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SunnyDays

ERA5 almanac — 8 years of real data

Panama City Beach in March

Panama City Beach in March is historically a poor month for sun: only 13% of days clear across 8 years (n=248, avg high 70°F). October is the clearest month for Panama City Beach historically. Historical average, not a forecast.

What you are reading: 8-year historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis, not a forecast. A month that is historically 90% clear can still be overcast on your specific trip. For this week’s actual forecast, see the live Panama City Beach page. Both can be true at once: “historically strong in this month; this particular week is not.” We label which is which.

Early vs. Late March

Clear-sky percentage for Panama City Beach in March, split by half-month. “n” is the number of days sampled across 8 years (2018–2025).
Period % Clear days Sample (n) Avg high
Early March
1st–15th		 10% n=120 70°F
Late March
16th–end		 16% n=128 70°F
Full month average 13% n=248 70°F

Sunshine & warmth in March

A second measure using actual sunshine hours (ERA5 sunshine_duration), not the daily weather code. A Lowcountry day with 12 hours of sun and a 25-minute afternoon storm is counted below as a warm, sunny day — because it was. How we define this.

Sunshine-based metrics for Panama City Beach in March. Primary: % of days ≥ 72°F with > 6 h of sunshine.
Period Warm & sunny (≥72°F, >6 h sun) Sample (n)
Early March
1st–15th		 22% n=120
Late March
16th–end		 38% n=128
Full month average 30% n=248
11.2 h median sunshine per day 82% of days exceed 8 h sunshine 32% of days see ≥ 1 mm rain — rain is not hidden
Comparison (old vs new): WMO-code “clear” bar: 13%. Sunshine-based “warm & sunny”: 30%. The 17-point gap is from brief afternoon convective storms that stamp the whole day as “rain” in the WMO code but leave the bulk of the sunshine untouched.

Bottom line

Panama City Beach is a poor choice for sun in March: just 13% of days clear historically (n=248). October is the historically strongest month for sun here. The 8-year record is consistent — this is not a fluke bad stretch.

→ See all destinations in October — historically the best month for sun in Panama City Beach.

Every month in Panama City Beach

Compare across all months with data. Numbers are historical clear-sky %.

Historical clear-sky % for Panama City Beach, all months, ERA5 2018–2025.
Month % Clear Sample (n)
January 1% n=248 All destinations →
February 4% n=226 All destinations →
March ← this page 13% n=248 All destinations →
April 45% n=240 All destinations →
May 43% n=248 All destinations →
June 18% n=240 All destinations →
July 9% n=248 All destinations →
August 11% n=248 All destinations →
September 35% n=240 All destinations →
October 52% n=248 All destinations →
November 26% n=240 All destinations →
December 4% n=248 All destinations →

All percentages are historical averages from the ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 8 full years (2018–2025). “Clear” means avg high ≥ 72 °F, precipitation < 1 mm, and a non-precipitation weather code. This is history, not a forecast. The live 7-day outlook for any destination is on its own page and may differ from the long-run average. Data from Open-Meteo.