Newquay weather in March
March in Newquay: cold, rainy, with clean air — a fair time to visit.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#8 of 12 months in Newquay · #1272 of 1413 destinations to visit in March · comfort 56/100 (tier D)
- Days
- 11°C
- Nights
- 6°C
- Wet days
- 15
- Sun
- 7.3 h
- Humidity
- 81%
- Daylight
- 12 h

Traveller notes on Newquay in March
Other months in Newquay
Regulars are specific the local saying here is "we get a lot of weather," genuinely capable of turning warm and sunny or wet and cool within the same week, settled spells the exception rather than the rule. Our row backs that mild, genuinely wet read, 18C over 12.7C nights feeling 11C, with a substantial 99.5mm of rain across 14.5 days and a real 25.7 kph wind. Regulars are consistent if one coast of the peninsula looks poor, the other side can look completely different, with several long-time residents specifically rating this month as more reliably pleasant than June despite that reputation. Forecasting more than a few days out here is treated as genuinely pointless. The sea sits at 16.8C. The record: 8 hours of sun, humidity 82 percent and AQI 44.
Regulars are specific that this month suits surfers of every level, with genuinely fewer people in the water than a typical Tuesday in the busy summer months - a real trade for the colder water. Our row backs the cold spring read, 13.1C over 6.9C nights feeling 3C, with 63.5mm of rain across 11.9 days and a real 24.7 kph wind, against a properly cold sea at 10.8C, wetsuit territory regardless of the air. Regulars also flag that Cornwall's weather is notoriously localized, recommending checking a dedicated local forecast or radar rather than a generic regional one before planning a surf session. The record: humidity 78 percent, 10.1 hours of sun and AQI 45.
Regulars put April and May among the best weeks here and warn in the same breath that Cornish weather is local and unreliable - two beaches a few miles apart can have different days, and the forecast is pot luck. Our row gives 16C afternoons that feel like 14C in a 23 kph wind, 9.5C nights, and 54.1mm across 9.7 days. The water is the part visitors misjudge: the sea reaches 12.4C this month and rarely passes 18C even in summer, so a wetsuit is not optional at Fistral, it is the equipment. What May does have is light, 15.5 hours of it with 11.3 of sun, and beaches that are not yet full. The record: humidity 79 percent and AQI 45.
June is the month Newquay regulars name for coming before the crush: the schools break up in mid-July, so this is the last stretch of summer weather without them, and September after they go back is the other one. It is already peak season for booking, though, so beds go early. On surf they are positive - mid-June waves can be properly rough and the water busy with surfers - and the local habit is to check a surf forecast rather than a weather one, magicseaweed or windguru alongside the usual. Our row's 18.4C reads as 17C and the sea is 16.6C, so this is a wetsuit month whatever the sky does. The record: 12.4C nights, 74.3mm across 12 precipitation days, 11.2 hours of sun, a 22.8 kph wind and 16.4 hours of daylight.
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Newquay climate normals — March
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Newquay 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 seasonschool holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Newquay'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 weatherNewquay's weather peaks June–August.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in Newquay in March
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Season
Atlantic swell season
15 Sep – 15 Apr · usuallySurf seasonFistral works properly when the autumn and winter groundswells arrive; the summer that everyone visits for is the flattest, most crowded water of the year. Wetsuits all twelve months.
- Closure
Seafront shut for winter
1 Nov – 15 Mar · usuallyA lot of the seafront cafes, surf schools and hotels close from November to spring and the buses thin out. The beaches are better then; there is just nothing open behind them. Source ↗
Nearby, and something's on
Within 300 km of Newquay — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.
Where is Newquay?
Newquay in March — FAQ
- Is March a good time to visit Newquay?
- March in Newquay: cold, rainy, with clean air — a fair time to visit. It ranks #8 of 12 months for Newquay on SeasonMap's comfort score (56/100).
- What is the weather like in Newquay in March?
- In March, Newquay averages a daily high of 11°C and a low of 5.7°C, with about 90.7 mm of rain over roughly 15 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Newquay in March?
- Newquay has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 42 in March.
Within 300 km: Bath's Bath Comedy Festival around 18 Mar – 22 Apr, and Bournemouth's Winter waders on Poole Harbour around 15 Oct – 10 Mar.