Kariba weather in March

In March, Kariba sees average daytime highs of 30°C and overnight lows near 23°C, with 135 mm of rain across 15.8 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 30°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in March, and the air most often feels oppressive.

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 Kariba's 9th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kariba's year-round climate.

Daytime high
30°
5th warmest
Overnight low
23°
7th coldest
Rainfall
135 mm
15.8 wet days
Daylight
12 h 06 min
6:11 AM – 6:18 PM
Cloud cover
55%
9th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
5.64 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.5
out of 10

Kariba is town in Mashonaland West province, Zimbabwe, located close to the Kariba Dam.

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 30°C through the month.

A typical March day in Kariba reaches about 30°C in the afternoon and slips back to 23°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 27°C and 32°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and on par with April.

20°25°30°35°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
13023
23023
33023
43023
53023
63023
73023
83023
93023
103023
113023
123023
133023
143023
153023
163023
173023
183023
193023
203023
213023
223023
233023
243023
253023
263023
273023
283023
293023
303022
313022

How March really feels in Kariba

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 25 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
25
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in March is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Kariba 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
Jan30° / 24°27322.112.93.6
Feb30° / 23°20919.212.63.9
Mar30° / 23°13515.812.14.5
Apr29° / 21°375.711.66.2
May28° / 18°30.611.28.0
Jun26° / 16°10.2119.0
Jul26° / 15°10.211.19.1
Aug28° / 17°00.111.48.1
Sep32° / 21°20.311.95.5
Oct34° / 24°121.812.43.7
Nov33° / 25°781012.83.3
Dec31° / 24°21820.3133.5

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 43%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34951
44951
54951
65050
75149
85248
95248
105347
115446
125446
135545
145644
155644
165743
175743
185743
195941
205941
215941
226139
236238
246337
256436
266535
276634
286733
296832
306832
317030

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Kariba gets around 135 mm of rain over 15.8 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 51% and peaks near 65% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%80%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
165
264
363
463
562
661
760
860
959
1058
1157
1256
1354
1453
1552
1651
1750
1849
1948
2047
2146
2245
2344
2443
2542
2641
2740
2839
2938
3038
3137

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the oppressive band about 50% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 93% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1022870
2023068
3023167
4023365
5023464
6033562
7033760
8033859
9033958
10044056
11044155
12044155
13054253
14054352
15054352
16054451
17064450
18064549
19064548
20074647
21074746
22084745
23184843
24194942
25194940
262105038
272115037
282125135
293135133
303145231
314145329

Wind in March

Winds average 8 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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 6:08 AM to 6:13 AM, and sunset from 6:29 PM to 6:06 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.36:086:29
212.36:086:28
312.36:086:27
412.36:086:27
512.36:096:26
612.36:096:25
712.36:096:25
812.26:096:24
912.26:106:23
1012.26:106:22
1112.26:106:22
1212.26:106:21
1312.26:106:20
1412.16:116:19
1512.16:116:19
1612.16:116:18
1712.16:116:17
1812.16:116:16
1912.16:126:16
2012.16:126:15
2112.06:126:14
2212.06:126:13
2312.06:126:12
2412.06:126:12
2512.06:136:11
2612.06:136:10
2711.96:136:09
2811.96:136:08
2911.96:136:08
3011.96:136:07
3111.96:136:06

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.64 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 4.56 kWh/m² to a high of 7.13 kWh/m² in October across the year — March's 5.64 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.7Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.5Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Kariba

In seasonPeak

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

Kariba'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 Kariba?

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

4.5
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
6.1
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Kariba for sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Kariba in March

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

In March, Kariba sees daytime highs around 30°C and nights near 23°C. Pack light clothes and rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 16 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Kariba 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 Kariba peaks around January 19 at about 15 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near July 10 at about 8 (very high).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highExtremeJan 19UV 15Jul 10UV 8
UV index (midday)Level
Jan16Extreme
Feb14Extreme
Mar14Extreme
Apr11Extreme
May9Very high
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep10Very high
Oct11Extreme
Nov13Extreme
Dec13Extreme

Air quality in Kariba 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 Kariba is worst in September — around 32 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.7× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodSep 1531 µg/m³Dec 217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar8Good
Apr8Good
May9Good
Jun12Good
Jul16Moderate
Aug25Moderate
Sep32Moderate
Oct23Moderate
Nov11Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Kariba?

Kariba sits at 16.5°S, 28.8°E, 679 m above sea level, in Zimbabwe. The nearest listed city is Siavonga, 10 km away.

ChirunduKaroiKafueChilanga TownshipPalabanaChisankaneNtandabale

Topography around Kariba

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kariba has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 492 m around an average of 558 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 616 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,165 m.

The land around Kariba is covered by shrubs (52%) and trees (25%) within 3 km, water (41%) and shrubs (39%) within 16 km, and shrubs (53%) within 80 km.

3 km
492 m
16 km
616 m
80 km
1,165 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
March weather nearby: Siavonga 10 km · Chirundu 54 km · Karoi 101 km · Kafue 106 km · Chilanga Township 119 km · Palabana 122 km · Chisankane 125 km · Ntandabale 132 km

Zimbabwe travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type D / G
220 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 56% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$3,021
2025
Happiness
3.3 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
25%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
6.8
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
41.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
Lower middle
World Bank
English
Very high
EF EPI 602
Religion
Apostolic Sect 40%Pentecostal 17%Protestant 14%none 8%

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 Kariba (-16.5167°, 28.8°, elevation 679 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).