San Luis Obispo weather in March

In March, San Luis Obispo sees average daytime highs of 61°F and overnight lows near 49°F, with 2.8 in of rain across 6.2 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 46% 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 Luis Obispo's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see San Luis Obispo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
61°
9th warmest
Overnight low
49°
4th coldest
Rainfall
2.8 in
6.2 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:21 AM – 6:04 PM
Cloud cover
46%
10th clearest
Wind
7 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.28 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.8
out of 10

San Luis Obispo is county seat of San Luis Obispo County, California, United States.

Density
1,414/km²
people per km²
Founded
1772

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 San Luis Obispo reaches about 61°F in the afternoon and slips back to 49°F overnight — a 12°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 54°F and 69°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 1°F warmer than February and about 2°F cooler than April.

40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16048
26048
36049
46049
56149
66149
76149
86149
96149
106249
116249
126249
136249
146249
156249
166249
176249
186249
196249
206249
216249
226249
236249
246249
256249
266249
276249
286249
296249
306249
316249

San Luis Obispo 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
Jan60° / 47°3.97.29.95.2
Feb60° / 48°3.77.610.75.1
Mar61° / 49°2.86.211.75.8
Apr63° / 51°1.03.412.96.9
May65° / 53°0.41.513.87.8
Jun69° / 56°0.10.414.38.6
Jul71° / 58°0.00.114.19.0
Aug72° / 59°0.00.113.39.2
Sep72° / 59°0.00.412.29.1
Oct70° / 56°0.8211.18.5
Nov64° / 51°1.33.610.17.1
Dec60° / 47°3.06.69.75.3

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 46% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 36%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25941
35941
45941
55941
66040
76040
86139
96139
106139
116139
126238
136238
146238
156337
166337
176337
186337
196337
206436
216436
226535
236634
246634
256733
266832
277030
287129
297129
307228
317228

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

San Luis Obispo gets around 2.8 in of rain over 6.2 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 20% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
126
225
325
424
523
622
722
821
920
1019
1119
1219
1318
1418
1519
1619
1719
1819
1920
2020
2120
2220
2320
2419
2519
2619
2718
2818
2917
3017
3116

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 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 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 6:41 AM to 5:59 AM, and sunset from 5:51 PM to 6:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:415:51
211.26:405:52
311.26:385:53
411.36:375:54
511.36:365:54
611.36:345:55
711.46:335:56
811.46:325:57
911.56:305:58
1011.56:295:59
1111.56:286:00
1211.66:266:01
1311.66:256:01
1411.66:236:02
1511.76:226:03
1611.76:216:04
1711.86:196:05
1811.86:186:06
1911.86:166:07
2011.96:156:07
2111.96:136:08
2212.06:126:09
2312.06:106:10
2412.06:096:11
2512.16:086:12
2612.16:066:12
2712.16:056:13
2812.26:036:14
2912.26:026:15
3012.36:006:16
3112.35:596:16

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.28 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.76 kWh/m² to a high of 8.19 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 5.28 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.5Bright
34.6Bright
44.6Bright
54.7Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.9Bright
94.9Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
125.1Bright
135.1Bright
145.2Bright
155.2Bright
165.3Bright
175.3Bright
185.4Bright
195.4Bright
205.5Bright
215.5Bright
225.6Bright
235.6Bright
245.7Bright
255.7Bright
265.8Bright
275.8Bright
285.9Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit San Luis Obispo?

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

5.8
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
1.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit San Luis Obispo for sightseeing.

What to pack for San Luis Obispo in March

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

In March, San Luis Obispo sees daytime highs around 61°F and nights near 49°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 6 days see rain.

a warm layersun protection

Sea temperature near San Luis Obispo 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 11 mi away) is warmest in September at about 60°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°62°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°F)Comfort
Jan56Bracing
Feb56Bracing
Mar55Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May54Bracing
Jun55Bracing
Jul58Bracing
Aug59Cool
Sep60Cool
Oct60Cool
Nov58Bracing
Dec57Bracing

UV index in San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo peaks around June 22 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 22UV 11Dec 15UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in San Luis Obispo 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 Luis Obispo is worst in August — around 19 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.5× the cleanest month (June, 4 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 2218 µg/m³Jun 124 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb6Good
Mar7Good
Apr6Good
May5Good
Jun4Good
Jul7Good
Aug19Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is San Luis Obispo?

San Luis Obispo sits at 35.3°N, 120.7°W, 233 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Arroyo Grande, 12 mi away.

Topography around San Luis Obispo

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around San Luis Obispo has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,572 ft around an average of 420 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,861 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,407 ft.

The land around San Luis Obispo is covered by grassland (39%), artificial surfaces (36%) and trees (20%) within 2 miles, grassland (44%) and trees (41%) within 10 miles, and grassland (50%) and water (25%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
1,572 ft
10 miles
2,861 ft
50 miles
5,407 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: Arroyo Grande 12 mi · Atascadero 14 mi · Nipomo 19 mi · Paso Robles 24 mi · Santa Maria 26 mi · Orcutt 32 mi · Lompoc 46 mi · Coalinga 62 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 Luis Obispo (35.2828°, -120.6596°, elevation 233 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).