Novato weather in March

In March, Novato sees average daytime highs of 61°F and overnight lows near 48°F, with 3.4 in of rain across 8.8 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 61°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% 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 Novato's 9th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Novato's year-round climate.

Daytime high
61°
9th warmest
Overnight low
48°
4th coldest
Rainfall
3.4 in
8.8 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:29 AM – 6:11 PM
Cloud cover
55%
9th clearest
Wind
7 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
4.59 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

Novato is city in Marin County, California, United States.

Density
767/km²
people per km²
Founded
1960

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 61°F through the month.

A typical March day in Novato reaches about 61°F in the afternoon and slips back to 48°F overnight — a 13°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 54°F and 68°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 2°F warmer than February and about 3°F cooler than April.

40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15946
25947
35947
46047
56047
66047
76047
86047
96047
106047
116147
126147
136148
146148
156148
166148
176148
186148
196148
206148
216148
226148
236148
246148
256148
266148
276148
286148
296148
306248
316248

Novato weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 9th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan56° / 44°4.59.99.73.9
Feb58° / 46°4.7910.54.4
Mar61° / 48°3.48.811.75.2
Apr63° / 49°1.54.9136.5
May67° / 52°0.83147.6
Jun71° / 54°0.20.814.68.6
Jul72° / 55°0.00.114.48.9
Aug73° / 56°0.00.213.59.0
Sep73° / 55°0.10.412.39.0
Oct70° / 53°1.02.9118.1
Nov62° / 48°2.269.95.9
Dec56° / 44°4.49.89.43.9

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% 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 49%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35050
45050
55050
65050
75050
85050
95050
105050
114951
124951
135050
145050
154852
164951
174951
184951
195050
205050
215050
225050
235149
245248
255248
265347
275446
285446
295545
305545
315545

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Novato gets around 3.4 in of rain over 8.8 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 28% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
133
232
332
431
531
630
730
829
929
1028
1128
1228
1328
1428
1528
1628
1728
1829
1929
2028
2128
2227
2327
2426
2526
2625
2724
2824
2923
3022
3122

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 (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in March

Winds average 7 mph in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 7 mph on the calmest days to 8 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
257light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

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 6:51 AM to 6:05 AM, and sunset from 5:56 PM to 6:25 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:515:56
211.16:505:57
311.26:485:58
411.26:475:59
511.26:466:00
611.36:446:01
711.36:436:02
811.46:416:03
911.46:406:04
1011.46:386:05
1111.56:376:06
1211.56:356:07
1311.66:346:08
1411.66:326:09
1511.76:316:10
1611.76:296:11
1711.76:286:12
1811.86:266:13
1911.86:246:14
2011.96:236:15
2111.96:216:16
2211.96:206:17
2312.06:186:17
2412.06:176:18
2512.16:156:19
2612.16:136:20
2712.26:126:21
2812.26:106:22
2912.26:096:23
3012.36:076:24
3112.36:056:25

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.59 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.13 kWh/m² to a high of 7.85 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.59 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
23.9Moderate
34.0Moderate
44.0Bright
54.1Bright
64.1Bright
74.2Bright
84.2Bright
94.3Bright
104.3Bright
114.3Bright
124.4Bright
134.4Bright
144.5Bright
154.5Bright
164.6Bright
174.6Bright
184.7Bright
194.7Bright
204.8Bright
214.8Bright
224.9Bright
234.9Bright
245.0Bright
255.0Bright
265.1Bright
275.2Bright
285.2Bright
295.3Bright
305.3Bright
315.4Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Novato

In seasonPeak

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

Novato'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 Novato?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.6
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Novato for sightseeing.

What to pack for Novato in March

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

In March, Novato sees daytime highs around 61°F and nights near 48°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Novato in March

The nearest coast averages about 54°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 16 mi away) is warmest in September at about 58°F and coldest in April near 53°F.

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

52°54°56°58°60°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan53Bracing
Feb53Bracing
Mar54Bracing
Apr53Bracing
May53Bracing
Jun54Bracing
Jul56Bracing
Aug58Bracing
Sep58Bracing
Oct57Bracing
Nov55Bracing
Dec54Bracing

UV index in Novato 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 Novato peaks around July 11 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 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 highHighModerateJul 11UV 10Dec 15UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr6High
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep6High
Oct5High
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low

Air quality in Novato 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 Novato is worst in September — around 29 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.2× the cleanest month (June, 7 µg/m³).

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

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateSep 1829 µg/m³Jun 127 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb13Moderate
Mar13Moderate
Apr10Good
May8Good
Jun7Good
Jul10Good
Aug25Moderate
Sep29Moderate
Oct27Moderate
Nov16Moderate
Dec12Good
Location & terrain

Where is Novato?

Novato sits at 38.1°N, 122.6°W, 30 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Petaluma, 9.3 mi away.

Topography around Novato

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Novato has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 689 ft around an average of 102 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,870 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,915 ft.

The land around Novato is covered by trees (38%), artificial surfaces (29%) and grassland (26%) within 2 miles, grassland (39%) and trees (32%) within 10 miles, and water (37%), trees (26%) and grassland (23%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
689 ft
10 miles
1,870 ft
50 miles
4,915 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
March weather nearby: Petaluma 9.3 mi · San Rafael 9.3 mi · Agua Caliente 16 mi · San Pablo 16 mi · Pinole 16 mi · Hercules 17 mi · Richmond 17 mi · Vallejo 17 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 Novato (38.1074°, -122.5697°, elevation 30 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).