Grand Canyon weather in March

In March, Grand Canyon sees average daytime highs of 58°F and overnight lows near 34°F, with 1.1 in of precipitation across 5.2 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 53°F in the first days to 61°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% 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 Grand Canyon's 9th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Grand Canyon's year-round climate.

Daytime high
58°
8th warmest
Overnight low
34°
5th coldest
Precipitation
1.1 in
5.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:47 AM – 6:30 PM
Cloud cover
42%
9th clearest
Wind
6 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.84 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.0
out of 10

Grand Canyon is human settlement in Coconino County, Arizona, United States of America.

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 53°F in the first days to 61°F by the end.

A typical March day in Grand Canyon reaches about 58°F in the afternoon and slips back to 34°F overnight — a 24°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 45°F and 69°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 8°F warmer than February and about 7°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15230
25330
35331
45431
55431
65531
75532
85632
95633
105733
115733
125834
135834
145834
155934
165935
175935
186035
196035
206035
216036
226036
236036
246036
256136
266136
276136
286136
296137
306137
316137

How March really feels in Grand Canyon

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 31 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
31
wind chill below the day's low

The story in March is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Grand Canyon weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan46° / 25°1.45.33.49.81.3
Feb50° / 29°1.56.53.810.62.5
Mar58° / 34°1.15.21.911.75.0
Apr65° / 40°0.84.11.212.97.1
May76° / 49°0.42.20.113.98.5
Jun87° / 58°0.10.9014.46.2
Jul90° / 65°0.85.5014.24.4
Aug88° / 63°0.85.1013.45.2
Sep81° / 56°0.83.9012.27.7
Oct69° / 44°0.83.50.311.18.0
Nov57° / 33°0.83.61.210.14.9
Dec46° / 26°1.25.33.69.61.4

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 48% 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 34%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16535
26535
36634
46634
56634
66634
76634
86634
96733
106733
116634
126634
136634
146634
156535
166535
176535
186535
196535
206535
216535
226535
236535
246535
256535
266634
276634
286634
296733
306733
316832

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Grand Canyon gets around 1.1 in of rain and snow over 5.2 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 18% and peaks near 25% on the wettest days, and about 2 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12513
22512
32412
42311
52310
62210
7219
8219
9208
10198
11198
12187
13187
14187
15177
16177
17166
18166
19166
20156
21156
22155
23155
24155
25156
26156
27156
28156
29156
30156
31156

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in March

Winds average 6 mph in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 7 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
25calm
35calm
45calm
55calm
65calm
75calm
85calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

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 7:08 AM to 6:24 AM, and sunset from 6:16 PM to 6:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.17:086:16
211.27:066:17
311.27:056:18
411.37:046:19
511.37:026:20
611.37:016:21
711.47:006:22
811.46:586:23
911.46:576:23
1011.56:556:24
1111.56:546:25
1211.66:526:26
1311.66:516:27
1411.66:506:28
1511.76:486:29
1611.76:476:30
1711.86:456:31
1811.86:446:31
1911.86:426:32
2011.96:416:33
2111.96:396:34
2212.06:386:35
2312.06:366:36
2412.06:356:37
2512.16:336:38
2612.16:326:38
2712.16:306:39
2812.26:296:40
2912.26:276:41
3012.36:266:42
3112.36:246:43

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.84 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.96 kWh/m² to a high of 8.54 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 5.84 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.0Bright
25.1Bright
35.1Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.3Bright
75.4Bright
85.4Bright
95.5Bright
105.5Bright
115.6Bright
125.6Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.9Bright
185.9Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.3Intense
266.3Intense
276.4Intense
286.4Intense
296.5Intense
306.5Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Grand Canyon?

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

5.0
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.3
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Grand Canyon for sightseeing.

What to pack for Grand Canyon in March

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

In March, Grand Canyon sees daytime highs around 58°F and nights near 34°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layersun protection

UV index in Grand Canyon in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Grand Canyon peaks around July 17 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — every month of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highModerateJul 17UV 12Dec 17UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar6High
Apr6High
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Grand Canyon?

Grand Canyon sits at 36.1°N, 112.1°W, 0 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Flagstaff, 65 mi away.

Topography around Grand Canyon

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Grand Canyon has large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,527 ft around an average of 6,434 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,873 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 8,550 ft.

The land around Grand Canyon is covered by trees (71%) within 2 miles, trees (45%) and grassland (21%) within 10 miles, and grassland (42%), trees (23%) and bare terrain (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
3,527 ft
10 miles
5,873 ft
50 miles
8,550 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Flagstaff 65 mi · Sedona 85 mi · Prescott Valley 100 mi · Hurricane 100 mi · Prescott 106 mi · Washington 106 mi · Saint George 108 mi · Mesquite 119 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 Grand Canyon (36.0544°, -112.1393°, elevation 0 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).