Arroyo Grande weather in March

In March, Arroyo Grande sees average daytime highs of 60°F and overnight lows near 49°F, with 2.8 in of rain across 6.3 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 60°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 12 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Arroyo Grande's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Arroyo Grande's year-round climate.

Daytime high
60°
9th warmest
Overnight low
49°
4th coldest
Rainfall
2.8 in
6.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:20 AM – 6:04 PM
Cloud cover
45%
10th clearest
Wind
8 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.37 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Arroyo Grande is city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States.

Density
1,199/km²
people per km²
Founded
1862

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 60°F through the month.

A typical March day in Arroyo Grande reaches about 60°F in the afternoon and slips back to 49°F overnight — a 11°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 54°F and 67°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and about 1°F cooler than April.

40°50°60°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15948
25948
35948
46048
56048
66049
76049
86049
96049
106049
116049
126049
136049
146049
156149
166049
176049
186049
196049
206049
216049
226049
236049
246049
256049
266049
276049
286049
296049
306049
316049

Arroyo Grande weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 9th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan59° / 47°3.87.29.95.1
Feb59° / 48°3.67.810.74.9
Mar60° / 49°2.86.311.75.5
Apr62° / 50°1.03.312.96.4
May64° / 53°0.41.613.87.3
Jun66° / 56°0.10.414.38.2
Jul69° / 59°0.00.214.18.5
Aug70° / 59°0.00.113.38.8
Sep70° / 59°0.00.412.28.7
Oct68° / 56°0.81.811.18.3
Nov64° / 51°1.43.710.26.9
Dec59° / 47°2.86.19.75.2

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 35%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25842
35842
45941
55941
66040
76040
86139
96139
106238
116238
126238
136337
146337
156337
166436
176436
186436
196535
206634
216634
226733
236733
246832
256931
267030
277129
287228
297327
307327
317525

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Arroyo Grande gets around 2.8 in of rain over 6.3 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 20% and peaks near 27% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
127
226
326
425
524
623
722
822
921
1020
1120
1219
1319
1419
1519
1619
1719
1819
1919
2020
2120
2220
2320
2419
2519
2619
2718
2818
2917
3017
3116

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of March feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, March lands in the dry band about 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in March

Winds average 8 mph in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:40 AM to 5:59 AM, and sunset from 5:51 PM to 6:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:405:51
211.26:395:52
311.26:385:53
411.36:375:53
511.36:355:54
611.46:345:55
711.46:335:56
811.46:315:57
911.56:305:58
1011.56:295:59
1111.56:276:00
1211.66:266:00
1311.66:246:01
1411.76:236:02
1511.76:226:03
1611.76:206:04
1711.86:196:05
1811.86:176:05
1911.86:166:06
2011.96:156:07
2111.96:136:08
2212.06:126:09
2312.06:106:10
2412.06:096:10
2512.16:076:11
2612.16:066:12
2712.16:046:13
2812.26:036:14
2912.26:016:14
3012.36:006:15
3112.35:596:16

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.37 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.84 kWh/m² to a high of 8.24 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 5.37 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.6Bright
24.6Bright
34.7Bright
44.7Bright
54.8Bright
64.9Bright
74.9Bright
85.0Bright
95.0Bright
105.1Bright
115.1Bright
125.2Bright
135.2Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.4Bright
175.4Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.6Bright
215.6Bright
225.7Bright
235.7Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.9Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Arroyo Grande?

Our two travel scores rate March for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.5
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.5
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Arroyo Grande for sightseeing.

What to pack for Arroyo Grande in March

From March's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In March, Arroyo Grande sees daytime highs around 60°F and nights near 49°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layersun protection

Sea temperature near Arroyo Grande in March

The nearest coast averages about 55°F in March — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in September at about 60°F and coldest in April near 54°F.

The water stays below 68°F all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

52°54°56°58°60°62°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan56Bracing
Feb56Bracing
Mar55Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May54Bracing
Jun55Bracing
Jul58Bracing
Aug59Cool
Sep60Cool
Oct60Cool
Nov58Bracing
Dec57Bracing

UV index in Arroyo Grande in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Arroyo Grande peaks around June 21 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 21UV 11Dec 15UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Arroyo Grande in March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where March falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Arroyo Grande is worst in August — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.5× the cleanest month (June, 4 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 2218 µg/m³Jun 124 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb6Good
Mar7Good
Apr6Good
May5Good
Jun4Good
Jul7Good
Aug19Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Arroyo Grande?

Arroyo Grande sits at 35.1°N, 120.6°W, 118 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Nipomo, 8.1 mi away.

Topography around Arroyo Grande

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Arroyo Grande.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Arroyo Grande has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 486 ft around an average of 151 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,808 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,715 ft.

The land around Arroyo Grande is covered by artificial surfaces (48%) and grassland (21%) within 2 miles, grassland (32%), water (25%) and trees (23%) within 10 miles, and grassland (47%) and water (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
486 ft
10 miles
2,808 ft
50 miles
5,715 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Nipomo 8.1 mi · San Luis Obispo 12 mi · Santa Maria 14 mi · Orcutt 19 mi · Atascadero 26 mi · Lompoc 34 mi · Paso Robles 35 mi · Isla Vista 64 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Arroyo Grande (35.1186°, -120.5907°, elevation 118 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).