Salinas weather in March

In March, Salinas sees average daytime highs of 60°F and overnight lows near 47°F, with 2.9 in of rain across 8.3 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 60°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% 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 Salinas's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Salinas's year-round climate.

Daytime high
60°
9th warmest
Overnight low
47°
4th coldest
Rainfall
2.9 in
8.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:25 AM – 6:08 PM
Cloud cover
53%
10th clearest
Wind
5 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
4.86 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.1
out of 10

Salinas is city in California and the county seat of Monterey County, United States.

Density
2,569/km²
people per km²
Founded
1874

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 60°F through the month.

A typical March day in Salinas reaches about 60°F in the afternoon and slips back to 47°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 67°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and on par with April.

30°40°50°60°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15946
25946
35946
45946
55947
66047
76047
86047
96047
106047
116047
126047
136047
146047
156047
166047
176047
186047
196047
206047
216047
226047
236047
246047
256047
266047
276047
286047
296047
306047
316047

Salinas 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
Jan58° / 45°3.78.49.84.5
Feb59° / 46°3.78.910.64.6
Mar60° / 47°2.98.311.75.1
Apr61° / 48°1.35.112.95.9
May63° / 50°0.62.913.96.9
Jun66° / 53°0.10.414.58.1
Jul69° / 55°0.00.214.38.5
Aug70° / 56°0.10.313.48.7
Sep70° / 55°0.10.412.28.7
Oct68° / 53°0.72.211.18.0
Nov62° / 48°1.65.2106.2
Dec58° / 45°3.37.99.54.6

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25248
35248
45248
55248
65248
75248
85248
95248
105248
115248
125248
135248
145248
155149
165149
175149
185248
195248
205248
215248
225347
235347
245446
255545
265644
275743
285743
295842
305941
315941

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Salinas gets around 2.9 in of rain over 8.3 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 26% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
231
330
430
529
629
728
827
927
1026
1126
1225
1325
1425
1525
1625
1726
1826
1926
2026
2126
2226
2326
2426
2525
2625
2724
2824
2924
3023
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 99% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
2991
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
13991
14991
15991
16991
17991
18991
19991
20991
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in March

Winds average 5 mph in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 5 mph on the calmest days to 5 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
295calm
305calm
315calm

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 6:46 AM to 6:02 AM, and sunset from 5:53 PM to 6:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:465:53
211.26:455:54
311.26:445:55
411.26:425:56
511.36:415:57
611.36:395:58
711.46:385:59
811.46:376:00
911.46:356:01
1011.56:346:02
1111.56:326:03
1211.66:316:04
1311.66:296:05
1411.66:286:06
1511.76:266:07
1611.76:256:08
1711.76:236:08
1811.86:226:09
1911.86:206:10
2011.96:196:11
2111.96:176:12
2211.96:166:13
2312.06:146:14
2412.06:136:15
2512.16:116:16
2612.16:106:17
2712.26:086:17
2812.26:076:18
2912.26:056:19
3012.36:046:20
3112.36:026:21

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.86 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.45 kWh/m² to a high of 7.85 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.86 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.1Bright
24.2Bright
34.2Bright
44.3Bright
54.3Bright
64.4Bright
74.4Bright
84.5Bright
94.5Bright
104.6Bright
114.6Bright
124.7Bright
134.7Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.9Bright
184.9Bright
195.0Bright
205.0Bright
215.1Bright
225.1Bright
235.2Bright
245.2Bright
255.3Bright
265.3Bright
275.4Bright
285.5Bright
295.5Bright
305.6Bright
315.6Bright
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Salinas?

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

5.1
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
0.4
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Salinas for sightseeing.

What to pack for Salinas in March

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

In March, Salinas sees daytime highs around 60°F and nights near 47°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Salinas in March

The nearest coast averages about 55°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 12 mi away) is warmest in September at about 58°F and coldest in April near 54°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
Jan55Bracing
Feb55Bracing
Mar55Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May54Bracing
Jun55Bracing
Jul57Bracing
Aug58Bracing
Sep58Bracing
Oct58Bracing
Nov57Bracing
Dec55Bracing

UV index in Salinas 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 Salinas peaks around June 22 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 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 highHighModerateJun 22UV 11Dec 13UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7High
Oct5High
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Salinas 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 Salinas is worst in August — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.2× the cleanest month (June, 5 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1920 µg/m³Jun 135 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar8Good
Apr7Good
May6Good
Jun5Good
Jul8Good
Aug22Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Salinas?

Salinas sits at 36.7°N, 121.7°W, 52 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Prunedale, 6.8 mi away.

Topography around Salinas

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Salinas has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 72 ft around an average of 52 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,383 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,883 ft.

The land around Salinas is covered by artificial surfaces (65%) and cropland (24%) within 2 miles, cropland (32%), trees (27%) and grassland (26%) within 10 miles, and grassland (36%), trees (27%) and water (26%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
72 ft
10 miles
3,383 ft
50 miles
5,883 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Prunedale 6.8 mi · Marina 8.1 mi · Seaside 12 mi · Monterey 14 mi · Pacific Grove 15 mi · Watsonville 17 mi · Hollister 19 mi · Gilroy 23 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 Salinas (36.6777°, -121.6555°, elevation 52 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).