This report describes the typical weather at the Christchurch International Airport (Christchurch, New Zealand) weather station over the course of an average March. It is based on the historical records from 1990 to 2012. Earlier records are either unavailable or unreliable.
Christchurch has a mild humid temperate climate with warm summers and no dry season. The area within 25 mi of this station is covered by croplands (43%), grasslands (27%), oceans and seas (22%), lakes and rivers (6%), and built-up areas (2%).
The month of March is characterized by gradually falling daily high temperatures, with daily highs around 68Â°F throughout the month, exceeding 79Â°F or dropping below 57Â°F only one day in ten.
Over the course of March, the length of the day is rapidly decreasing. From the start to the end of the month, the length of the day decreases by 1:30 hours, implying an average day-over-day decrease of 2.9 minutes.
The shortest day of the month is March 31 with 11:37 hours of daylight; the longest day is March 1 with 13:07 hours of daylight.
The earliest sunrise is at 7:09am on March 1; the latest sunset is at 8:15pm on March 1; the latest sunrise is at 7:45am on March 31; the earliest sunset is at 7:22pm on March 31.
Daylight saving time is observed in 2012 but it neither starts nor ends in March, so the entire month is in daylight time.
The median cloud cover is 76% (partly cloudy) and does not vary substantially over the course of the month.
On March 16, a representative day, the sky is clear or mostly clear 23% of the time, partly cloudy 17% of the time, and mostly cloudy or overcast 43% of the time.
The average probability that some form of precipitation will be observed in a given day is 43%, with little variation over the course of the month.
Throughout March, the most common forms of precipitation are moderate rain, light rain, and drizzle.
Moderate rain is the most severe precipitation observed during 56% of those days with precipitation. It is most likely around March 30, when it is observed during 26% of all days.
Light rain is the most severe precipitation observed during 26% of those days with precipitation. It is most likely around March 10, when it is observed during 12% of all days.
Drizzle is the most severe precipitation observed during 15% of those days with precipitation. It is most likely around March 1, when it is observed during 7% of all days.
Either snow is exceptionally unlikely to fall at this location in March or this station does not reliably report precipitation types.
The relative humidity typically ranges from 50% (mildly humid) to 94% (very humid) over the course of a typical March, rarely dropping below 28% (dry) and reaching as high as 100% (very humid).
The air is driest around March 1, at which time the relative humidity drops below 61% (mildly humid) three days out of four; it is most humid around March 18, rising above 92% (very humid) three days out of four.
Dew point is often a better measure of how comfortable a person will find the weather than relative humidity because it more directly relates to whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid.
Over the course of a typical March, the dew point typically varies from 42Â°F (dry) to 55Â°F (very comfortable) and is rarely below 33Â°F (dry) or above 60Â°F (comfortable).
The time of the month between March 1 and March 31 is the most comfortable, with dew points that are neither too dry nor too muggy.
Over the course of March typical wind speeds vary from 1 mph to 18 mph (light air to fresh breeze), rarely exceeding 26 mph (strong breeze).
The highest average wind speed of 10 mph (gentle breeze) occurs around March 1, at which time the average daily maximum wind speed is 18 mph (fresh breeze).
The lowest average wind speed of 9 mph (gentle breeze) occurs around March 31, at which time the average daily maximum wind speed is 17 mph (moderate breeze).