / 11°20.611.18.9
Jul22° / 11°20.311.28.9
Aug26° / 13°10.311.59.1
Sep29° / 17°30.511.97.4
Oct31° / 19°183.612.45.5
Nov30° / 20°12015.312.74.5
Dec27° / 19°28225.412.94.1

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 62%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12575
22674
32773
42872
52971
63070
73070
83070
93268
103367
113466
123466
133565
143664
153664
163664
173664
183763
193862
203862
214060
224159
234258
244456
254456
264654
274852
284951
295149
305248
315446

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Palabana gets around 166 mm of rain over 21.3 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 68% and peaks near 81% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
181
280
380
479
579
678
777
876
975
1074
1173
1272
1371
1470
1570
1669
1768
1867
1966
2066
2164
2263
2362
2461
2559
2658
2757
2855
2953
3052
3150

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the muggy band about 55% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 55% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
1012871
2012970
3013069
4013168
5013267
6013366
7023464
8023464
9023563
10033661
11033760
12033859
13043858
14043957
15053956
16053956
17064054
18064054
19074053
20074053
21084052
22194150
231104148
241114147
251124245
262134243
272144241
282164339
293174337
303184435
314194532

Wind in March

Winds average 9 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
139calm
149calm
159calm
169calm
179calm
189calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm
3110calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 18 min at the start of March to 11 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 24 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:09 AM to 6:14 AM, and sunset from 6:29 PM to 6:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:096:29
212.36:106:28
312.36:106:28
412.36:106:27
512.36:106:26
612.36:106:26
712.26:116:25
812.26:116:24
912.26:116:24
1012.26:116:23
1112.26:116:22
1212.26:126:22
1312.26:126:21
1412.16:126:20
1512.16:126:19
1612.16:126:19
1712.16:126:18
1812.16:136:17
1912.16:136:17
2012.06:136:16
2112.06:136:15
2212.06:136:14
2312.06:136:14
2412.06:136:13
2512.06:146:12
2612.06:146:11
2711.96:146:10
2811.96:146:10
2911.96:146:09
3011.96:146:08
3111.96:146:07

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.49 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.74 kWh/m² to a high of 7.23 kWh/m² in October across the year — March's 5.49 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.4Bright
25.4Bright
35.4Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.5Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.5Bright
125.5Bright
135.5Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.5Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.5Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Palabana

In seasonPeak

In March, Palabana sits inside its monsoon season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Palabana's monsoon runs December–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

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

Is March a good time to visit Palabana?

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

4.9
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Palabana for sightseeing.

What to pack for Palabana in March

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

In March, Palabana sees daytime highs around 26°C and nights near 18°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: light clothes and sun protection. About 21 days see rain.

rain gearlight clothessun protection

UV index in Palabana in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 14 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Palabana peaks around January 19 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 23 at about 9 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 19UV 16Jun 23UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan17Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep11Extreme
Oct12Extreme
Nov14Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Palabana 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 Palabana is worst in September — around 37 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 3.3× the cleanest month (December, 11 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateSep 1037 µg/m³Dec 2112 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb14Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May17Moderate
Jun22Moderate
Jul28Moderate
Aug36Poor
Sep37Poor
Oct26Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Palabana?

Palabana sits at 15.4°S, 28.5°E, 1,226 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Ntandabale, 14 km away.

Topography around Palabana

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Palabana has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 130 m around an average of 1,206 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 326 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,102 m.

The land around Palabana is covered by shrubs (32%), trees (29%) and grassland (20%) within 3 km, trees (35%), grassland (26%) and shrubs (24%) within 16 km, and trees (31%), shrubs (26%) and grassland (26%) within 80 km.

3 km
130 m
16 km
326 m
80 km
1,102 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
March weather nearby: Ntandabale 14 km · Madido 20 km · Chisankane 20 km · Chongwe 20 km · Lusaka 27 km · Chilanga Township 32 km · Chunga 32 km · Namalombwe 37 km

Zambia travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / D / G
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 30% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$1,318
2025
Happiness
4.1 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
5.2
per 100k, 2015
Road deaths
20.5
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 573
Religion
Protestant 75%Roman Catholic 20%other 3%none 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 Palabana (-15.4462°, 28.5344°, elevation 1,226 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. 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).