Atascadero weather in March

In March, Atascadero sees average daytime highs of 63°F and overnight lows near 46°F, with 2.5 in of rain across 6.4 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 61°F in the first days to 64°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% 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 Atascadero's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Atascadero's year-round climate.

Daytime high
63°
9th warmest
Overnight low
46°
4th coldest
Rainfall
2.5 in
6.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:21 AM – 6:04 PM
Cloud cover
47%
10th clearest
Wind
5 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.23 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

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

Density
441/km²
people per km²
Founded
1979

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

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 61°F in the first days to 64°F by the end.

A typical March day in Atascadero reaches about 63°F in the afternoon and slips back to 46°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 54°F and 72°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 3°F warmer than February and about 4°F cooler than April.

30°40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16144
26144
36145
46145
56245
66245
76245
86245
96345
106345
116346
126346
136346
146346
156346
166446
176446
186446
196446
206446
216446
226446
236446
246446
256446
266446
276446
286446
296446
306446
316446

Atascadero 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° / 43°3.37.19.95.0
Feb60° / 44°3.37.710.75.2
Mar63° / 46°2.56.411.76.3
Apr67° / 48°0.93.512.97.5
May71° / 51°0.41.713.88.5
Jun76° / 55°0.10.414.49.4
Jul79° / 59°0.00.114.29.2
Aug80° / 59°0.00.213.39.1
Sep78° / 57°0.10.412.29.2
Oct73° / 53°0.7211.18.8
Nov65° / 47°1.13.610.17.1
Dec59° / 42°2.56.29.65.1

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 43% 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 39%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25743
35842
45842
55842
65842
75941
85941
95941
105941
115941
126040
136040
146040
156040
166040
176040
186040
196040
206040
216139
226139
236337
246436
256535
266634
276733
286733
296931
307030
317030

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Atascadero gets around 2.5 in of rain over 6.4 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
325
424
524
623
722
821
921
1020
1119
1219
1319
1419
1519
1619
1719
1820
1920
2020
2120
2220
2320
2420
2520
2619
2719
2819
2918
3017
3117

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
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in March

Winds average 5 mph in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
15calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
95calm
105calm
115calm
125calm
135calm
145calm
155calm
165calm
175calm
185calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
306calm
316calm

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 6:41 AM to 5:59 AM, and sunset from 5:51 PM to 6:17 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:415:51
211.26:405:52
311.26:395:53
411.36:375:53
511.36:365:54
611.36:355:55
711.46:335:56
811.46:325:57
911.56:315:58
1011.56:295:59
1111.56:286:00
1211.66:266:01
1311.66:256:01
1411.66:246:02
1511.76:226:03
1611.76:216:04
1711.86:196:05
1811.86:186:06
1911.86:166:07
2011.96:156:07
2111.96:136:08
2212.06:126:09
2312.06:116:10
2412.06:096:11
2512.16:086:12
2612.16:066:12
2712.16:056:13
2812.26:036:14
2912.26:026:15
3012.36:006:16
3112.35:596:17

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.23 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.72 kWh/m² to a high of 8.26 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 5.23 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.4Bright
24.5Bright
34.5Bright
44.6Bright
54.6Bright
64.7Bright
74.8Bright
84.8Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
115.0Bright
125.0Bright
135.1Bright
145.1Bright
155.2Bright
165.2Bright
175.3Bright
185.3Bright
195.4Bright
205.4Bright
215.5Bright
225.5Bright
235.6Bright
245.6Bright
255.7Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Atascadero?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
1.6
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Atascadero for sightseeing.

What to pack for Atascadero in March

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

In March, Atascadero sees daytime highs around 63°F and nights near 46°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layersun protection

Sea temperature near Atascadero 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 at the nearest coast (about 14 mi away) 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
Jun56Bracing
Jul58Bracing
Aug59Cool
Sep60Cool
Oct60Cool
Nov58Bracing
Dec57Bracing

UV index in Atascadero 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 Atascadero peaks around June 21 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 14 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 21UV 11Dec 14UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep7Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Atascadero 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 Atascadero 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 Atascadero?

Atascadero sits at 35.5°N, 120.7°W, 879 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Paso Robles, 9.3 mi away.

Topography around Atascadero

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Atascadero has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 600 ft around an average of 948 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,549 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,698 ft.

The land around Atascadero is covered by trees (39%), grassland (35%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 2 miles, grassland (56%) and trees (33%) within 10 miles, and grassland (54%) and water (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
600 ft
10 miles
2,549 ft
50 miles
4,698 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Paso Robles 9.3 mi · San Luis Obispo 14 mi · Arroyo Grande 26 mi · Nipomo 33 mi · Santa Maria 39 mi · Orcutt 45 mi · Coalinga 48 mi · Lompoc 60 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 Atascadero (35.4894°, -120.6707°, elevation 879 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).