Weather in March — Sebastian, Florida

Sebastian's March normals at Vero Beach are a 78.4°F high, a 57.7°F low and 3.44 inches of rain, with the monthly mean rising a full three degrees from February.

The 1991 to 2020 NOAA normals for the Vero Beach airport station, which NWS Melbourne uses for its Indian River County climate reports, put the March mean at 68.0°F against 65.0°F in February (NOAA NCEI monthly normals). March is the first month of the year with a measurable chance of a 90°F afternoon in Sebastian, at 0.6 days, while nights under 50°F fall to 6.7 and nights under 40°F to 0.8.

March rain in Sebastian is more generous than February's but still swings widely. In the Vero Beach normals, a quarter of Marches total under 1.08 inches and a quarter top 3.95 inches, with 4.4 days reaching a tenth of an inch. The record runs from 0.02 inches in March 2020 to 12.78 inches in March 1993 (NWS Melbourne March 2026 climate report, IEM archive).

Beach water near Sebastian Inlet warms about 5.5 degrees in March, with the Trident Pier average reaching 74.4°F, while offshore water holds near 72°F.

March is when NOAA's nearshore record passes the offshore one north of Sebastian. Trident Pier at Port Canaveral averages 74.4°F in March, up from 68.9°F in February, while the Canaveral buoy 20 nautical miles out averages 72.0°F, barely changed from 71.8°F (NOAA Coastal Water Temperature Guide). Lake Worth Pier, south of Sebastian Inlet State Park, averages 75.6°F.

For Sebastian, the practical result is that the shallow water along the Wabasso Beach and Sebastian Inlet shoreline turns from the coldest water in the region in January into water warmer than the offshore Atlantic by March, on NOAA's monthly averages.

Sea turtle nesting season on Indian River County beaches, the stretch that includes Wabasso Beach and the south side of Sebastian Inlet, begins on March 1 and runs through October 31.

Indian River County lists those dates for its 22.4 miles of coastline, which it describes as critical habitat for three threatened and endangered species (Indian River County sea turtle program). The county names the loggerhead as the most common nesting species on its beaches.

The Sebastian Inlet District gives the same March 1 to October 31 season and lists loggerhead, green and leatherback sea turtles among the adults that come ashore to nest (Sebastian Inlet District). March nesting is the early part of a season that the warmer months carry; the season begins as the beach water near Sebastian Inlet passes 74°F on the Trident Pier average.

March 14 is the other date on the Sebastian calendar. On March 14, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt established Pelican Island in the Indian River Lagoon north of Sebastian as the first national wildlife refuge, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pelican Island NWR). The refuge's Centennial Trail, boardwalk and observation tower were dedicated on March 14, 2003.

March 2026 ran warm and short of rain in Sebastian's records, averaging 71.6°F at Vero Beach, 3.6 degrees above normal, with 1.77 inches of rain against a normal of 3.44.

Average lows for Sebastian's reporting station ran 5.4 degrees above normal at 63.1°F, the largest departure in the March 2026 report, while average highs ran 1.8 degrees above normal at 80.2°F (March 2026 report). The warmest afternoon reached 89°F on March 16 and the coolest morning was 47°F on March 22. Rain fell lightly and often: light rain was logged on 18 days, but no day reached an inch.

Wind was steady over the Indian River Lagoon. The station averaged 9.7 mph for the month, hit 29 mph sustained from the north on March 12 and March 19, and peaked with a 41 mph gust on March 19. Fog was recorded on 18 days, haze on 6.

Cloud was more common over the Treasure Coast in March 2026 than in the dry winter months. The Vero Beach report classed 13 days as fair, 13 as partly cloudy and 5 as cloudy, with an average sky cover of 0.40 and average relative humidity of 75 percent, against 0.24 and 69 percent in February 2026 near Sebastian.

March 2025 near Sebastian ran close to normal temperatures, with a mean of 67.6°F, and drier still, with 1.47 inches of rain (NWS Melbourne March 2025 climate report, IEM archive). It produced the stronger wind of the two years, a 47 mph gust from the west on March 5, and thunder on 7 days, against 3 in March 2026.

The two Marches also split on humidity. March 2025 averaged 68 percent relative humidity at the Vero Beach station south of Sebastian, the drier air of the two years, and its average high of 78.7°F sat just 0.3 degrees above normal. Its coolest morning, 39°F on March 22, was eight degrees colder than the coolest morning of March 2026 on the same date.

March is a peak month for severe weather on the Florida peninsula, including the Sebastian area, according to NWS Melbourne's lightning climatology, which says the peninsula sees most of its significant severe weather at this time of year.

The office's lightning climatology describes an increase in lightning in March as cold season storm systems interact with the peninsula (NWS Melbourne lightning climatology). Its strike estimates for neighboring Brevard County rise from about 81 in February to about 288 in March (NWS Melbourne lightning statistics).

NWS Melbourne's storm survey list holds several March events near Sebastian: the Storm of the Century on March 12 and 13, 1993; an Indian River County hailstorm on March 31, 1996; hailstorms on March 6 and 25, 1992; an EF0 tornado in Brevard County on March 28, 2010; and a hail event in Brevard County on March 27, 2019 (NWS Melbourne storm surveys). March 1993 also holds the Vero Beach March rainfall record of 12.78 inches.

The NWS Melbourne dry season outlook issued September 30, 2026 places March 2027 in its February to April period and headlines increased potential for well above normal rainfall and severe weather across central Florida, a forecast that includes Sebastian (NWS Melbourne dry season outlook).