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March Weather in Johannesburg Gauteng, South Africa

Daily high temperatures decrease by 3°F, from 76°F to 73°F, rarely falling below 66°F or exceeding 83°F.

Daily low temperatures decrease by 5°F, from 58°F to 54°F, rarely falling below 49°F or exceeding 62°F.

For reference, on January 1, the hottest day of the year, temperatures in Johannesburg typically range from 59°F to 78°F, while on July 4, the coldest day of the year, they range from 36°F to 61°F.

Average High and Low Temperature in March in Johannesburg

Average High and Low Temperature in March in JohannesburgMar112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313140°F40°F45°F45°F50°F50°F55°F55°F60°F60°F65°F65°F70°F70°F75°F75°F80°F80°F85°F85°FFebAprMar 176°FMar 176°F58°F58°FMar 3173°FMar 3173°F54°F54°FMar 1175°FMar 1175°F57°F57°FMar 2174°FMar 2174°F56°F56°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 Johannesburg

Average Hourly Temperature in March in JohannesburgMar112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313112 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 AMFebAprcoldcoldcoolcoolcomfortablewarm
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.

Campo Quijano, Argentina (5,694 miles away) is the far-away foreign place with temperatures most similar to Johannesburg (view comparison).

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The month of March in Johannesburg experiences essentially constant cloud cover, with the percentage of time that the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy remaining about 23% throughout the month.

The clearest day of the month is March 31, with clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy conditions 78% of the time.

For reference, on November 24, the cloudiest day of the year, the chance of overcast or mostly cloudy conditions is 38%, while on July 20, the clearest day of the year, the chance of clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy skies is 92%.

Cloud Cover Categories in March in Johannesburg

Cloud Cover Categories in March in JohannesburgMar11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%FebAprMar 176%Mar 176%Mar 3178%Mar 3178%Mar 1176%Mar 1176%Mar 2176%Mar 2176%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 Johannesburg, the chance of a wet day over the course of March is very rapidly decreasing, starting the month at 38% and ending it at 27%.

For reference, the year's highest daily chance of a wet day is 55% on December 16, and its lowest chance is 1% on July 7.

Probability of Precipitation in March in Johannesburg

Probability of Precipitation in March in JohannesburgMar11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%0%5%5%10%10%15%15%20%20%25%25%30%30%35%35%40%40%45%45%50%50%FebAprMar 138%Mar 138%Mar 3127%Mar 3127%Mar 1137%Mar 1137%Mar 2132%Mar 2132%rain
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 Johannesburg is rapidly decreasing, starting the month at 2.9 inches, when it rarely exceeds 5.2 inches or falls below 1.0 inches, and ending the month at 1.9 inches, when it rarely exceeds 3.7 inches or falls below 0.6 inches.

Average Monthly Rainfall in March in Johannesburg

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.

Over the course of March in Johannesburg, the length of the day is decreasing. From the start to the end of the month, the length of the day decreases by 47 minutes, implying an average daily decrease of 1 minute, 33 seconds, and weekly decrease of 10 minutes, 52 seconds.

The shortest day of the month is March 31, with 11 hours, 50 minutes of daylight and the longest day is March 1, with 12 hours, 36 minutes of daylight.

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in March in Johannesburg

Hours of Daylight and Twilight in March in JohannesburgMar11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310 hr24 hr4 hr20 hr8 hr16 hr12 hr12 hr16 hr8 hr20 hr4 hr24 hr0 hrFebAprMar 2012 hr, 8 minMar 2012 hr, 8 mindaydaydaydaynightMar 112 hr, 36 minMar 112 hr, 36 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 Johannesburg is 6:01 AM on March 1 and the latest sunrise is 15 minutes later at 6:16 AM on March 31.

The latest sunset is 6:38 PM on March 1 and the earliest sunset is 31 minutes earlier at 6:06 PM on March 31.

Daylight saving time is not observed in Johannesburg during 2024.

For reference, on December 21, the longest day of the year, the Sun rises at 5:12 AM and sets 13 hours, 47 minutes later, at 6:59 PM, while on June 20, the shortest day of the year, it rises at 6:54 AM and sets 10 hours, 30 minutes later, at 5:24 PM.

Sunrise & Sunset with Twilight in March in Johannesburg

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 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 Johannesburg

Solar Elevation and Azimuth in March in JohannesburgMar112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313112 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 AMFebApr0010102020203030404050506070800001010202030303040405050606070
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 Johannesburg

Moon Rise, Set & Phases in March in JohannesburgMar112233445566778899101011111212131314141515161617171818191920202121222223232424252526262727282829293030313112 AM12 AM4 AM4 AM8 AM8 AM12 PM12 PM4 PM4 PM8 PM8 PM12 AM12 AMFebAprFeb 101:00 AMFeb 101:00 AMFeb 242:31 PMFeb 242:31 PMMar 1011:01 AMMar 1011:01 AMMar 259:01 AMMar 259:01 AMApr 88:22 PMApr 88:22 PMApr 241:50 AMApr 241:50 AM6:03 AM6:03 AM7:37 PM7:37 PM6:56 PM6:56 PM6:34 AM6:34 AM5:56 AM5:56 AM6:44 PM6:44 PM5:56 PM5:56 PM6:11 AM6:11 AM5:45 AM5:45 AM5:49 PM5:49 PM5:23 PM5:23 PM6:43 AM6:43 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
75%-10:54 AMWSW9:53 PMESE4:04 AMN247,698 mi
2
65%-11:52 AMWSW10:33 PMESE4:50 AMN245,058 mi
3
50%-12:52 PMWSW11:20 PMESE5:40 AMN241,853 mi
4
44%-1:54 PMWSW-6:36 AMS238,192 mi
5
33%12:15 AMESE2:54 PMWSW-7:35 AMS234,268 mi
6
23%1:18 AMESE3:50 PMWSW-8:36 AMS230,363 mi
7
13%2:26 AMESE4:41 PMWSW-9:36 AMN226,824 mi
8
6%3:36 AMESE5:26 PMWSW-10:35 AMN224,017 mi
9
1%4:47 AMESE6:07 PMWSW-11:30 AMN222,264 mi
10
0%5:56 AME6:44 PMW-12:22 PMN221,775 mi
11
2%7:03 AME7:21 PMW-1:13 PMN222,612 mi
12
7%8:10 AME7:57 PMWNW-2:04 PMN224,672 mi
13
14%9:16 AMENE8:36 PMWNW-2:56 PMN227,714 mi
14
24%10:23 AMENE9:18 PMWNW-3:50 PMN231,409 mi
15
34%11:29 AMENE10:04 PMWNW-4:46 PMN235,395 mi
16
45%12:32 PMENE10:56 PMWNW-5:44 PMN239,338 mi
17
50%1:32 PMENE11:51 PMWNW-6:41 PMN242,964 mi
18
66%2:25 PMENE--7:37 PMN246,083 mi
19
75%-12:48 AMWNW3:12 PMENE8:29 PMN248,588 mi
20
83%-1:46 AMWNW3:52 PMENE9:18 PMN250,444 mi
21
90%-2:42 AMWNW4:28 PMENE10:02 PMN251,670 mi
22
95%-3:37 AMWNW4:59 PMENE10:44 PMN252,317 mi
23
98%-4:29 AMWNW5:28 PME11:24 PMN252,448 mi
24
99%-5:20 AMW5:56 PME--
25
100%-6:11 AMW6:23 PME12:02 AMN252,122 mi
26
100%-7:02 AMW6:51 PME12:41 AMN251,385 mi
27
97%-7:55 AMWSW7:21 PMESE1:21 AMN250,260 mi
28
93%-8:49 AMWSW7:54 PMESE2:02 AMN248,751 mi
29
88%-9:46 AMWSW8:32 PMESE2:47 AMN246,847 mi
30
80%-10:45 AMWSW9:16 PMESE3:36 AMN244,539 mi
31
71%-11:46 AMWSW10:07 PMESE4:29 AMS241,833 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 Johannesburg is essentially constant during March, remaining within 1% of 1% throughout.

For reference, on February 23, the muggiest day of the year, there are muggy conditions 2% of the time, while on April 12, the least muggy day of the year, there are muggy conditions 0% of the time.

Humidity Comfort Levels in March in Johannesburg

Humidity Comfort Levels in March in JohannesburgMar11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%0%10%10%20%20%30%30%40%40%50%50%60%60%70%70%80%80%90%90%100%100%FebAprMar 11%Mar 11%Mar 310%Mar 310%Mar 111%Mar 111%Mar 210%Mar 210%humidhumidcomfortablecomfortabledrydry
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 Johannesburg is essentially constant during March, remaining within 0.1 miles per hour of 6.5 miles per hour throughout.

For reference, on September 24, the windiest day of the year, the daily average wind speed is 9.7 miles per hour, while on March 30, the calmest day of the year, the daily average wind speed is 6.4 miles per hour.

The lowest daily average wind speed during March is 6.4 miles per hour on March 30.

Average Wind Speed in March in Johannesburg

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

The wind direction in Johannesburg during March is predominantly out of the east from March 1 to March 2 and the north from March 2 to March 31.

Wind Direction in March in Johannesburg

Wind Direction in March in JohannesburgNENWMar11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%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 Johannesburg typically lasts for 9.9 months (301 days), from around August 4 to around June 2, rarely starting after September 5, or ending before May 11.

The month of March in Johannesburg is reliably fully within the growing season.

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

Time Spent in Various Temperature Bands and the Growing Season in March in Johannesburggrowing seasongrowing seasonMar11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%FebApr100%Mar 16100%Mar 16coldcoolcomfortablewarmvery cold
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 Johannesburg are increasing during March, increasing by 437°F, from 3,109°F to 3,546°F, over the course of the month.

Growing Degree Days in March in Johannesburg

Growing Degree Days in March in JohannesburgMar11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031312,900°F2,900°F3,000°F3,000°F3,100°F3,100°F3,200°F3,200°F3,300°F3,300°F3,400°F3,400°F3,500°F3,500°F3,600°F3,600°F3,700°F3,700°FFebAprMar 13,109°FMar 13,109°FMar 313,546°FMar 313,546°FMar 113,267°FMar 113,267°FMar 213,411°FMar 213,411°F
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 Johannesburg is gradually decreasing during March, falling by 0.9 kWh, from 6.8 kWh to 5.9 kWh, over the course of the month.

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in March in Johannesburg

Average Daily Incident Shortwave Solar Energy in March in JohannesburgMar11223344556677889910101111121213131414151516161717181819192020212122222323242425252626272728282929303031310 kWh0 kWh1 kWh1 kWh2 kWh2 kWh3 kWh3 kWh4 kWh4 kWh5 kWh5 kWh6 kWh6 kWh7 kWh7 kWh8 kWh8 kWh9 kWh9 kWhFebAprMar 16.8 kWhMar 16.8 kWhMar 315.9 kWhMar 315.9 kWhMar 116.5 kWhMar 116.5 kWhMar 216.2 kWhMar 216.2 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 Johannesburg are -26.202 deg latitude, 28.044 deg longitude, and 5,797 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Johannesburg contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 440 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 5,705 feet. Within 10 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (1,230 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (2,851 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Johannesburg is covered by artificial surfaces (99%), within 10 miles by artificial surfaces (76%) and grassland (17%), and within 50 miles by grassland (44%) and cropland (30%).

This report illustrates the typical weather in Johannesburg, 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 Johannesburg.

For each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Johannesburg 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 Johannesburg is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Johannesburg 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 Johannesburg 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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