ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

Maldives in March

Maldives in March: 40% of days see measurable rain, 84°F average high, 36% of days historically clear (n=248, ERA5 2018–2025).

Maldives in March is historically a poor month for sun: only 36% of days clear across 8 years (n=248, avg high 84°F). Historical average, not a forecast.

What you are reading: 8-year historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis, not a forecast. A month that is historically 90% clear can still be overcast on your specific trip. For this week’s actual forecast, see the live Maldives page. Both can be true at once: “historically strong in this month; this particular week is not.” We label which is which.

Early vs. Late March

Clear-sky percentage for Maldives in March, split by half-month. “n” is the number of days sampled across 8 years (2018–2025).
Period	% Clear days	Sample (n)	Avg high
Early March 1st–15th	42%	n=120	84°F
Late March 16th–end	30%	n=128	84°F
Full month average	36%	n=248	84°F

Sunshine & warmth in March

A second measure using actual sunshine hours (ERA5 sunshine_duration), not the daily weather code. A Lowcountry day with 12 hours of sun and a 25-minute afternoon storm is counted below as a warm, sunny day — because it was. How we define this.

Sunshine-based metrics for Maldives in March. Primary: % of days ≥ 72°F with > 6 h of sunshine.
Period	Warm & sunny (≥72°F, >6 h sun)	Sample (n)
Early March 1st–15th	96%	n=120
Late March 16th–end	98%	n=128
Full month average	97%	n=248

11.7 h median sunshine per day 95% of days exceed 8 h sunshine 40% of days see ≥ 1 mm rain — rain is not hidden

Comparison (old vs new): WMO-code “clear” bar: 36%. Sunshine-based “warm & sunny”: 97%. The 61-point gap is from brief afternoon convective storms that stamp the whole day as “rain” in the WMO code but leave the bulk of the sunshine untouched.

Bottom line

Maldives is mostly overcast in March historically: only 36% of days are clear across 8 years (n=248), avg high 84°F. Most visitors this month will see more clouds than sun.

Every month in Maldives

Compare across all months with data. Numbers are historical clear-sky %.

Historical clear-sky % for Maldives, all months, ERA5 2018–2025.
Month	% Clear	Sample (n)
January	33%	n=248	All destinations →
February	40%	n=226	All destinations →
March ← this page	36%	n=248	All destinations →
April	22%	n=240	All destinations →
May	7%	n=248	All destinations →
June	17%	n=240	All destinations →
July	18%	n=248	All destinations →
August	26%	n=248	All destinations →
September	15%	n=240	All destinations →
October	18%	n=248	All destinations →
November	18%	n=240	All destinations →
December	16%	n=248	All destinations →

Frequently asked

Does it rain in Maldives in March?

Sometimes. Maldives sees measurable rain on 40% of days in March historically (n=248 days, ERA5 2018–2025) — not frequent enough to plan around, but not negligible either.

Is Maldives good for sun in March?

It's mixed. Maldives in March is clear on 36% of days historically (avg high 84°F, n=248 days, ERA5 2018–2025) — the outcome varies year to year.

How Maldives compares in March

Head-to-head clear-sky comparisons against destinations travelers plausibly weigh against Maldives this month — same passport tier, similar flight distance, both sides from the same 8-year ERA5 record.

→ Maldives vs Bangkok in March — Bangkok is 35% clear historically
→ Maldives vs Phuket in March — Phuket is 29% clear historically
→ Maldives vs Dubai in March — Dubai is 87% clear historically

→ Maldives live forecast — this week’s actual 7-day weather, not historical
→ Best destinations in March — all destinations ranked by March clear-sky %
→ All destinations
→ Raw data (JSON) — buckets, n, source

All percentages are historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 8 full years (2018–2025). “Clear” means avg high ≥ 72 °F, precipitation < 1 mm, and a non-precipitation weather code. This is history, not a forecast. The live 7-day outlook for any destination is on its own page and may differ from the long-run average. Data from Open-Meteo.