Onalaska weather in March

In March, Onalaska sees average daytime highs of 43°F and overnight lows near 26°F, with 2.3 in of precipitation across 8.9 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 36°F in the first days to 49°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 54 min at the start of March to 12 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Onalaska's 6th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Onalaska's year-round climate.

Daytime high
43°
8th warmest
Overnight low
26°
4th coldest
Precipitation
2.3 in
8.9 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:26 AM – 6:03 PM
Cloud cover
64%
6th clearest
Wind
8 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
3.99 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.7
out of 10

Onalaska is fourth-class city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States.

Density
659/km²
people per km²
Founded
1851

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 36°F in the first days to 49°F by the end.

A typical March day in Onalaska reaches about 43°F in the afternoon and slips back to 26°F overnight — a 17°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 30°F and 58°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 12°F warmer than February and about 14°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
13519
23619
33619
43720
53720
63821
73821
83922
93922
104023
114023
124124
134224
144225
154326
164326
174427
184427
194528
204528
214628
224629
234629
244730
254730
264831
274831
284931
294932
304932
315032

How March really feels in Onalaska

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
10 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

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

Onalaska weather by month

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

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan26° / 10°1.376.49.10.0
Feb30° / 14°1.26.15.110.20.0
Mar43° / 26°2.38.94.111.60.7
Apr56° / 38°3.611.5213.23.7
May68° / 49°4.212.80.114.55.8
Jun77° / 60°4.812.3015.26.3
Jul81° / 64°3.910.6014.96.5
Aug78° / 61°3.69.3013.86.9
Sep71° / 53°3.29.4012.36.8
Oct58° / 41°2.88.80.510.84.4
Nov43° / 29°2.06.839.50.7
Dec30° / 17°1.57.168.80.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% 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 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
24060
34060
44060
54159
64060
74159
84258
94258
104258
114258
124258
134159
144159
154159
164159
174159
184060
193961
203961
213961
223862
233862
243862
253862
263862
273763
283763
293862
303862
313763

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Onalaska gets around 2.3 in of rain and snow over 8.9 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 28% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12518
22518
32618
42618
52618
62618
72617
82617
92617
102716
112716
122716
132715
142715
152714
162814
172813
182813
192812
202912
212911
223010
233010
24319
25319
26328
27328
28338
29337
30337
31347

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 (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18982
19982
20982
21982
22982
23982
24982
25982
26982
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in March

Winds average 8 mph in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 8 mph on the calmest days to 8 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
18light breeze
28light breeze
38light breeze
48light breeze
58light breeze
68light breeze
78light breeze
88light breeze
98light breeze
108light breeze
118light breeze
128light breeze
138light breeze
148light breeze
158light breeze
168light breeze
178light breeze
188light breeze
198light breeze
208light breeze
218light breeze
228light breeze
238light breeze
248light breeze
258light breeze
268light breeze
278light breeze
288light breeze
298light breeze
308light breeze
318light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min 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 90 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:52 AM to 5:58 AM, and sunset from 5:44 PM to 6:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.96:525:44
210.96:515:45
311.06:495:47
411.06:475:48
511.16:455:49
611.16:445:51
711.26:425:52
811.26:405:53
911.36:385:54
1011.36:375:56
1111.46:355:57
1211.46:335:58
1311.56:316:00
1411.56:296:01
1511.66:286:02
1611.66:266:03
1711.76:246:05
1811.76:226:06
1911.86:206:07
2011.86:186:08
2111.96:176:10
2211.96:156:11
2312.06:136:12
2412.06:116:13
2512.16:096:15
2612.16:076:16
2712.26:056:17
2812.26:046:18
2912.36:026:19
3012.36:006:21
3112.45:586:22

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 1.48 kWh/m² to a high of 6.22 kWh/m² in July across the year — March's 3.99 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

012345151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.4Moderate
23.5Moderate
33.5Moderate
43.6Moderate
53.6Moderate
63.6Moderate
73.7Moderate
83.7Moderate
93.8Moderate
103.8Moderate
113.9Moderate
123.9Moderate
133.9Moderate
144.0Moderate
154.0Bright
164.0Bright
174.1Bright
184.1Bright
194.1Bright
204.2Bright
214.2Bright
224.2Bright
234.2Bright
244.3Bright
254.3Bright
264.3Bright
274.3Bright
284.4Bright
294.4Bright
304.4Bright
314.5Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Onalaska?

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

0.7
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Onalaska.

What to pack for Onalaska in March

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

In March, Onalaska sees daytime highs around 43°F and nights near 26°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Onalaska in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Onalaska peaks around June 14 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJun 14UV 9Jan 11UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr5High
May8Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul7High
Aug7Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Onalaska?

Onalaska sits at 43.9°N, 91.2°W, 709 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is North La Crosse, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around Onalaska

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Onalaska has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 581 ft around an average of 696 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 748 ft; within 50 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 860 ft.

The land around Onalaska is covered by artificial surfaces (34%), trees (28%) and grassland (21%) within 2 miles, trees (53%) within 10 miles, and trees (54%) and cropland (33%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
581 ft
10 miles
748 ft
50 miles
860 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswaterwetland
March weather nearby: North La Crosse 2.5 mi · La Crosse 5.6 mi · Winona 23 mi · Rochester 62 mi · Eau Claire 65 mi · Marshfield 76 mi · Menomonie 76 mi · Wisconsin Rapids 78 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 Onalaska (43.8844°, -91.2351°, elevation 709 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).