You have worked many long hours, saved up your money, and accumulated a stockpile of vacation days to ensure full enjoyment of your time in America’s Sunshine State. Although March is a pleasant month in terms of weather, nature can still change on a dime.

It could vary from week to week. Florida is not always sunny, perfect, and clear. But there are times of the year—of the month, in this case—where you can make safe bets for optimal weather conditions.

To put it simply, the ideal time of the month to visit Florida is its third quarter, after the midpoint of the month. Below, take a look at the specifics of Florida’s weather in March.

Like anywhere else, the weather in Florida can change course in unexpected ways. It’s important to learn about where you’re going so you can enjoy your trip in the sun.

Table of Contents:

Daylight

Most vacation activities take place during the day, and you don’t want to waste any of your valuable time being stuck inside.

Before you book, think about the kind of person you are on vacation. Are you interested in Florida’s nightlife activities, or are you more for the white sand beaches in Florida for families? Do you take your time getting ready for the day, or is the morning your ideal period for going out when it’s less crowded?

These are all things to consider if you want to get the most out of your time in Florida.

An average of twelve hours of daylight and nine hours of sunshine fill the day in Florida, which gets pushed ahead an hour by daylight savings midway through the month on the 14th. As such, sunset throughout March begins at 6:30 PM, and later at 7:30 PM in the second half.

If you are not a morning person—if you prefer to take your time starting the day, or have no qualms about enjoying Florida’s nightlife—the last half of March allows you time to enjoy the Sunshine State to the fullest.

Skies

Rainfall should be a minor concern if you vacation to Florida in March. March is one of the driest months of the year, but Florida experiences about 53mm of rainfall across six days during this month.

That is to say, you are unlikely to experience much rainfall if it usually occurs within roughly twenty percent of the overall month. Plan accordingly, depending on which part of the state you are visiting.

The Gulf of Mexico’s warm water to the south and the cooler North Atlantic Ocean helps keep it stable at this time of year. Keep in mind that the southern part of the peninsula is more tropical than the inland’s subtropical weather, increasing the risk of some rainfall.

On average, the skies of Florida’s March appear to generally range from clear to partly cloudy within the middle and third quarters of the month, based on graphs observing Orlando’s weather. Adding to that, the middle and third quarters of the month offer the most consistent relief from what little rainfall March has, with most of it occurring in the second quarter of the month on average before daylight savings occurs.

Keep in mind that there is sometimes the odd year in which storms are scattered throughout the second half of the month. Rainfall in Florida tends to be aggressive at its worst but brief more often than not.

If you are someone with a mind to spend most of their vacation outside, aim to enjoy Florida as the days get longer, warmer, and more clear after its midpoint. It would be prudent to have an indoor option planned in the off-chance your beach day gets rained on.

Temperature

Although the heat will be mild and Spring-like come March, there may be specific places and times of the month where the temperature is at your ideal sweet spot. Generally speaking, the later in March and the further south you go, the warmer the weather will be.

However, being the first month coming off of winter, it’s not uncommon for a Florida March to have its chillier afternoons and evenings. If one were to analyze Orlando’s last several months of March, there’s visible consistency in a cold period occurring in the second half of the month.

Cold periods happen closer to the middle of March around daylight savings. Around this time, temperatures rise from winter averages to about seventy degrees Fahrenheit. The average temperature fluctuates throughout March until the third week when it usually stabilizes.

Temperatures do usually drop in the night, making for some chilly evenings while you’re out and about. This evens off towards the end of March, where stability consisting of high-seventies, and low-nineties temperatures set in.

A handful of chilly evenings will not make or break your vacation. However, one can anticipate consistent, pleasant weather should they arrive in its third-quarter following daylight savings.

It is worth mentioning here that the theme parks in Florida are arguably at their best at this time, the cooler weather staving off the threat of thicker crowds and long lines. If you have kids, all the more reason to visit the amusement parks at this time, as the beaches are likely to be more full of college kids on spring break the later in the month you plan on going.

Humidity

Arguably a bigger spoiler of vacation than rainfall, Florida’s humidity can be oppressive in its hottest months of summer. Of course, March—coming off of winter—will continue being cool and dry until one arrives closer to the end of the month, as warmth and rain become slightly more commonplace.

There are observable patterns in which the weather appears to be at its most pleasant. As with the other aspects of weather, Florida boasts its most ideal conditions around the middle of March, consistently across several years, the second quarter, in particular, being less humid than the third.

Do be mindful of this if humidity is a deal-breaker; although the third quarter of March is not consistently humid, the risk is more present there than before daylight savings, when the weather is still transitioning into consistent Spring-like conditions.

This pattern has become more common as the years have gone on, with the last three years becoming more consistently “muggy” if not “humid” in their third quarters.

As such, if this kind of weather can have a significant impact on your enjoyment, it is safer and cooler to visit in the middle of March.

Final Thoughts

The ideal period of March to visit Florida is its midpoint, around daylight savings. It is here you will be able to enjoy the most of your daytime without a big risk of humidity spoiling it. It is around this time that the weather is evidenced to be its most stable, as most rainfall and overcast skies bookend the month rather than fill its middle.

Although the average daily temperature may fluctuate more, this seems primarily constrained to the beginning of the month, with stabilizing temperatures occurring as the days get longer.

If visiting the Sunshine State in March doesn’t appeal to you, then discover the best time of year to visit Florida with our handy guide.

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More about our TFVG Author

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Caitlin Lloyd

Travel Editor at The Family Vacation Guide

Caitlin is one of The Family Vacation Guide's long standing contributors. She enjoys taking vacation to busy, vibrant cities and has stretched her traveling legs out towards Europe in recent months, enjoying new experiences in Barcelona in Spain, and Nice in France.

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