Madera weather in March

In March, Madera sees average daytime highs of 68°F and overnight lows near 47°F, with 3.3 in of rain across 7.5 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 Madera's 9th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Madera's year-round climate.

Daytime high
68°
8th warmest
Overnight low
47°
5th coldest
Rainfall
3.3 in
7.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:19 AM – 6:01 PM
Cloud cover
49%
9th clearest
Wind
5 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

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

Density
1,570/km²
people per km²
Founded
1907

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 Madera reaches about 68°F in the afternoon and slips back to 47°F overnight — a 21°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)
16444
26444
36545
46545
56545
66645
76645
86646
96746
106746
116746
126746
136847
146847
156847
166847
176847
186947
196947
206947
216948
226948
236948
246948
256948
266948
276948
287048
297048
307048
317048

How March really feels in Madera

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.

Madera 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
Jan59° / 40°3.87.59.84.8
Feb62° / 43°3.4810.65.7
Mar68° / 47°3.37.511.76.8
Apr74° / 51°1.44.512.97.9
May83° / 57°0.82.613.97.4
Jun91° / 64°0.20.714.54.8
Jul97° / 69°0.10.314.32.8
Aug96° / 68°0.00.213.43.2
Sep90° / 63°0.10.412.35.4
Oct79° / 54°0.92.2118.3
Nov67° / 45°1.64.4107.2
Dec58° / 40°3.179.54.8

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 14% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 43%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25446
35446
45446
55446
65446
75446
85446
95446
105446
115545
125545
135545
145545
155545
165545
175644
185644
195644
205743
215743
225842
235941
245941
256139
266238
276238
286337
296436
306436
316436

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Madera gets around 3.3 in of rain over 7.5 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 24% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
228
327
426
525
625
724
823
923
1022
1121
1221
1321
1421
1522
1622
1723
1824
1924
2025
2125
2226
2326
2426
2526
2626
2726
2825
2925
3024
3123

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 (%)
11000
21000
31000
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14982
15982
16982
17982
18982
19982
20982
21982
22982
23982
24973
25973
26973
27973
28982
29982
30982
31982

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
296calm
306calm
316calm

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 6:40 AM to 5:56 AM, and sunset from 5:47 PM to 6:15 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:405:47
211.26:395:48
311.26:375:49
411.26:365:50
511.36:355:51
611.36:335:52
711.36:325:53
811.46:305:54
911.46:295:55
1011.56:285:56
1111.56:265:56
1211.56:255:57
1311.66:235:58
1411.66:225:59
1511.76:206:00
1611.76:196:01
1711.76:176:02
1811.86:166:03
1911.86:146:04
2011.96:136:05
2111.96:116:06
2211.96:106:07
2312.06:086:07
2412.06:076:08
2512.16:056:09
2612.16:036:10
2712.26:026:11
2812.26:006:12
2912.25:596:13
3012.35:576:14
3112.35:566:15

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.02 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.44 kWh/m² to a high of 8.28 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 5.02 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.2Bright
24.3Bright
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
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.8Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Madera?

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
3.5
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Madera for sightseeing.

What to pack for Madera in March

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

In March, Madera sees daytime highs around 68°F and nights near 47°F. Worth packing: sun protection. About 8 days see rain.

sun protection

UV index in Madera 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 Madera 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 highVery highHighModerateJun 20UV 10Dec 17UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug10Very high
Sep7High
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Madera 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 Madera 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 Madera?

Madera sits at 37.0°N, 120.1°W, 272 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Chowchilla, 16 mi away.

Topography around Madera

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Madera has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 69 ft around an average of 269 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 220 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9,229 ft.

The land around Madera is covered by artificial surfaces (60%) within 2 miles, trees (35%), cropland (29%) and grassland (27%) within 10 miles, and grassland (40%), trees (30%) and cropland (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
69 ft
10 miles
220 ft
50 miles
9,229 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Chowchilla 16 mi · Fresno 22 mi · Clovis 22 mi · Sanger 33 mi · Merced 33 mi · Selma 37 mi · Parlier 38 mi · Atwater 40 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 Madera (36.9613°, -120.0607°, elevation 272 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).