Ottawa weather in March
Temperature, rain and sunshine in March: long-term averages from 30 years of weather data, not a forecast.
Holiday weather in March
Poor
Best time to visit: May – September
What is the weather like in Ottawa in March?
In March, Ottawa is freezing cold: daytime highs average 3 °C, and nights often drop below freezing (−7 °C). Expect around 5 hours of sunshine a day. Precipitation, often as snow, falls on about 11 days, totalling 74 mm. Snow falls on about 5 days. All in all, March is not an ideal month for a holiday in Ottawa.
March compared
How the weather changes from February to April. Tap a month to open it.
| FebruaryFeb | MarchMar | AprilApr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Score | 23 | 23 | 39 |
| Day | −3° | 3° | 11° |
| Night | −12° | −7° | 1° |
| Sun | 4 h | 5 h | 6 h |
| Rain days | 10 | 11 | 12 |
More details for March
- Daylight
- 11 h 50 min07:18 – 19:07
- UV index
- 4 · moderateclear sky, noon (estimate)All months
- Muggy days
- 0 daysdew point 18 °C or moreAll months
- Wind
- 17 km/haverage daily peakAll months
- Cloud cover
- 66 %on averageAll months
- Hot days
- 0 days30 °C or moreAll months
- Snow days
- 5 days1 cm or more of fresh snowAll months
- Time zone
- UTC−4America/Toronto
How the score comes together
- Temperatureweight 50 %0 %
- Sunshineweight 20 %40 %
- Few rainy daysweight 30 %51 %
Each factor is rated from 0 to 100 % and weighted for the travel style “City break”.
What to pack in March
- Sunscreen
- Warm jacket
- Hat, scarf & gloves
- Rain jacket or umbrella
Ottawa in March: quick answers
Is Ottawa hot in March?
No. In March, Ottawa is freezing cold: daytime highs average 3 °C and nights drop to about −7 °C.
Does it rain much in Ottawa in March?
Rain is frequent, with about 11 rainy days and 74 mm in total.
Ottawa month by month
The whole year in OttawaAll destinations: CanadaWhere to go in March
Climate averages 1996–2025, not a forecast. Data: Copernicus ERA5 / ERA5-Land via Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0), NOAA OISST, WMO 1991–2020 (NOAA NCEI), GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Sources & licences