Delhi (New Delhi) weather in March
March in Delhi: hot, a little rain, with poor air quality — fine if you can take poor air.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#5 of 12 months in Delhi · #582 of 1413 destinations to visit in March · comfort 78/100 (tier B)
- Days
- 31°C
- Nights
- 15°C
- Wet days
- 5
- Sun
- 10.8 h
- Humidity
- 56%
- Daylight
- 12 h

What March is like in Delhi
Warm and bright, with Holi (movable, usually March) and the last comfortable weeks before the heat.
festivalshoulder
confidence: high
Traveller notes on Delhi in March
Delhi's forum calls March the tail end of the pleasant winter season, sunny and warm around 30°C by mid-month, with light cotton clothing and sun protection the standard advice. Regulars are consistent that the city starts genuinely heating up after the first couple of weeks, so March is a better bet earlier in the month than later.
Other months in Delhi
Regulars separate two things travellers usually confuse. The winter fog, which disrupts flights and road trips, normally clears by the start or middle of February. The air pollution does not: it is there all year, worst in December and January, easing as the month warms, and visible or not depending on the day. Our AQI of 150 is what the easing looks like: an improvement rather than clean air. The weather itself is the easy part - 25.7C by day over 10.4C nights, 28.5mm of rain across 2.4 days, and mornings cold enough for a jacket. Several regulars travel with a mask and say they are easy to buy on arrival. The record: humidity 67 percent and 9.8 hours of sun.
Delhi-forum threads on June weather confirm this is genuinely the hardest stretch of the year to be outdoors, temperatures regularly pushing past 40C in the pre-monsoon build-up, the proper monsoon itself not arriving until well into July. Posters describe the heat as furnace-like by early afternoon, and the standing advice is to lock sightseeing into the very early morning or after sunset, avoiding the roughly noon-to-4pm window entirely. Loose cotton clothing, a hat, sunglasses and constant water are called essential. A handful of scattered afternoon storms do roll through as the month progresses, offering brief relief before the heat rebuilds within a day. Regulars are blunt that June rewards flexible, air-conditioned plans far more than ambitious walking itineraries. The record: a scorching 39.3C by day feeling like a punishing 44C, 27.1C nights, 54 percent humidity, 11.6 hours of sun and an unhealthy 139 AQI.
Delhi forum regulars call May the peak of the heat, harder than April: “temperatures can touch up to 48 degrees Celsius,” typical daytime readings “45-47 degrees,” and very hot and dry (not humid) — the dry heat wave locally called “Loo” intensifying through May and June. The survival plan is the same one regulars repeat every summer month: sightsee early morning, retreat to an air-conditioned hotel or taxi through the afternoon, and only venture out again after 5pm when the heat starts easing. The consolation prize: genuine off-season hotel deals and thin crowds at sites that are packed October through February. For anyone with flexibility, regulars point toward Kashmir, Leh, Ladakh, Shimla or Manali instead — cooler mountain alternatives for the same dates. Our record: 37.3°C days, 23.6°C nights, 47.7% humidity and an AQI of 146 — properly extreme dry heat, matching the “worse than April, dry not humid” read.
Delhi forum regulars answer “is April unbearably hot” mostly with yes, but a manageable one: “expect 35-40°C,” some posters reporting “38 to 42 degrees,” though the heat is “hot but less humid compared to May and June.” The standard survival plan is specific — avoid sightseeing 12-4pm entirely, front-load activities into early morning and evening, hire an AC car, keep a hotel with reliable AC, and cover skin with loose clothing and a wide-brimmed hat rather than fight the sun directly. The consolation regulars offer: April is genuinely low season, so hotel rates drop and crowds thin at the sites that stay busy October through February. Our record: 35.7°C days, 19.8°C nights, 3.4 rain days and an AQI of 118 — properly hot and dry, matching the “unbearably hot but doable with a plan” read.
Year-round notes are on Delhi's overview. Add your own note from Delhi's card on the map.
Delhi climate normals — March
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Delhi in March
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
Shoulder seasonbetween the peaks, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Delhi's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Fair weatherDelhi's best weather comes in February, November and December — separate windows, not one continuous season.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in Delhi in March
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Opening
Mughal gardens open
3 Feb – 31 MarWildflowers & bloomsThe gardens behind Rashtrapati Bhavan open to the public for a season each spring, free but ticketed online in advance. They are shut for the rest of the year. Source ↗
- Festival
Holi
3–4 MarReligious feastClosuresA bonfire the night before, then a day of colour and water that shuts the city down completely — no shops, almost no traffic, and taxis that will not come. Fun if you are invited somewhere, bleak if you are not. Source ↗
Nearby, and something's on
Within 300 km of Delhi — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.
Where is Delhi?
Delhi in March — FAQ
- Is March a good time to visit Delhi?
- March in Delhi: hot, a little rain, with poor air quality — fine if you can take poor air. It ranks #5 of 12 months for Delhi on SeasonMap's comfort score (78/100).
- What is the weather like in Delhi in March?
- In March, Delhi averages a daily high of 31.1°C and a low of 15.4°C, with about 31.5 mm of rain over roughly 4.6 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Delhi in March?
- Delhi has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 142 in March.
Within 300 km: Rishikesh's Maha Shivratri around 14 Feb – 14 Mar, and Jaipur's Gangaur around 15 Mar – 15 Apr.