FORT LAUDERDALE · MARCH · BROWARD COUNTY
Fort Lauderdale in March brings warm afternoons, cool mornings and an Atlantic within about a degree of the afternoon air. The month falls inside Florida’s dry season and well outside the Atlantic hurricane season. NOAA’s National Hurricane Center runs that season from June 1 to November 30, with its peak on September 10, half a year away.
Once Fort Lauderdale is settled, the open question is the date. February runs a little cooler with the same rainfall, and April runs warmer and a touch wetter. Each has its own guide, February and April, and the normals below let you choose between the three on temperature, rain and sea.
THE MONTH AT A GLANCE · FORT LAUDERDALE · MARCH
March gives Fort Lauderdale afternoons near 80°F, a 78.6°F sea by its daily maxima and only 3.4 rain days, so book it if you want to swim and walk in the same day.
DRY SEASON · OUTSIDE HURRICANE SEASON · FLY INTO FLL
Go for: a swim and a trail walk in the same afternoon, two state parks with beach and boardwalk inside the metro area, and a 7:30 p.m. sunset by mid-month.
Think twice before: landing on a Port Everglades turnaround day without checking the sailing calendar, since cruise passengers fill the airport and the beach hotels on the same two days of the week.
Climate: NOAA NCEI station USW00012849 · Sea: Open-Meteo Marine API · Parks: Florida DEP · full sources at the end
On this page
- Fort Lauderdale weather in March79.7°F highs, 65.6°F lows, 3.4 rain days
- Can you swim in March?Sea at 78.6°F by daily maxima, and when to go in
- Crowds, cruise days and hotel taxPort Everglades sailings and the 6% county tax
- Things to do in MarchTwo state parks with beach, boardwalk and a paddle launch
- A two-day Fort Lauderdale itineraryDay one at Mizell-Eula Johnson, day two at Hugh Taylor Birch
- March vs February or AprilHow the three months compare, degree by degree
- Is March a good time to visit?Who should go in March, and who should wait for April
For the year-round picture, see our Florida best-time guide. Flights into FLL are covered in our Florida flights guide, and buses and rental cars in getting around Florida.
Fort Lauderdale weather in March: average highs, lows and rain days
| March normal | Value | In practice |
|---|---|---|
| Average high | 79.7°F | Beach-warm by early afternoon |
| Average low | 65.6°F | A light layer at dawn and after dark |
| Precipitation | 2.38 in | A dry-season month |
| Days with 0.10 in or more | 3.4 | About one day in nine |
| Days with 1 in or more | 0.7 | Seven soaking days per ten Marches |
| Daylight, March 15 | 12 h 03 min | Sunrise 7:27 a.m., sunset 7:30 p.m. EDT |
NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information set the March normals for 1991 to 2020 at an average high of 79.7°F, an average low of 65.6°F and 2.38 inches of rain. Every figure here comes from one real thermometer, station USW00012849 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, not from a reanalysis grid cell. That gauge sits at the airport, about three miles inland from the sand, so read the numbers as the airport’s and allow for the beach running a little differently.
An average March logs 3.4 days with at least a tenth of an inch of rain, about one day in nine. Over a week-long stay that averages fewer than one wet day. Heavy rain is rarer still: NOAA counts 0.7 days with an inch or more, or seven such days across ten Marches. Plan one indoor fallback per week and keep the rest of the days outdoors.
Between the 65.6°F low and the 79.7°F high sits a 14.1°F swing, most of it gained between dawn and early afternoon. Pack a light long-sleeve or a thin sweater for early walks and dinner outdoors, then shorts, a swimsuit and sun protection for the middle of the day. A rain shell can stay home; a compact umbrella will do.
On March 15 Fort Lauderdale gets about 12 hours 03 minutes of daylight, according to sunrise-sunset.org. The sun rises at 7:27 a.m. and sets at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. A beach session that starts at 4 p.m. still has three and a half hours of sun ahead of it, and the coolest stretch of the day is the hour after sunrise.
Can you swim in Fort Lauderdale in March? Sea temperature and what it feels like
The Open-Meteo Marine API puts the sea surface off Fort Lauderdale at 78.6°F in March, averaged over 2015 to 2024. That figure is a mean of daily maxima, the warmest reading of each day, so it runs a shade warmer than a 24-hour average of the same water. Tables that average around the clock will print a lower number. It also comes from a marine model and a different decade than the NOAA station normals, so set it beside the air figures loosely.
Walk in at 1 p.m. and you meet water about a degree below the 79.7°F afternoon high. Once you are in, the difference is small. At 7:30 in the morning the air is near its 65.6°F low and colder than the water, so the chill comes when you step out wet. Time the swim for late morning through mid-afternoon, and keep a towel and a dry layer for the walk back.
We found no wind or swell series for Fort Lauderdale in March, so we give no wave height and no count of rough-water days. Check the National Weather Service surf zone forecast the evening before, and head for the designated swimming area at Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park if the forecast calls for chop.
How busy is Fort Lauderdale in March? Crowds and prices
March falls inside the November-to-April dry season that our Florida overview calls the state’s season, and the same guide lists spring break among Florida’s annual price peaks. We found no hotel occupancy or room-rate series for Fort Lauderdale, so we rank no week of March against another and quote no nightly price. For budget tiers across the state, our Florida trip-cost guide sets out lean, middle and high.
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International boarded 17,096,131 passengers in 2024, enough for the FAA to class it a large hub. Port Everglades handled more than 4.7 million cruise passengers in fiscal 2025. Ships start and end their voyages there, so the airport and the beach hotels fill on the same two days of the week. Check the port’s sailing calendar before you fix an arrival day. We found no booking-lead data and give no week count. Book once the flights are set, on a free-cancellation rate.
Broward County adds a 6.0% transient rental tax to hotel and short-term rental stays, filed and paid with the 6% Florida sales tax, according to the Florida Department of Revenue. Together that puts at least 12% on top of the room rate. We did not check whether any further local surtax applies, so read the tax line at checkout before comparing two quotes.
Spend any extra on location. With the swim window running from late morning to mid-afternoon and the sun up until 7:30 p.m., a room within walking distance of the sand lets you swim at noon, rest indoors and go back at 5. An inland room saves money but turns each beach visit into a drive each way, and our Florida where-to-stay guide weighs that trade.
Things to do in Fort Lauderdale in March
In March the afternoon air, 79.7°F, and the sea, 78.6°F, sit about a degree apart: warm enough for a trail in the morning and a swim after lunch without either feeling extreme. April pushes the afternoon to 82.9°F with 4.1 rain days, and February holds the water at 77.5°F.
Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park holds 2.2 miles of beach, 2.6 miles of hiking trail, a 4,531-foot boardwalk, one designated swimming area and 1,410 parking spaces, by the state’s 2024 count. Hugh Taylor Birch State Park is the smaller of the two, with 0.1 mile of beach, 0.3 mile of trail, a 60-foot boardwalk, a canoe, kayak and tube launch, and 275 spaces. We could not read entrance fees or opening hours for either park, so check with Florida State Parks before you drive.
At the 65.6°F dawn low, the 2.6-mile trail at Mizell-Eula Johnson is comfortable walking before 10 a.m. By the afternoon high of 79.7°F, the swimming area is the better use of the heat. Hugh Taylor Birch splits the same way, with the paddle launch in the morning and the beach after lunch. In April the lows climb to 69.9°F and the cool morning window shrinks.
We found no verified free-admission day for March at either state park, so we promise none. Broward County runs more than 50 regional parks, nature centers, neighborhood parks, natural areas and specialty parks on top of the three state parks in the metro area. The county parks site at broward.org/Parks is the place to check which ones charge at the gate, and our Florida things-to-do guide covers the wider state.
Fort Lauderdale in March: a two-day itinerary
Day one starts at Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park soon after the 7:27 a.m. sunrise, once you have confirmed the gate hours we could not read. Walk the 4,531-foot boardwalk and the trail before 10, while the air is still near 65.6°F. From late morning, the designated swimming area comes into its own as the air closes on 79.7°F. Lunch and a shaded break fill 1 to 3 p.m. Back on the sand at 4, you have light until the 7:30 p.m. sunset, then dinner with a light layer.
Day two moves to Hugh Taylor Birch State Park: put in at the canoe, kayak and tube launch in the morning with your own craft or a confirmed rental, then walk the 0.3-mile trail and the park’s short beach. If the forecast shows one of March’s 0.7 inch-plus rain days, swap the paddle to the afternoon or the next morning. Without a car, a Broward County Transit All Day Pass costs $5.00 bought on the bus, against $2.00 for a single ride. We did not check which routes serve the parks.
Fort Lauderdale in March vs February and April
| Normal | February | March | April |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average high | 77.4°F | 79.7°F | 82.9°F |
| Average low | 63.3°F | 65.6°F | 69.9°F |
| Precipitation | 2.38 in | 2.38 in | 3.02 in |
| Days with 0.10 in or more | 3.4 | 3.4 | 4.1 |
| Sea surface, mean of daily maxima | 77.5°F | 78.6°F | 79.7°F |
On NOAA’s airport normals, March runs 2.3°F warmer than February at both ends of the day: 79.7°F against 77.4°F at the high, 65.6°F against 63.3°F at the low. April adds another 3.2°F to the high and 4.3°F to the low. Rain holds still from February to March at 2.38 inches and 3.4 days, then April brings 3.02 inches over 4.1 days. The sea, from the Open-Meteo Marine API rather than the station, climbs 1.1°F at each step, from 77.5°F to 78.6°F to 79.7°F.
Go four weeks earlier and you give up 2.3°F of afternoon warmth and 1.1°F of sea for the same rainfall, with mornings down at 63.3°F. Go four weeks later and you gain the warmest water of the three at 79.7°F, at the cost of 0.64 more inches of rain, lows near 70°F and afternoons at 82.9°F. Our February and April guides cover those months in full.
Is March a good time to visit Fort Lauderdale?
Yes, for most beach travelers. March suits swimmers who want the sea near 78.6°F without April’s 82.9°F afternoons, walkers who like a 65.6°F start, and anyone who wants to stay clear of hurricane season. It suits less well a traveler chasing quiet beaches or a small bill, because the month falls in Florida’s season and spring break lands in it.
If crowds are the deal-breaker, look at April: the sea is warmer at 79.7°F, and our Florida overview places spring break in March, though we found no data to say how much quieter April beaches run. If heat is the worry, February keeps highs at 77.4°F with the same 3.4 rain days.
Of the three spring months we compare, only March pairs a sea above 78°F with afternoon highs under 80°F.
The last word
Book March if you want the swim and the walk in the same day, and set your dates around the Port Everglades sailing days before you set the hotel. For a night among trees instead of towers, Oleta River State Park, on the bay side of the metropolitan area, holds 14 cabins and two canoe, kayak and tube launches. A Broward County Transit 7-day pass at $20.00 covers a week of rides for anyone who leaves the car behind.
Sources & data: Fort Lauderdale in March
- March, February and April air normals (highs, lows, precipitation, rain days), 1991–2020 · NOAA NCEI monthly normals, station USW00012849, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Station identity and inland position (about three miles from the sand) · NOAA NCEI Search service · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Sea surface, mean of daily maxima, 2015–2024 · Open-Meteo Marine API · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Daylight, sunrise and sunset on March 15, converted to Eastern Daylight Time · sunrise-sunset.org · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Hurricane season dates and September 10 peak · NOAA National Hurricane Center · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Broward County 6.0% transient rental tax and 6% state sales tax · Florida Department of Revenue, form DR-15TDT · checked Sep 24, 2026
- State park beach, trail, boardwalk, launch, cabin and parking counts · Florida DEP Recreational Facilities Inventory, 2024 annual report · checked Sep 24, 2026
- FLL passenger boardings, CY2024, large-hub class · Federal Aviation Administration · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Port Everglades cruise passengers, FY2025, homeport status · porteverglades.net · checked Sep 24, 2026
- Broward County Transit fares · broward.org/bct/fares · checked Sep 24, 2026 (on Sep 11 the page rendered only in a browser and we could not read it)
- Broward County parks count · broward.org/Parks · checked Sep 24, 2026
- What we could not verify: state park entrance fees and opening hours, bus routes to the parks, wind and swell data, hotel occupancy or room rates, booking lead times, any local surtax beyond the two taxes above, and any event dated to March. Check operators when you book.
To plan your stay
- Things to Do in Fort Lauderdale: Three State Parks, 14 Cabins and $2.00 Bus Fares
- Best Time to Visit Fort Lauderdale: Weather, Sea Temperature and the Quiet Months
- Fort Lauderdale in February: Weather, Sea Temperature, Crowds and a Two-Day Plan
- Fort Lauderdale in April: Weather, Sea Temperature, Crowds and Things to Do