Santa Clara weather in March

In March, Santa Clara sees average daytime highs of 62°F and overnight lows near 45°F, with 3.9 in of rain across 9.3 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 62°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% 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 Santa Clara's 9th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santa Clara's year-round climate.

Daytime high
62°
9th warmest
Overnight low
45°
4th coldest
Rainfall
3.9 in
9.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:26 AM – 6:09 PM
Cloud cover
56%
9th clearest
Wind
5 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
4.78 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
out of 10

Santa Clara is city in Santa Clara County, California, United States.

Density
2,647/km²
people per km²
Founded
1777

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 62°F through the month.

A typical March day in Santa Clara reaches about 62°F in the afternoon and slips back to 45°F overnight — a 16°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 53°F and 71°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 3°F warmer than February and about 3°F cooler than April.

30°40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16044
26044
36044
46044
56045
66145
76145
86145
96145
106145
116245
126245
136246
146246
156246
166246
176246
186246
196246
206246
216246
226246
236246
246246
256246
266246
276246
286246
296246
306246
316246

Santa Clara 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
Jan57° / 42°5.19.19.74.2
Feb59° / 44°5.39.310.64.6
Mar62° / 45°3.99.311.75.4
Apr65° / 47°1.85.612.96.7
May69° / 50°0.93.4147.8
Jun74° / 53°0.2114.59.1
Jul78° / 56°0.00.114.39.4
Aug78° / 56°0.00.213.49.2
Sep78° / 56°0.10.512.39.2
Oct73° / 52°1.23118.5
Nov63° / 46°2.46106.2
Dec57° / 42°4.79.29.54.2

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% 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 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34852
44852
54951
64951
74951
84852
94852
104852
114852
124753
134753
144753
154654
164753
174753
184753
194753
204654
214654
224753
234852
244852
254951
265050
275149
285149
295248
305347
315347

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Santa Clara gets around 3.9 in of rain over 9.3 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 29% 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
233
332
432
532
631
731
831
930
1030
1130
1229
1329
1429
1530
1630
1730
1830
1930
2030
2130
2230
2329
2428
2528
2627
2727
2826
2925
3025
3124

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 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10991
11991
12991
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
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 6:48 AM to 6:03 AM, and sunset from 5:54 PM to 6:22 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:485:54
211.16:475:55
311.26:455:56
411.26:445:57
511.36:435:58
611.36:415:59
711.36:406:00
811.46:386:01
911.46:376:02
1011.56:356:03
1111.56:346:04
1211.56:326:05
1311.66:316:06
1411.66:296:07
1511.76:286:08
1611.76:266:09
1711.76:256:09
1811.86:236:10
1911.86:226:11
2011.96:206:12
2111.96:196:13
2211.96:176:14
2312.06:166:15
2412.06:146:16
2512.16:136:17
2612.16:116:18
2712.26:096:19
2812.26:086:20
2912.26:066:21
3012.36:056:21
3112.36:036:22

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.78 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.34 kWh/m² to a high of 7.85 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.78 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.1Bright
24.1Bright
34.2Bright
44.2Bright
54.3Bright
64.3Bright
74.4Bright
84.4Bright
94.5Bright
104.5Bright
114.5Bright
124.6Bright
134.6Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.8Bright
174.8Bright
184.8Bright
194.9Bright
205.0Bright
215.0Bright
225.0Bright
235.1Bright
245.2Bright
255.2Bright
265.3Bright
275.3Bright
285.4Bright
295.4Bright
305.5Bright
315.5Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Santa Clara

In seasonPeak

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

Santa Clara'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 Santa Clara?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
1.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Santa Clara for sightseeing.

What to pack for Santa Clara in March

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

In March, Santa Clara sees daytime highs around 62°F and nights near 45°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Santa Clara 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 23 mi away) is warmest in August at about 59°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
Jan54Bracing
Feb54Bracing
Mar54Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May54Bracing
Jun55Bracing
Jul57Bracing
Aug59Bracing
Sep59Bracing
Oct58Bracing
Nov56Bracing
Dec55Bracing

UV index in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara peaks around June 23 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 highHighModerateJun 23UV 10Dec 15UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun10Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep6High
Oct5High
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara is worst in August — around 25 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.5× the cleanest month (June, 10 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodModerateAug 1824 µg/m³Jun 1110 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan15Moderate
Feb18Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr12Moderate
May10Good
Jun10Good
Jul11Good
Aug25Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct20Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Santa Clara?

Santa Clara sits at 37.4°N, 122.0°W, 75 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is San Jose, 3.7 mi away.

Topography around Santa Clara

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Santa Clara has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 121 ft around an average of 75 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,552 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 4,373 ft.

The land around Santa Clara is covered by artificial surfaces (81%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (54%) and trees (23%) within 10 miles, and water (30%), grassland (27%) and trees (25%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
121 ft
10 miles
2,552 ft
50 miles
4,373 ft
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
March weather nearby: San Jose 3.7 mi · Sunnyvale 4.3 mi · Campbell 4.3 mi · Cupertino 5.0 mi · Milpitas 5.6 mi · Alum Rock 6.8 mi · Saratoga 7.5 mi · Mountain View 7.5 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 Santa Clara (37.3541°, -121.9552°, elevation 75 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).