Fresno weather in March

In March, Fresno sees average daytime highs of 68°F and overnight lows near 47°F, with 2.9 in of rain across 7.3 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 65°F in the first days to 70°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 06 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Fresno's 9th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Fresno's year-round climate.

Daytime high
68°
8th warmest
Overnight low
47°
5th coldest
Rainfall
2.9 in
7.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:17 AM – 6:00 PM
Cloud cover
49%
9th clearest
Wind
4 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.01 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Fresno is county seat of Fresno County, California, United States.

Density
1,825/km²
people per km²
Founded
1872

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 65°F in the first days to 70°F by the end.

A typical March day in Fresno reaches about 68°F in the afternoon and slips back to 47°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 58°F and 78°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 5°F warmer than February and about 6°F cooler than April.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16445
26445
36545
46546
56546
66546
76646
86646
96646
106747
116747
126747
136747
146847
156847
166848
176848
186848
196948
206948
216948
226948
236948
246948
256948
266949
276949
286949
297049
307049
317049

How March really feels in Fresno

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

March sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Fresno weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan58° / 41°3.57.59.84.8
Feb62° / 44°2.9810.65.7
Mar68° / 47°2.97.311.76.8
Apr74° / 51°1.44.412.97.9
May82° / 58°0.72.713.97.5
Jun91° / 64°0.20.614.54.9
Jul96° / 70°0.10.214.32.9
Aug95° / 69°0.00.213.43.3
Sep89° / 64°0.10.512.25.5
Oct79° / 55°0.82.111.18.4
Nov66° / 46°1.44.3107.2
Dec58° / 41°2.86.99.54.8

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 16% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 42%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35644
45644
55644
65644
75644
85743
95743
105743
115743
125743
135743
145743
155743
165743
175743
185743
195743
205743
215743
225842
235941
246040
256139
266139
276238
286436
296436
306535
316535

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Fresno gets around 2.9 in of rain over 7.3 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 23% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
229
328
427
527
626
725
824
923
1023
1122
1221
1321
1421
1521
1621
1722
1822
1923
2023
2123
2223
2323
2423
2523
2623
2723
2822
2922
3021
3121

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 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10982
11982
12982
13982
14982
15973
16973
17973
18973
19973
20973
21973
22973
23973
24973
25973
26973
27973
28973
29973
30982
31982

Wind in March

Winds average 4 mph in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 5 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
195calm
205calm
215calm
225calm
235calm
245calm
255calm
265calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 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 72 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:39 AM to 5:55 AM, and sunset from 5:46 PM to 6:13 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:395:46
211.26:375:47
311.26:365:48
411.26:355:49
511.36:335:50
611.36:325:51
711.46:315:52
811.46:295:53
911.46:285:54
1011.56:265:54
1111.56:255:55
1211.56:235:56
1311.66:225:57
1411.66:205:58
1511.76:195:59
1611.76:176:00
1711.76:166:01
1811.86:146:02
1911.86:136:03
2011.96:116:04
2111.96:106:05
2211.96:086:05
2312.06:076:06
2412.06:056:07
2512.16:046:08
2612.16:026:09
2712.26:016:10
2812.25:596:11
2912.25:586:12
3012.35:566:13
3112.35:556:13

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.01 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.46 kWh/m² to a high of 8.26 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 5.01 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.2Bright
24.2Bright
34.3Bright
44.4Bright
54.4Bright
64.5Bright
74.5Bright
84.6Bright
94.7Bright
104.7Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.9Bright
144.9Bright
155.0Bright
165.0Bright
175.1Bright
185.1Bright
195.2Bright
205.2Bright
215.3Bright
225.3Bright
235.4Bright
245.4Bright
255.5Bright
265.5Bright
275.6Bright
285.6Bright
295.7Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Fresno?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
3.4
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Fresno for sightseeing.

What to pack for Fresno in March

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

In March, Fresno sees daytime highs around 68°F and nights near 47°F. Worth packing: sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

sun protection

UV index in Fresno 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 Fresno peaks around June 20 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 20UV 10Dec 17UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Fresno 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 Fresno is worst in September — around 28 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.8× the cleanest month (June, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateSep 1828 µg/m³Jun 108 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb16Moderate
Mar17Moderate
Apr12Good
May9Good
Jun7Good
Jul23Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct24Moderate
Nov16Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Fresno?

Fresno sits at 36.7°N, 119.8°W, 308 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Clovis, 6.8 mi away.

Topography around Fresno

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Fresno has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 66 ft around an average of 305 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 197 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 10,381 ft.

The land around Fresno is covered by artificial surfaces (90%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (39%) and cropland (24%) within 10 miles, and grassland (34%), trees (32%) and cropland (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
66 ft
10 miles
197 ft
50 miles
10,381 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Clovis 6.8 mi · Sanger 12 mi · Selma 15 mi · Parlier 17 mi · Reedley 21 mi · Madera 22 mi · Dinuba 25 mi · Hanford 30 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 Fresno (36.7477°, -119.7724°, elevation 308 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. 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).