San Diego weather in March

In March, San Diego sees average daytime highs of 63°F and overnight lows near 54°F, with 1.5 in of rain across 5.2 wet days and about 11.8 hours of daylight. It is the 9th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 63°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 12 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is San Diego's 11th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see San Diego's year-round climate.

Daytime high
63°
9th warmest
Overnight low
54°
4th coldest
Rainfall
1.5 in
5.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:06 AM – 5:51 PM
Cloud cover
45%
11th clearest
Wind
7 mph
8th windiest
Solar energy
5.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

San Diego is seat of San Diego County, California, United States; second-largest city in California.

Density
1,456/km²
people per km²
Founded
1769

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 63°F through the month.

A typical March day in San Diego reaches about 63°F in the afternoon and slips back to 54°F overnight — a 9°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 58°F and 68°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs on par with February and about 2°F cooler than April.

40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16253
26253
36253
46253
56253
66253
76253
86254
96254
106254
116354
126354
136354
146354
156354
166354
176354
186354
196354
206354
216354
226354
236355
246355
256355
266355
276355
286355
296355
306355
316355

San Diego 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
Jan62° / 52°2.05.510.16.1
Feb62° / 53°2.56.210.85.9
Mar63° / 54°1.55.211.86.3
Apr64° / 56°0.62.912.87.2
May66° / 58°0.31.613.77.7
Jun69° / 61°0.00.214.18.4
Jul72° / 64°0.10.313.99.0
Aug74° / 66°0.00.113.29.4
Sep74° / 65°0.10.612.29.2
Oct71° / 62°0.5211.28.4
Nov67° / 57°0.72.910.37.6
Dec62° / 53°1.64.99.96.4

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 44% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 36%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15941
26040
36040
46139
56238
66238
76337
86337
96436
106535
116535
126535
136535
146634
156535
166634
176535
186535
196535
206436
216436
226436
236436
246436
256337
266337
276337
286337
296436
306436
316436

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

San Diego gets around 1.5 in of rain over 5.2 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 17% and peaks near 22% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
122
222
321
420
520
619
719
818
918
1017
1117
1217
1317
1417
1517
1617
1717
1817
1917
2017
2117
2217
2317
2416
2516
2616
2715
2815
2914
3014
3114

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 88% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1946
2937
3937
4928
5919
69010
79010
88911
98812
108713
118614
128515
138416
148416
158416
168416
178416
188416
198515
208515
218614
228713
238713
248812
258911
268911
279010
289010
299010
309010
319010

Wind in March

Winds average 7 mph in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 6 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
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
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 h 12 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 66 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:25 AM to 5:46 AM, and sunset from 5:39 PM to 6:02 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:255:39
211.36:235:40
311.36:225:41
411.36:215:42
511.46:205:42
611.46:195:43
711.46:175:44
811.56:165:45
911.56:155:46
1011.56:145:46
1111.66:125:47
1211.66:115:48
1311.66:105:49
1411.76:085:49
1511.76:075:50
1611.76:065:51
1711.86:045:52
1811.86:035:52
1911.96:025:53
2011.96:005:54
2111.95:595:54
2212.05:585:55
2312.05:565:56
2412.05:555:57
2512.15:545:57
2612.15:525:58
2712.15:515:59
2812.25:506:00
2912.25:486:00
3012.25:476:01
3112.35:466:02

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.51 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.12 kWh/m² to a high of 7.89 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 5.51 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.7Bright
24.8Bright
34.9Bright
44.9Bright
55.0Bright
65.0Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.2Bright
105.3Bright
115.3Bright
125.3Bright
135.4Bright
145.5Bright
155.5Bright
165.5Bright
175.6Bright
185.6Bright
195.6Bright
205.7Bright
215.7Bright
225.7Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit San Diego?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
10th-best month of the year
1.5
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit San Diego for sightseeing.

What to pack for San Diego in March

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

In March, San Diego sees daytime highs around 63°F and nights near 54°F. Worth packing: sun protection. About 5 days see rain.

sun protection

Sea temperature near San Diego in March

The nearest coast averages about 60°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 70°F and coldest in February near 59°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 13 to Sep 28 — about 2.6 months when the water holds above 68°F.

60°65°70°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan60Cool
Feb59Cool
Mar60Cool
Apr61Cool
May63Cool
Jun65Cool
Jul68Refreshing
Aug70Refreshing
Sep69Refreshing
Oct67Cool
Nov64Cool
Dec61Cool

UV index in San Diego 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 San Diego peaks around June 23 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 11Dec 17UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5High
Apr8Very high
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in San Diego 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 San Diego is worst in September — around 26 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.4× the cleanest month (May, 8 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateSep 1625 µg/m³May 168 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb12Moderate
Mar12Moderate
Apr11Good
May8Good
Jun11Good
Jul11Good
Aug15Moderate
Sep26Moderate
Oct14Moderate
Nov12Moderate
Dec16Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is San Diego?

San Diego sits at 32.7°N, 117.2°W, 66 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Coronado, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around San Diego

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around San Diego has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 322 ft around an average of 79 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,112 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,450 ft.

The land around San Diego is covered by artificial surfaces (62%) and water (23%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (43%) and water (40%) within 10 miles, and water (35%) and shrubs (22%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
322 ft
10 miles
1,112 ft
50 miles
6,450 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Coronado 2.5 mi · National City 4.3 mi · Chula Vista 6.8 mi · Lemon Grove 8.1 mi · La Mesa 8.7 mi · Imperial Beach 9.3 mi · La Presa 9.9 mi · Spring Valley 9.9 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 San Diego (32.7157°, -117.1647°, elevation 66 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).