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March Weather in Fargo North Dakota, United States

Daily high temperatures increase by 17°F, from 30°F to 47°F, rarely falling below 12°F or exceeding 61°F.

Daily low temperatures increase by 15°F, from 14°F to 29°F, rarely falling below -6°F or exceeding 41°F.

For reference, on July 23, the hottest day of the year, temperatures in Fargo typically range from 61°F to 83°F, while on January 15, the coldest day of the year, they range from 2°F to 19°F.

Average High and Low Temperature in March in Fargo

Average High and Low Temperature in March in FargoMar1122334455667788991010111112121313141415151616171718181919202021212222232324242525262627272828292930303131-20°F-20°F-10°F-10°F0°F0°F10°F10°F20°F20°F30°F30°F40°F40°F50°F50°F60°F60°F70°F70°F80°F80°FFebAprMar 130°FMar 130°F14°F14°FMar 3147°FMar 3147°F29°F29°FMar 1134°FMar 1134°F19°F19°FMar 2140°FMar 2140°F24°F24°F
The daily average high (red line) and low (blue line) temperature, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.

The figure below shows you a compact characterization of the hourly average temperatures for the quarter of the year centered on March. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the color is the average temperature for that hour and day.

Average Hourly Temperature in March in Fargo

Average Hourly Temperature in March in FargoMar112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313112 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMFebAprfrigidfrigidfreezingvery coldcoldcoldcool
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The average hourly temperature, color coded into bands. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.

Samara, Russia (5,260 miles away) and Jilin, China (5,640 miles) are the far-away foreign places with temperatures most similar to Fargo (view comparison).

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The month of March in Fargo experiences gradually decreasing cloud cover, with the percentage of time that the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy decreasing from 60% to 54%.

The clearest day of the month is March 31, with clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy conditions 46% of the time.

For reference, on February 3, the cloudiest day of the year, the chance of overcast or mostly cloudy conditions is 63%, while on July 26, the clearest day of the year, the chance of clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy skies is 74%.

Cloud Cover Categories in March in Fargo

Cloud Cover Categories in March in FargoMar11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%FebAprMar 140%Mar 140%Mar 3146%Mar 3146%Mar 1143%Mar 1143%Mar 2144%Mar 2144%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercast
0% clear 20% mostly clear 40% partly cloudy 60% mostly cloudy 80% overcast 100%
The percentage of time spent in each cloud cover band, categorized by the percentage of the sky covered by clouds.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. In Fargo, the chance of a wet day over the course of March is gradually increasing, starting the month at 9% and ending it at 13%.

For reference, the year's highest daily chance of a wet day is 39% on June 13, and its lowest chance is 5% on January 28.

Over the course of March in Fargo, the chance of a day with only rain increases from 3% to 9%, the chance of a day with mixed snow and rain remains an essentially constant 2% throughout, and the chance of a day with only snow decreases from 5% to 1%.

Probability of Precipitation in March in Fargo

The percentage of days in which various types of precipitation are observed, excluding trace quantities: rain alone, snow alone, and mixed (both rain and snow fell in the same day).

Rainfall

To show variation within the month and not just the monthly total, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day.

The average sliding 31-day rainfall during March in Fargo is increasing, starting the month at 0.3 inches, when it rarely exceeds 0.8 inches, and ending the month at 0.8 inches, when it rarely exceeds 2.0 inches or falls below 0.1 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall in March in Fargo

Average Monthly Rainfall in March in FargoMar11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310.0 in0.0 in0.5 in0.5 in1.0 in1.0 in1.5 in1.5 in2.0 in2.0 in2.5 in2.5 in3.0 in3.0 in3.5 in3.5 in4.0 in4.0 inFebAprMar 10.3 inMar 10.3 inMar 310.8 inMar 310.8 inMar 110.4 inMar 110.4 inMar 210.6 inMar 210.6 in
The average rainfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average snowfall.

Snowfall

As with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day.

The average sliding 31-day snowfall during March in Fargo is gradually decreasing, starting the month at 2.8 inches, when it rarely exceeds 6.8 inches or falls below 0.2 inches, and ending the month at 2.0 inches, when it rarely exceeds 5.6 inches or falls below -0.0 inches.

The highest average 31-day accumulation is 2.9 inches on March 8.

Average Monthly Snowfall in March in Fargo

The average snowfall (solid line) accumulated over the course of a sliding 31-day period centered on the day in question, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands. The thin dotted line is the corresponding average rainfall.

Over the course of March in Fargo, the length of the day is rapidly increasing. From the start to the end of the month, the length of the day increases by 1 hour, 41 minutes, implying an average daily increase of 3 minutes, 22 seconds, and weekly increase of 23 minutes, 32 seconds.

The shortest day of the month is March 1, with 11 hours, 8 minutes of daylight and the longest day is March 31, with 12 hours, 49 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in March in Fargo

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in March in FargoMar11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310 hr24 hr4 hr20 hr8 hr16 hr12 hr12 hr16 hr8 hr20 hr4 hr24 hr0 hrFebAprMar 1912 hr, 8 minMar 1912 hr, 8 minnightnightdaydayMar 111 hr, 8 minMar 111 hr, 8 min
The number of hours during which the Sun is visible (black line). From bottom (most yellow) to top (most gray), the color bands indicate: full daylight, twilight (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and full night.

The earliest sunrise of the month in Fargo is 6:50 AM on March 9 and the latest sunrise is 58 minutes later at 7:48 AM on March 10.

The earliest sunset is 6:13 PM on March 1 and the latest sunset is 1 hour, 42 minutes later at 7:55 PM on March 31.

Daylight saving time (DST) starts at 3:00 AM on March 10, 2024, shifting sunrise and sunset to be an hour later.

For reference, on June 20, the longest day of the year, the Sun rises at 5:32 AM and sets 15 hours, 53 minutes later, at 9:25 PM, while on December 21, the shortest day of the year, it rises at 8:09 AM and sets 8 hours, 31 minutes later, at 4:41 PM.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time in March in Fargo

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight and Daylight Saving Time in March in FargoMar11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031312 AM4 AM6 AM8 AM10 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM6 PM8 PM10 PM12 AMFebApr6:50 AM6:50 AMMar 96:25 PMMar 96:25 PM7:07 AM7:07 AMMar 317:55 PMMar 317:55 PM7:26 AM7:26 AMMar 217:42 PMMar 217:42 PMMar 10DSTMar 10DSTSolarMidnightSolarMidnightSolarNoonSunriseSunset
The solar day over the course of March. From bottom to top, the black lines are the previous solar midnight, sunrise, solar noon, sunset, and the next solar midnight. The day, twilights (civil, nautical, and astronomical), and night are indicated by the color bands from yellow to gray. The transitions to and from daylight saving time are indicated by the 'DST' labels.

The figure below presents a compact representation of the sun's elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon) and azimuth (its compass bearing) for every hour of every day in the reporting period. The horizontal axis is the day of the year and the vertical axis is the hour of the day. For a given day and hour of that day, the background color indicates the azimuth of the sun at that moment. The black isolines are contours of constant solar elevation.

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in March in Fargo

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in March in FargoMar112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313112 AM12 AM2 AM2 AM4 AM4 AM6 AM6 AM8 AM8 AM10 AM10 AM12 PM12 PM2 PM2 PM4 PM4 PM6 PM6 PM8 PM8 PM10 PM10 PM12 AM12 AMFebApr0010102020203030405000010102020303040
northeastsouthwest
Solar elevation and azimuth over the course of March 2024. The black lines are lines of constant solar elevation (the angle of the sun above the horizon, in degrees). The background color fills indicate the azimuth (the compass bearing) of the sun. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries of the cardinal compass points indicate the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for March 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases. The label associated with each bar indicates the date and time that the phase is obtained, and the companion time labels indicate the rise and set times of the Moon for the nearest time interval in which the moon is above the horizon.

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in March in Fargo

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in March in FargoMar112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313112 AM12 AM4 AM4 AM8 AM8 AM12 PM12 PM4 PM4 PM8 PM8 PM12 AM12 AMFebAprFeb 95:00 PMFeb 95:00 PMFeb 246:31 AMFeb 246:31 AMMar 104:01 AMMar 104:01 AMMar 252:01 AMMar 252:01 AMApr 81:22 PMApr 81:22 PMApr 236:50 PMApr 236:50 PM8:00 AM8:00 AM5:24 PM5:24 PM5:14 PM5:14 PM7:41 AM7:41 AM8:09 AM8:09 AM8:10 PM8:10 PM7:22 PM7:22 PM7:32 AM7:32 AM6:48 AM6:48 AM8:26 PM8:26 PM8:31 PM8:31 PM6:27 AM6:27 AM
The time in which the moon is above the horizon (light blue area), with new moons (dark gray lines) and full moons (blue lines) indicated. The shaded overlays indicate night and civil twilight.
Mar 2024IlluminationMoonriseMoonsetMoonriseMeridian PassingDistance
1
72%-9:16 AMWSW-4:34 AMS246,858 mi
2
62%1:03 AMSE9:42 AMSW-5:22 AMS244,015 mi
3
50%2:16 AMSE10:16 AMSW-6:16 AMS240,633 mi
4
40%3:25 AMSE11:03 AMSW-7:14 AMS236,851 mi
5
30%4:27 AMSE12:06 PMSW-8:16 AMS232,892 mi
6
19%5:17 AMSE1:22 PMSW-9:19 AMS229,068 mi
7
11%5:56 AMSE2:47 PMWSW-10:21 AMS225,740 mi
8
4%6:25 AMESE4:15 PMWSW-11:20 AMS223,268 mi
9
1%6:49 AMESE5:43 PMWSW-12:15 PMS221,941 mi
10
0%8:09 AME8:10 PMW-4:00 AMNE221,767 mi
11
3%8:28 AME9:35 PMW-2:57 PMS223,207 mi
12
9%8:47 AMENE10:59 PMWNW-3:48 PMS225,645 mi
13
17%9:09 AMENE--4:39 PMS228,954 mi
14
27%-12:23 AMWNW9:34 AMENE5:33 PMS232,788 mi
15
38%-1:45 AMNW10:06 AMNE6:28 PMS236,790 mi
16
50%-3:00 AMNW10:47 AMNE7:24 PMS240,645 mi
17
59%-4:05 AMNW11:38 AMNE8:20 PMS244,108 mi
18
69%-4:57 AMNW12:39 PMNE9:13 PMS247,020 mi
19
78%-5:37 AMNW1:46 PMNE10:02 PMS249,300 mi
20
85%-6:07 AMNW2:56 PMENE10:48 PMS250,934 mi
21
92%-6:30 AMWNW4:04 PMENE11:31 PMS251,954 mi
22
94%-6:49 AMWNW5:11 PMENE--
23
96%-7:04 AMWNW6:17 PME12:12 AMS252,417 mi
24
99%-7:19 AMW7:22 PME12:51 AMS252,385 mi
25
100%-7:32 AMW8:27 PME1:29 AMS251,915 mi
26
99%-7:46 AMWSW9:33 PMESE2:08 AMS251,043 mi
27
96%-8:02 AMWSW10:42 PMESE2:49 AMS249,786 mi
28
92%-8:21 AMWSW11:53 PMESE3:32 AMS248,142 mi
29
85%-8:45 AMSW-4:19 AMS246,099 mi
30
77%1:05 AMSE9:16 AMSW-5:10 AMS243,650 mi
31
68%2:15 AMSE9:57 AMSW-6:06 AMS240,812 mi

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

The chance that a given day will be muggy in Fargo is essentially constant during March, remaining around 0% throughout.

For reference, on July 18, the muggiest day of the year, there are muggy conditions 25% of the time, while on October 26, the least muggy day of the year, there are muggy conditions 0% of the time.

Humidity Comfort Levels in March in Fargo

Humidity Comfort Levels in March in FargoMar11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%FebAprMar 10%Mar 10%Mar 310%Mar 310%Mar 110%Mar 110%Mar 210%Mar 210%drydry
dry 55°F comfortable 60°F humid 65°F muggy 70°F oppressive 75°F miserable
The percentage of time spent at various humidity comfort levels, categorized by dew point.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Fargo is gradually increasing during March, increasing from 12.0 miles per hour to 12.6 miles per hour over the course of the month.

For reference, on March 31, the windiest day of the year, the daily average wind speed is 12.6 miles per hour, while on July 26, the calmest day of the year, the daily average wind speed is 9.1 miles per hour.

The highest daily average wind speed during March is 12.6 miles per hour on March 31.

Average Wind Speed in March in Fargo

The average of mean hourly wind speeds (dark gray line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

The hourly average wind direction in Fargo throughout March is predominantly from the north, with a peak proportion of 38% on March 5.

Wind Direction in March in Fargo

Wind Direction in March in FargoMar11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%100%20%80%40%60%60%40%80%20%100%0%FebAprwestsoutheastnorth
northeastsouthwest
The percentage of hours in which the mean wind direction is from each of the four cardinal wind directions, excluding hours in which the mean wind speed is less than 1.0 mph. The lightly tinted areas at the boundaries are the percentage of hours spent in the implied intermediate directions (northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest).

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season in Fargo typically lasts for 5.0 months (152 days), from around May 4 to around October 3, rarely starting before April 15 or after May 22, and rarely ending before September 14 or after October 23.

The month of March in Fargo is reliably fully outside of the growing season.

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in March in Fargo

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in March in FargoMar11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%FebApr0%Mar 160%Mar 16Apr 1510%Apr 1510%0%Feb 160%Feb 16frigidfreezingvery coldcoldcoolcomfortable
frigid 15°F freezing 32°F very cold 45°F cold 55°F cool 65°F comfortable 75°F warm 85°F hot 95°F sweltering
The percentage of time spent in various temperature bands. The black line is the percentage chance that a given day is within the growing season.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

The average accumulated growing degree days in Fargo are essentially constant during March, remaining within 6°F of 6°F throughout.

Growing Degree Days in March in Fargo

The average growing degree days accumulated over the course of March, with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy in Fargo is increasing during March, rising by 1.4 kWh, from 3.2 kWh to 4.6 kWh, over the course of the month.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in March in Fargo

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in March in FargoMar11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWh7 kWh7 kWh8 kWh8 kWhFebAprMar 13.2 kWhMar 13.2 kWhMar 314.6 kWhMar 314.6 kWhMar 113.6 kWhMar 113.6 kWhMar 214.1 kWhMar 214.1 kWh
The average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground per square meter (orange line), with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Fargo are 46.877 deg latitude, -96.790 deg longitude, and 902 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Fargo is essentially flat, with a maximum elevation change of 43 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 898 feet. Within 10 miles is also essentially flat (75 feet). Within 50 miles is essentially flat (846 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Fargo is covered by artificial surfaces (99%), within 10 miles by cropland (83%) and artificial surfaces (16%), and within 50 miles by cropland (91%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in Fargo, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 2016.

Temperature and Dew Point

There are 3 weather stations near enough to contribute to our estimation of the temperature and dew point in Fargo.

For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Fargo according to the International Standard Atmosphere , and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations.

The estimated value at Fargo is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Fargo and a given station.

The stations contributing to this reconstruction are:

To get a sense of how much these sources agree with each other, you can view a comparison of Fargo and the stations that contribute to our estimates of its temperature history and climate. Please note that each source's contribution is adjusted for elevation and the relative change present in the MERRA-2 data.

Other Data

All data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition , by Jean Meeus.

All other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis . This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid.

Land Use data comes from the Global Land Cover SHARE database , published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Elevation data comes from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) , published by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Names, locations, and time zones of places and some airports come from the GeoNames Geographical Database .

Time zones for airports and weather stations are provided by AskGeo.com .

Maps are © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Disclaimer

The information on this site is provided as is, without any assurances as to its accuracy or suitability for any purpose. Weather data is prone to errors, outages, and other defects. We assume no responsibility for any decisions made on the basis of the content presented on this site.

We draw particular cautious attention to our reliance on the MERRA-2 model-based reconstructions for a number of important data series. While having the tremendous advantages of temporal and spatial completeness, these reconstructions: (1) are based on computer models that may have model-based errors, (2) are coarsely sampled on a 50 km grid and are therefore unable to reconstruct the local variations of many microclimates, and (3) have particular difficulty with the weather in some coastal areas, especially small islands.

We further caution that our travel scores are only as good as the data that underpin them, that weather conditions at any given location and time are unpredictable and variable, and that the definition of the scores reflects a particular set of preferences that may not agree with those of any particular reader.

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