Nagano in March: weather, what to wear and what's on

Averages for 1991–2020 at the JMA's Nagano station (418 m above sea level).

High

10.3°C (51°F)

Low

−0.5°C (31°F)

Precipitation

60.1 mm

Wet days

9.5 days

Sunshine

173 hours

Snow on ground

5.4 days

• Highs rise 5.0°C from February and climb another 7.1°C into April.
• That is 7.5°C below Nagano's yearly average high of 17.8°C.
• Of our 34 places with temperature records, Nagano is the 10th coldest in March: level with Niigata and 0.3°C warmer than Sendai.
• March is Nagano's 6th driest month (60.1 mm).
• Of our 35 places, Nagano gets the least precipitation in March: 4.0 mm less than Hakodate.
• Rain or snow of 1 mm or more falls on 9.5 days, and 10 mm or more on 2.0 days.
• The temperature drops below 0°C on 18.4 nights.
• 17 cm of snow falls in an average March; snow lies on the ground on 5.4 days.
• The sun is out for 40% or more of the possible hours on 18.0 days, and 3.0 days have under 0.1 hours of sunshine.
• On 15 March 2027 the sun rises at 5:59 and sets at 17:54 in Nagano, giving 11 hours 55 minutes of daylight (NAOJ).

Average temperature

4.3°C (40°F)

Humidity

68%

Deepest snow (average of each year's deepest)

8 cm

Early, mid and late March

By the last ten days of March the average high in Nagano is 3.4°C higher than in the first ten.

By ten-day totals, 21–31 March is the wettest (25.1 mm) and 11–20 March the driest (16.0 mm).

Chilly: highs around 10.3°C

• A warm jacket or light coat over a sweater.
• Gloves and a hat for mornings and nights: the temperature drops below 0°C on 18.4 nights.
• Layers you can take off: afternoons are 10.8°C warmer than early mornings on average.
• A waterproof jacket with a hood: rain or snow falls on 9.5 days.

Shoes

• Waterproof boots with good grip: snow lies on the ground on 5.4 days (deepest 8 cm on average).

Pack

• Waterproof jacket with a hood
• Gloves and a warm hat
• Waterproof boots with grip

• Our clothing rules

Plum blossom

The JMA's sample plum tree in Nagano opens around 18 March in an average year (1991–2020). In 2026: 19 March.

Dates are for one sample tree at or near the JMA observatory, not for every park in the city.

National holidays in March 2027:

• Sun 21 March — Vernal Equinox Day
• Mon 22 March — Substitute holiday

• Sat 20 March to Mon 22 March: 3 days off in a row

In March 2025, hotels and inns across Nagano Prefecture were 32.9% full on average (the quietest month of the year). Foreign guests spent 190,480 nights there that month (Japan Tourism Agency). That compares with 41.8% in February and 33.3% in April.

• Japan in March: visitor numbers and busy travel days
• Holidays in March