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

Averages for 1991–2020 at the JMA's Karuizawa station (999 m above sea level).

High

7.8°C (46°F)

Low

−4.5°C (24°F)

Precipitation

68.3 mm

Wet days

8.4 days

Sunshine

195 hours

Snow on ground

11.3 days

• Highs rise 4.3°C from February and climb another 6.5°C into April.
• That is 6.8°C below Karuizawa's yearly average high of 14.6°C.
• Of our 34 places with temperature records, Karuizawa is the 6th coldest in March: 0.5°C cooler than Shirakawa-go and 1.0°C warmer than Aomori.
• March is Karuizawa's 5th driest month (68.3 mm).
• Of our 35 places, Karuizawa has the 3rd lowest precipitation in March: 6.1 mm less than Sendai and 4.2 mm more than Hakodate.
• Rain or snow of 1 mm or more falls on 8.4 days, and 10 mm or more on 2.6 days.
• The temperature drops below 0°C on 27.8 nights.
• On 1.2 days it stays below 0°C all day.
• 33 cm of snow falls in an average March; snow lies on the ground on 11.3 days.
• The sun is out for 40% or more of the possible hours on 21.0 days, and 4.0 days have under 0.1 hours of sunshine.

Average temperature

1.1°C (34°F)

Humidity

72%

Deepest snow (average of each year's deepest)

21 cm

Early, mid and late March

By the last ten days of March the average high in Karuizawa is 3.5°C higher than in the first ten.

By ten-day totals, 21–31 March is the wettest (30.3 mm) and 11–20 March the driest (16.5 mm).

Cold: highs around 7.8°C

• A winter coat over layers, and a scarf.
• Gloves and a hat for mornings and nights: the temperature drops below 0°C on 27.8 nights.
• A waterproof jacket with a hood: rain or snow falls on 8.4 days.

Shoes

• Waterproof boots with good grip: snow lies on the ground on 11.3 days (deepest 21 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 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