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

Averages for 1991–2020 at the JMA's Hakodate station (35 m above sea level).

High

5.8°C (42°F)

Low

−2.2°C (28°F)

Precipitation

64.1 mm

Wet days

12.4 days

Sunshine

159 hours

Snow on ground

16.1 days

• Highs rise 4.0°C from February and climb another 6.2°C into April.
• That is 7.7°C below Hakodate's yearly average high of 13.5°C.
• Of our 34 places with temperature records, Hakodate is the 3rd coldest in March: 1.0°C cooler than Nasu and 1.1°C warmer than Kusatsu Onsen.
• Of our 35 places, Hakodate has the 2nd lowest precipitation in March: 4.2 mm less than Karuizawa and 4.0 mm more than Nagano.
• Rain or snow of 1 mm or more falls on 12.4 days, and 10 mm or more on 1.8 days.
• The temperature drops below 0°C on 23.0 nights.
• On 1.7 days it stays below 0°C all day.
• 41 cm of snow falls in an average March; snow lies on the ground on 16.1 days.
• The sun is out for 40% or more of the possible hours on 17.0 days, and 3.0 days have under 0.1 hours of sunshine.

Average temperature

1.9°C (35°F)

Humidity

68%

Deepest snow (average of each year's deepest)

28 cm

Early, mid and late March

By the last ten days of March the average high in Hakodate is 3.9°C higher than in the first ten.

By ten-day totals, 1–10 March is the wettest (26.9 mm) and 21–31 March the driest (17.6 mm).

Cold: highs around 5.8°C

• A winter coat over layers, and a scarf.
• Gloves and a hat for mornings and nights: the temperature drops below 0°C on 23.0 nights.
• A waterproof jacket with a hood: rain or snow falls on 12.4 days.

Shoes

• Waterproof boots with good grip: snow lies on the ground on 16.1 days (deepest 28 cm on average).

Pack

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

• Our clothing rules

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 Hokkaido were 55.2% full on average (9th busiest of 12 months). Foreign guests spent 981,650 nights there that month (Japan Tourism Agency). That compares with 68.0% in February and 46.3% in April.

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