South Africa weather in March

Are you planning a trip to South Africa in March and wondering what kind of weather to expect? This page has all the details you need.

What is the weather like in South Africa in March?

South Africa offers a broad spectrum of weather patterns. In March, one might encounter temperatures that range from pleasant to very warm, and precipitation levels ranging from low to heavy.

The average maximum daytime temperatures vary from pleasant in Paternoster at 20°C to very warm in Keimoes at 34°C. Nighttime temperatures generally drop to 20°C in Keimoes and 16°C in Paternoster.

In March, precipitation varies across different areas. From low rainfall in Port Nolloth with an average of 5.7 mm to heavy rainfall in Bonjaneni with 216 mm. Meanwhile, Cape Town enjoys approximately 293 hours of sunshine, offering a mostly sunny climate that adds a pleasant and vibrant feel to the month.

For a closer look at March's conditions in South Africa, see the map below. For a more detailed look at South Africa's yearly weather, check out our South Africa climate page.

Where to go in South Africa in March

Find the average weather conditions in March for the most popular destinations in South Africa on the map below. Click on a destination dot for more detailed information.

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Legend perfect weather pleasant tolerable unpleasant poor
Perfect weather is subjective. On this map perfect weather has been defined with temperatures between 20°C and 29°C and not too much precipitation (less than 90 mm a month).

Popular destinations in South Africa

What is the weather like in March for the 5 most popular destinations in South Africa?

Average weather in Cape Town

In March Cape Town generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 24°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 16°C and low monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are perfect that month.

Cape Town
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
25°C 
18°C 
297 hours 
19 mm 
4 days 
24°C 
16°C 
293 hours 
20 mm 
5 days 
April   >> April
>>  
22°C 
14°C 
234 hours 
52 mm 
8 days 
Climate in Cape Town

Average weather in Johannesburg

In March Johannesburg generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 26°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 14°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are perfect that month.

Johannesburg
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
27°C 
16°C 
225 hours 
123 mm 
11 days 
26°C 
14°C 
239 hours 
92 mm 
11 days 
April   >> April
>>  
24°C 
11°C 
237 hours 
48 mm 
8 days 
Climate in Johannesburg

Average weather in Durban

In March Durban generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 28°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 22°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are perfect that month.

Durban
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
28°C 
22°C 
179 hours 
99 mm 
13 days 
28°C 
22°C 
201 hours 
98 mm 
12 days 
April   >> April
>>  
26°C 
20°C 
206 hours 
87 mm 
8 days 
Climate in Durban

Average weather in Knysna

In March Knysna generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 23°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 17°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are perfect that month.

Knysna
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
24°C 
18°C 
300 hours 
50 mm 
10 days 
23°C 
17°C 
280 hours 
54 mm 
10 days 
April   >> April
>>  
22°C 
15°C 
262 hours 
56 mm 
9 days 
Climate in Knysna

Average weather in Stellenbosch

In March Stellenbosch generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 27°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 15°C and low monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are perfect that month.

Stellenbosch
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
28°C 
17°C 
297 hours 
23 mm 
4 days 
27°C 
15°C 
293 hours 
25 mm 
5 days 
April   >> April
>>  
24°C 
13°C 
234 hours 
61 mm 
8 days 
Climate in Stellenbosch

Is your destination not in the list? Have a look at other destinations in South Africa.

Is March the best time to visit South Africa?

We consider March to be one of the best times to travel to South Africa. Typically, the climate in Cape Town is perfect.

On average, the best time to visit South Africa is in January, February, March, April, May, October, November and December with generally perfect weather in Cape Town. In contrast, July tends to have unpleasant weather conditions.

Interested in more climate information?

We have much more information about the climate in South Africa. Interested in the weather conditions in a specific month? Select the month below.

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  • Weather and climate has detailed information for every country in the world. Are you going to South Africa? Get detailed historical weather averages for many cities in South Africa.

    Not sure yet where to go? We now have a tool which recommends destinations that suit your ideal climate conditions. Find out where to go with our weather planner.