Santa Fe weather in March

In March, Santa Fe sees average daytime highs of 54°F and overnight lows near 30°F, with 1.0 in of precipitation across 5.4 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 49°F in the first days to 57°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% 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 Santa Fe's 8th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Santa Fe's year-round climate.

Daytime high
54°
8th warmest
Overnight low
30°
5th coldest
Precipitation
1.0 in
5.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:22 AM – 6:05 PM
Cloud cover
42%
8th clearest
Wind
6 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.84 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Santa Fe is capital city of the U.S. state of New Mexico and seat of Santa Fe County.

Density
645/km²
people per km²
Founded
1610

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 49°F in the first days to 57°F by the end.

A typical March day in Santa Fe reaches about 54°F in the afternoon and slips back to 30°F overnight — a 24°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 42°F and 64°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 8°F warmer than February and about 8°F cooler than April.

20°40°60°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
14926
24927
34927
45027
55027
65028
75128
85128
95228
105229
115229
125329
135329
145330
155430
165430
175430
185531
195531
205531
215531
225631
235632
245632
255632
265632
275632
285733
295733
305733
315733

How March really feels in Santa Fe

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
wind chill below the day's low

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

Santa Fe weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 6th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan41° / 19°0.94.449.90.1
Feb45° / 24°0.854.210.61.2
Mar54° / 30°1.05.42.811.73.7
Apr62° / 37°0.94.51.412.96.1
May71° / 46°0.84.80.113.97.8
Jun81° / 55°0.63.7014.47.6
Jul83° / 59°1.48014.26.3
Aug80° / 57°1.38013.37.1
Sep74° / 51°1.04.7012.28.2
Oct64° / 40°1.24.60.711.16.7
Nov51° / 29°0.84.1210.13.0
Dec41° / 20°1.04.54.19.60.2

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 49% 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 32%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16535
26535
36634
46634
56634
66733
76733
86832
96832
106832
116832
126832
136832
146931
156931
166931
177030
186931
196931
207030
216931
226931
236832
246931
256931
266832
276832
286931
296931
306832
316832

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Santa Fe gets around 1.0 in of rain and snow over 5.4 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 18% and peaks near 21% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12115
22014
32014
42013
52013
61912
71912
81811
91811
101810
111810
12189
13179
14179
15179
16178
17178
18178
19178
20178
21178
22178
23178
24178
25178
26178
27168
28168
29168
30167
31167

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 (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in March

Winds average 6 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
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
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 6:42 AM to 6:00 AM, and sunset from 5:52 PM to 6:18 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:425:52
211.26:415:52
311.26:405:53
411.36:385:54
511.36:375:55
611.36:365:56
711.46:345:57
811.46:335:58
911.56:325:59
1011.56:306:00
1111.56:296:01
1211.66:286:02
1311.66:266:02
1411.66:256:03
1511.76:236:04
1611.76:226:05
1711.86:206:06
1811.86:196:07
1911.86:176:08
2011.96:166:08
2111.96:156:09
2212.06:136:10
2312.06:126:11
2412.06:106:12
2512.16:096:13
2612.16:076:14
2712.16:066:14
2812.26:046:15
2912.26:036:16
3012.36:016:17
3112.36:006:18

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.84 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.07 kWh/m² to a high of 8.17 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 5.84 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.1Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.3Bright
55.3Bright
65.4Bright
75.4Bright
85.5Bright
95.5Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Intense
216.1Intense
226.1Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.3Intense
276.3Intense
286.3Intense
296.4Intense
306.4Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Santa Fe?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Santa Fe.

What to pack for Santa Fe in March

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

In March, Santa Fe sees daytime highs around 54°F and nights near 30°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and sun protection. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layersun protection

UV index in Santa Fe in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 7 — 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 Fe peaks around June 23 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 18 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 12Dec 18UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5High
Mar7Very high
Apr8Very high
May9Very high
Jun12Extreme
Jul12Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Santa Fe 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 Fe is worst in May — around 41 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 6.7× the cleanest month (November, 6 µg/m³).

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

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateModerateGoodMay 1838 µg/m³Nov 206 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb8Good
Mar8Good
Apr11Good
May41Poor
Jun19Moderate
Jul9Good
Aug9Good
Sep8Good
Oct7Good
Nov6Good
Dec6Good
Location & terrain

Where is Santa Fe?

Santa Fe sits at 35.7°N, 105.9°W, 6,995 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Enchanted Hills, 44 mi away.

Topography around Santa Fe

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Santa Fe has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 820 ft around an average of 7,103 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,387 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,969 ft.

The land around Santa Fe is covered by artificial surfaces (45%) and trees (43%) within 2 miles, trees (51%) and grassland (34%) within 10 miles, and trees (47%) and grassland (41%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
820 ft
10 miles
5,387 ft
50 miles
7,969 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrain
March weather nearby: Enchanted Hills 44 mi · Rio Rancho 52 mi · Albuquerque 58 mi · South Valley 63 mi · Los Lunas 76 mi · Farmington 146 mi · Durango 154 mi · Gallup 158 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 Fe (35.687°, -105.9378°, elevation 6,995 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. 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).