McKinleyville weather in March

In March, McKinleyville sees average daytime highs of 53°F and overnight lows near 42°F, with 7.8 in of precipitation across 15.1 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 53°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 hours at the start of March to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is McKinleyville's 9th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see McKinleyville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
53°
9th warmest
Overnight low
42°
4th coldest
Precipitation
7.8 in
15.1 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:36 AM – 6:16 PM
Cloud cover
65%
9th clearest
Wind
7 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
3.99 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.6
out of 10

McKinleyville is census-designated place in Humboldt County, California, United States.

Density
279/km²
people per km²

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 53°F through the month.

A typical March day in McKinleyville reaches about 53°F in the afternoon and slips back to 42°F overnight — a 11°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 46°F and 59°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and about 2°F cooler than April.

30°40°50°60°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15241
25241
35241
45241
55241
65241
75242
85242
95342
105342
115342
125342
135342
145342
155342
165342
175342
185342
195342
205342
215342
225342
235342
245342
255342
265342
275342
285342
295342
305342
315342

McKinleyville 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 daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan51° / 41°9.315.31.79.42.2
Feb52° / 41°7.413.52.410.42.4
Mar53° / 42°7.815.12.611.72.6
Apr55° / 44°4.812.10.713.13.2
May58° / 47°2.67.4014.34.6
Jun62° / 50°1.03.7014.96.3
Jul66° / 53°0.10.7014.67.9
Aug67° / 53°0.20.9013.68.0
Sep65° / 51°0.82.6012.37.6
Oct61° / 48°3.56.5010.95.8
Nov54° / 44°6.912.60.49.73.2
Dec51° / 41°11.215.51.89.12.1

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13763
23763
33763
43763
53763
63763
73763
83862
93961
103961
113862
123862
133862
143862
153862
163862
173862
183763
193763
203763
213763
223763
233763
243763
253862
263862
273862
283862
293763
303763
313961

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

McKinleyville gets around 7.8 in of rain and snow over 15.1 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 48% and peaks near 52% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
15212
25111
35111
45010
55010
64910
74910
8489
9479
10479
11469
12468
13468
14468
15478
16478
17488
18488
19488
20498
21498
22498
23487
24487
25487
26477
27476
28466
29466
30466
31456

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 7 mph in March.

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

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 hours at the start of March to 12 h 24 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 84 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:00 AM to 6:11 AM, and sunset from 5:59 PM to 6:32 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.07:005:59
211.06:596:00
311.16:576:01
411.16:566:02
511.26:546:04
611.26:536:05
711.26:516:06
811.36:496:07
911.36:486:08
1011.46:466:09
1111.46:456:10
1211.56:436:11
1311.56:416:13
1411.66:406:14
1511.66:386:15
1611.76:366:16
1711.76:356:17
1811.86:336:18
1911.86:316:19
2011.86:296:20
2111.96:286:21
2211.96:266:22
2312.06:246:24
2412.06:236:25
2512.16:216:26
2612.16:196:27
2712.26:176:28
2812.26:166:29
2912.36:146:30
3012.36:126:31
3112.46:116:32

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 3.99 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.64 kWh/m² to a high of 7.8 kWh/m² in July across the year — March's 3.99 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.3Moderate
23.3Moderate
33.4Moderate
43.4Moderate
53.5Moderate
63.5Moderate
73.6Moderate
83.6Moderate
93.7Moderate
103.7Moderate
113.8Moderate
123.8Moderate
133.9Moderate
143.9Moderate
154.0Moderate
164.0Bright
174.0Bright
184.1Bright
194.1Bright
204.2Bright
214.2Bright
224.3Bright
234.3Bright
244.4Bright
254.4Bright
264.5Bright
274.5Bright
284.6Bright
294.6Bright
304.7Bright
314.7Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for McKinleyville

In seasonPeak

In March, McKinleyville sits inside its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

McKinleyville's rainy season runs November–March, when most of the year's rain falls.

Rainy season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is March a good time to visit McKinleyville?

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

2.6
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in McKinleyville.

What to pack for McKinleyville in March

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

In March, McKinleyville sees daytime highs around 53°F and nights near 42°F. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. About 15 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near McKinleyville in March

The nearest coast averages about 51°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 August at about 55°F and coldest in March near 51°F.

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

50°52°54°56°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracing
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan52Bracing
Feb52Bracing
Mar51Bracing
Apr52Bracing
May52Bracing
Jun53Bracing
Jul54Bracing
Aug55Bracing
Sep55Bracing
Oct54Bracing
Nov53Bracing
Dec53Bracing

UV index in McKinleyville 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 McKinleyville peaks around June 21 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 21UV 9Dec 15UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May9Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep5High
Oct5Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec2Low

Air quality in McKinleyville 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 McKinleyville is worst in September — around 154 µg/m³ PM2.5 (very unhealthy), about 39.6× the cleanest month (January, 4 µg/m³).

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

0306090120150180JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodUnhealthyUnhealthyGoodSep 10151 µg/m³Jan 134 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan4Good
Feb7Good
Mar6Good
Apr7Good
May6Good
Jun6Good
Jul17Moderate
Aug137Unhealthy
Sep154Very unhealthy
Oct13Moderate
Nov6Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is McKinleyville?

McKinleyville sits at 40.9°N, 124.1°W, 144 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Arcata, 5.6 mi away.

Topography around McKinleyville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around McKinleyville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 643 ft around an average of 180 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,038 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,415 ft.

The land around McKinleyville is covered by trees (50%) and grassland (23%) within 2 miles, trees (48%) and water (41%) within 10 miles, and trees (67%) and water (27%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
643 ft
10 miles
3,038 ft
50 miles
7,415 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Arcata 5.6 mi · Bayside 7.5 mi · Eureka 11 mi · Redding 93 mi · Grants Pass 111 mi · Ashland 112 mi · Medford 114 mi · Central Point 116 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 McKinleyville (40.9465°, -124.1006°, elevation 144 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).