Early March 1 March
49°F
Typical afternoon high
35% historical wet-day frequency
Ireland · Beach
Is March a good time?
March averages 52°F afternoons and 47°F seas, with about 10 rain days. Later March is typically warmer.
Historical Eastern and Midland regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Dublin and Wicklow; conditions vary within the region.
Planning to sightsee in Dublin? The weather score rates beach conditions. Sightseeing rates good (5.3/10).
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#8 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.
Plan your March
Afternoons around 52°F (11°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 38°F (3°C): a warm coat. Bring rain gear: about 10 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 12 hours of daylight.
The sea averages 47°F. Our swimming guide: very cold: wetsuit weather. Your comfort will vary. This is open water near the coast, not a beach-specific reading.
Monthly coastal averages from NOAA, 2011–2025. Sea temperature is separate from the weather and Overall scores.
The sun rises about 06:45 and sets about 18:30 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 38°F (3°C); afternoons reach about 52°F (11°C). Expect rain on about 10 days in a typical March.
Early, middle or late?
Late March is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 49°F on the 1st, versus 54°F on the 31st.
49°F
Typical afternoon high
35% historical wet-day frequency
52°F
Typical afternoon high
38% historical wet-day frequency
54°F
Typical afternoon high
36% historical wet-day frequency
Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.
Public holidays · 2027: 17 Mar Saint Patrick's Day; 29 Mar Easter Monday.
Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2027.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 149° | 249° | 349° | 449° | 550° | 650° | 750° |
| 850° | 951° | 1051° | 1151° | 1251° | 1351° | 1452° |
| 1552° | 1652° | 1752° | 1852° | 1953° | 2053° | 2153° |
| 2253° | 2353° | 2453° | 2553° | 2653° | 2753° | 2854° |
| 2954° | 3054° | 3154° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons warm from about 50°F (10°C) in the first week to 54°F (12°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 32–41%. St Patrick's Festival: 13–17 March 2027.
School-holiday dates for March 2027 aren't available in our data yet. A day without a school marker doesn't mean schools are open. Public holidays: 17 Mar Saint Patrick's Day; 29 Mar Easter Monday. Elsewhere in March 2027, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Germany 27%, Spain 30%, Italy 19%, France 10%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)
Visitor season
Moderate season. March averages 51% of June's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than February.
Overnight stays across Eastern and Midland do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, typical for Europe this month.
Hotel price season
About usual. Estimated from national hotel prices and local visitor demand; no measured regional room rate is available.
Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.
What's on St Patrick's Festival, 13–17 March 2027: Dublin's busiest days of spring. Official site.
Year-to-year variation
In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 45°F (7°C) and 56°F (13°C); in 12 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 52°F (11°C). Rain days ranged from 3 to 20; half the years had 7–16.
Rain days in each March
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 52°F | 6 |
| 2012 | 56°F | 5 |
| 2013 | 45°F | 12 |
| 2014 | 52°F | 13 |
| 2015 | 51°F | 10 |
| 2016 | 51°F | 9 |
| 2017 | 54°F | 16 |
| 2018 | 48°F | 17 |
| 2019 | 53°F | 15 |
| 2020 | 51°F | 7 |
| 2021 | 53°F | 8 |
| 2022 | 54°F | 9 |
| 2023 | 52°F | 19 |
| 2024 | 52°F | 20 |
| 2025 | 54°F | 3 |
Checked against 19 local weather stations. How we check
Compare dates
| Typical conditions | Feb | Mar | Apr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 49°F | 52°F | 56°F |
| Sea | 47°F | 47°F | 48°F |
| Rain days | 13 | 10 | 8 |
| Overnight demand | 38% | 51% | 43% |
February: Cooler afternoons and more rain days than March. Less overnight demand. February guide →
April: Warmer afternoons and fewer rain days than March. Less overnight demand. April guide →
Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues. Sea temperatures are monthly coastal averages.
Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. March stays as your reference.
April has a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than March, without a substantially busier visitor season.
Your comparison
Overnight stays are 38% of the busiest month.
National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest well below usual. No measured regional room rate is available.
Read the February guide →| Typical conditions | March | February |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 52°F | 49°F |
| Nights | 38°F | 37°F |
| Sea | 47°F | 47°F |
| Rain days | 10 | 13 |
| Visitor season | Moderate season | Moderate season |
| Overall / 10 | 3.2 | 3.0 |
| Month rank | #8 | #10 |
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.0 | #9 | 47°F | 37°F | 49°F | 11 | 1.0 | Moderate season |
| February | 3.0 | #10 | 49°F | 37°F | 47°F | 13 | 1.0 | Moderate season |
| March | 3.2 | #8 | 52°F | 38°F | 47°F | 10 | 1.2 | Moderate season |
| April | 4.6 | #4 | 56°F | 40°F | 48°F | 8 | 2.6 | Moderate season |
| May | 4.5 | #5 | 62°F | 45°F | 52°F | 9 | 3.9 | Busy season |
| June | 4.3 | #6 | 66°F | 49°F | 55°F | 11 | 5.0 | Peak season |
| July | 5.4 | #2 | 69°F | 52°F | 58°F | 11 | 5.5 | Busy season |
| August | 5.6 | #1 | 68°F | 53°F | 59°F | 11 | 5.5 | Busy season |
| September | 5.1 | #3 | 64°F | 50°F | 59°F | 9 | 4.5 | Busy season |
| October | 4.0 | #7 | 58°F | 47°F | 57°F | 13 | 2.4 | Busy season |
| November | 3.0 | #11 | 51°F | 41°F | 55°F | 13 | 1.0 | Busy season |
| December | 3.0 | #12 | 48°F | 39°F | 52°F | 13 | 1.0 | Busy season |
Near here
Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.
Elsewhere in Europe
Dublin & the east's weather ranks 63 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside Ireland have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Dublin & the east.
BrittanyFrance · about 400 miles
Poor weather (2.5): 4°F warmer afternoons, quieter for its season (low season), cheaper
Western NormandyFrance · about 410 miles
Poor weather (2.3): 3°F warmer afternoons, quieter for its season (low season), cheaper
Eastern NormandyFrance · about 440 miles
Poor weather (2.3): 3°F warmer afternoons, quieter for its season (low season), cheaper
Bruges & the Belgian coastWest Flanders · Belgium · about 460 miles
Poor weather (2.2): about as warm, cheaper
Lille & the north coastFrance · about 460 miles
Poor weather (2.4): 2°F warmer afternoons, cheaper
It's moderate season, 51% of the busiest month and 19% below its average month. That means about 31,000 overnight visitors on a typical March night across the region, 22% of them from Ireland itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 5,400 more: 18 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100) | 41 |
| How our weather was checked | 19 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.2°C), night lows within 1°F (0.7°C). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 12 |
| Busiest month here | June · 23 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 1.2% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 66th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 22% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 18 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 1.4% |
| National hotel-price season | Ireland historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (−4% vs its average month). Not a local room quote. |
| Population used | 2.7 million |
| Statistical region | IE06 · Eastern and Midland |
Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2024–2025 average, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national. Full method · this region's data.