Petauke weather in March

In March, Petauke sees average daytime highs of 28°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 139 mm of rain across 18.4 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 28°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% 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 Petauke's 9th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Petauke's year-round climate.

Daytime high
28°
5th warmest
Overnight low
20°
7th coldest
Rainfall
139 mm
18.4 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:01 AM – 6:07 PM
Cloud cover
68%
9th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
5.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

Petauke is human settlement in Zambia.

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 28°C through the month.

A typical March day in Petauke reaches about 28°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 26°C and 30°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and on par with April.

15°20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12820
22820
32820
42820
52820
62820
72820
82820
92820
102820
112820
122820
132820
142820
152820
162820
172820
182820
192820
202820
212820
222819
232819
242819
252819
262819
272819
282819
292819
302819
312819

How March really feels in Petauke

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

March sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Petauke 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
Jan28° / 20°2722612.73.9
Feb28° / 20°2152112.54.3
Mar28° / 20°13918.412.15.1
Apr28° / 18°265.511.77.2
May27° / 16°5111.38.3
Jun25° / 14°10.111.29.0
Jul25° / 14°10.211.29.0
Aug28° / 16°10.111.58.2
Sep31° / 19°10.411.96.0
Oct33° / 21°9212.34.4
Nov32° / 22°751112.73.6
Dec29° / 21°23524.312.83.6

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 64%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
12179
22377
32377
42377
52575
62575
72773
82773
92872
102971
113070
123070
133268
143367
153466
163466
173565
183664
193763
203862
213961
224159
234258
244456
254654
264753
274852
285050
295149
305248
315347

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Petauke gets around 139 mm of rain over 18.4 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 59% and peaks near 71% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
171
271
370
469
568
667
766
866
965
1064
1164
1264
1363
1463
1563
1662
1762
1861
1960
2059
2157
2256
2354
2453
2551
2649
2747
2845
2943
3041
3139

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 69% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 72% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
10113806
20113806
30114796
40115786
50116776
60216766
70217756
80218746
90219745
100219745
110220735
120220735
130220735
140321724
150321724
160321724
170321724
180322723
190422713
200423703
210424693
220425683
230527653
240529642
250630622
261732582
271833562
281935541
291937521
3011039491
3111240461

Wind in March

Winds average 10 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
49calm
59calm
69calm
79calm
89calm
99calm
109calm
119calm
129calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2311calm
2411calm
2511calm
2611calm
2711calm
2811calm
2911calm
3011calm
3112calm

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 5:59 AM to 6:03 AM, and sunset from 6:17 PM to 5:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.35:596:17
212.35:596:16
312.35:596:16
412.36:006:15
512.26:006:15
612.26:006:14
712.26:006:13
812.26:006:13
912.26:006:12
1012.26:016:11
1112.26:016:11
1212.26:016:10
1312.16:016:09
1412.16:016:09
1512.16:016:08
1612.16:016:07
1712.16:026:07
1812.16:026:06
1912.16:026:05
2012.06:026:05
2112.06:026:04
2212.06:026:03
2312.06:026:02
2412.06:026:02
2512.06:026:01
2612.06:026:00
2711.96:035:59
2811.96:035:59
2911.96:035:58
3011.96:035:57
3111.96:035:57

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.51 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.73 kWh/m² to a high of 6.97 kWh/m² in October across the year — March's 5.51 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
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
305.4Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Petauke

In seasonPeak

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

Petauke'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 Petauke?

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

5.1
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
5.4
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Petauke for sightseeing.

What to pack for Petauke in March

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

In March, Petauke sees daytime highs around 28°C and nights near 20°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Petauke in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 15 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Petauke peaks around January 20 at about 16 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 22 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 20UV 16Jun 22UV 9
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb15Extreme
Mar15Extreme
Apr12Extreme
May10Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep11Extreme
Oct11Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec14Extreme

Air quality in Petauke 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 Petauke is worst in September — around 26 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.2× the cleanest month (December, 6 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1026 µg/m³Apr 176 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb8Good
Mar7Good
Apr6Good
May7Good
Jun11Good
Jul18Moderate
Aug25Moderate
Sep26Moderate
Oct16Moderate
Nov9Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Petauke?

Petauke sits at 14.2°S, 31.3°E, 1,015 m above sea level, in Zambia. The nearest listed city is Sinda, 48 km away.

KateteChipataSerenjeMchinjiSongoMkushi

Topography around Petauke

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Petauke has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 108 m around an average of 1,000 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 267 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 986 m.

The land around Petauke is covered by cropland (43%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, cropland (55%) and grassland (20%) within 16 km, and cropland (34%) and shrubs (30%) within 80 km.

3 km
108 m
16 km
267 m
80 km
986 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
March weather nearby: Sinda 48 km · Nyimba 65 km · Katete 85 km · Chipata 159 km · Serenje 162 km · Mchinji 175 km · Songo 216 km · Mkushi 219 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 Petauke (-14.2412°, 31.3197°, elevation 1,015 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).