What is Orlando like in March?

March is when Orlando trades winter for spring. Afternoons turn warm, nights stay cool, and the calendar gets crowded: in 2027, spring break, Easter and the start of EPCOT’s flower festival all land in the same month.

What is the weather like in Orlando in March?

Warm in the afternoon, cool in the morning and at night. Based on NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 climate normals for Orlando International Airport, the average March high is 79 °F (26 °C) and the average low is 56 °F (13 °C). Day and night together average 67 °F (20 °C).

The month warms up as it goes. The National Weather Service office in Melbourne, which covers Orlando, lists a normal high of 77 °F and a low of 54 °F on March 1. By March 31 the normals are 81 °F and 58 °F.

Month	Average high	Average low	Monthly rain
February	75 °F (24 °C)	52 °F (11 °C)	2.0 in (52 mm)
March	79 °F (26 °C)	56 °F (13 °C)	3.0 in (77 mm)
April	84 °F (29 °C)	61 °F (16 °C)	2.6 in (66 mm)
July, for comparison	92 °F (33 °C)	73 °F (23 °C)	7.5 in (189 mm)

Source: NOAA (NCEI) 1991 to 2020 climate normals, Orlando International Airport.

March gets a little more rain than February or April, but it falls on only a handful of days. The same NOAA data show that a typical March has:

• about 17 days with a high above 80 °F (27 °C);
• close to 1 day at 90 °F (32 °C) or above;
• about 7 nights with a low below 50 °F (10 °C);
• about 4 days with at least a tenth of an inch of rain.

The normals show no freezing nights in March. Extremes do happen. The record high for the month is 97 °F (36 °C), set on March 30, 1907, and the record low is 25 °F (-4 °C), set on March 3, 1980. In 2026, Orlando hit 90 °F on both March 10 and March 12, a record for each date.

When does spring start, and when do the clocks change?

Spring starts on March 20, 2027. The U.S. Naval Observatory puts the equinox at 4:25 p.m. Eastern that day.

Daylight saving time starts a week earlier, on Sunday, March 14, 2027. Per the Naval Observatory, sunset in Orlando is around 6:25 p.m. on March 1 and 6:33 p.m. on Saturday the 13th. On Sunday the 14th it jumps to 7:33 p.m., and by March 31 it is 7:43 p.m. If you drive down overnight that weekend, remember you lose an hour. From the 14th on, nighttime shows and fireworks start later on the clock, which matters for young kids.

Is March a good time to visit Orlando?

For warm park days without summer heat, March is one of the most pleasant months of the year. The trade-off is crowds. It is spring break season across the US and Canada, and in 2027 Easter falls in March too.

If your dates are flexible and you would rather skip the crowds, compare with Orlando in February, outside Presidents’ Day weekend.

How crowded is Disney World during spring break in March?

Busy for much of the month. Every school district picks its own spring break week, so the crowds spread across several weekends in March and April instead of one peak. Here is what official 2027 calendars show for a few places that send a lot of visitors to Orlando:

Where	Time off in 2027
Orange County, FL (Orlando)	Student holiday Mar 12, spring break Mar 15 to 19
Toronto, Canada	Mid-Winter Break Mar 15 to 19
Chicago	Spring vacation Mar 22 to 26
New York City	Good Friday Mar 26, spring recess Apr 22 to 30
Gwinnett County, GA	Spring break Apr 5 to 9
Bolton, England	Easter holidays Mar 26 to Apr 11

Sources: Orange County Public Schools, Toronto District School Board, Chicago Public Schools, New York City Public Schools, Gwinnett County Public Schools and Bolton Council.

The week of March 15 lines up Orlando’s own schools with Toronto’s March Break. The week of March 22 stacks Chicago on top of Holy Week. Families driving down from Georgia on Gwinnett’s calendar arrive after Easter, in early April. Check your own district, since even neighboring districts can differ.

In the UK, Good Friday (March 26) and Easter Monday (March 29) are bank holidays in 2027, according to GOV.UK, and school holiday dates are set by each local council. For more on prices and crowds that week, see what spring break is like in Orlando. For the calmest stretches of the year, read the least crowded times at the Orlando parks.

In practice: based on the calendars above, March 1 to 11 has the fewest schools on break. If the EPCOT flower festival is a must, March 10 and 11 give you both. If your only option is Orlando’s spring break week, plan your biggest park day for Monday or Tuesday and save the weekend for the house and the pool.

When is Easter 2027?

Easter is Sunday, March 28, 2027. According to the U.S. Naval Observatory, Palm Sunday is March 21 and Good Friday is March 26, so all of Holy Week falls in March. What to expect in Orlando that weekend is covered in what Easter is like in Orlando.

Things to do in Orlando in March

Almost every major park runs a festival in March, and EPCOT switches festivals early in the month.

EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival. Disney lists it from March 10 to May 31, 2027, with gardens, character topiaries, the Garden Rocks Concert Series and Outdoor Kitchens. It is included with EPCOT admission. Because the Festival of the Arts ends on March 1, EPCOT has no festival running from March 2 to 9. More in when the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival happens.

Mardi Gras at Universal. Universal Orlando announced Universal Mardi Gras at Universal Studios Florida through March 27, 2027, the day before Easter, with a parade, beads, live music and food for purchase from around the world.

St. Patrick’s Day. It falls on Wednesday, March 17, 2027. SeaWorld Orlando holds a St. Patrick’s Day celebration that day as part of its Seven Seas Food Festival, which runs on select dates from February to May.

Manatees at Blue Spring. The St. Johns River Water Management District says manatee season at Blue Spring State Park runs roughly through March. The spring is closed to all water activity until at least mid-March.

Do you need pool heat in March?

For most people, yes, especially in the first half of the month. The Florida Solar Energy Center at the University of Central Florida explains that an unheated pool stays at about the average air temperature. In March that average climbs from 66 °F at the start of the month to 69 °F at the end, per National Weather Service daily normals. The same center puts comfortable spring water at 78 °F to 82 °F.

If you are used to cold lakes up North, you may swim on the warmest afternoons late in the month. With young kids, pool heat is worth it. Costs and how it works are in Orlando pool heat cost, or browse homes with a private pool.

What to pack for Orlando in March

Pack summer clothes plus one warm layer. Afternoons easily pass 79 °F, but lows still sit near 56 °F.

• Shorts, T-shirts and a cap for park days.
• A light jacket or hoodie for early mornings and evenings.
• A packable rain poncho.
• Sunscreen. The March sun is already strong.
• Swimsuits, for a heated pool or the warm days late in the month.

How much does an Orlando vacation home cost in March?

The table on this page shows the median nightly rate of Orlando Best Place homes for each of the next 12 months, with March highlighted. For context, the median nightly rate across the next 12 months, before cleaning and taxes, is $162, and the priciest month in that period is June 2027, at a median of $192.

When you book direct, the final price with cleaning and taxes is shown before payment, with no platform fee. Payments are processed by Stripe. If two families are traveling together for spring break, see our homes for large groups.