Tacoma weather in March

In March, Tacoma sees average daytime highs of 52°F and overnight lows near 41°F, with 5.2 in of precipitation across 16.5 wet days and about 11.6 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 50°F in the first days to 54°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 42 min at the start of March to 12 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Tacoma's 9th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tacoma's year-round climate.

Daytime high
52°
8th warmest
Overnight low
41°
4th coldest
Precipitation
5.2 in
16.5 wet days
Daylight
11 h 36 min
6:32 AM – 6:07 PM
Cloud cover
73%
9th clearest
Wind
6 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
3.02 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.3
out of 10

Tacoma is county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States.

Density
1,379/km²
people per km²
Founded
1875

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 50°F in the first days to 54°F by the end.

A typical March day in Tacoma reaches about 52°F in the afternoon and slips back to 41°F overnight — a 11°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 46°F and 58°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 3°F warmer than February and about 5°F cooler than April.

30°40°50°60°70°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
15040
25040
35040
45040
55140
65140
75141
85141
95141
105141
115141
125241
135241
145241
155241
165242
175242
185342
195342
205342
215342
225342
235342
245342
255342
265342
275442
285442
295443
305443
315443

Tacoma weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan46° / 39°6.517.11.58.71.1
Feb49° / 40°4.513.41.39.91.6
Mar52° / 41°5.216.50.411.62.3
Apr57° / 45°3.913.6013.33.6
May63° / 50°2.410.1014.85.5
Jun68° / 54°1.67015.66.7
Jul74° / 58°0.62.9015.38.3
Aug75° / 59°0.940148.2
Sep69° / 55°2.07.1012.47.0
Oct60° / 49°4.412.6010.64.4
Nov51° / 43°7.2170.39.12.0
Dec46° / 39°6.816.61.38.31.0

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 72%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13268
23268
33070
43070
52971
62971
72773
82773
92773
102773
112773
122773
132773
142773
152773
162872
172872
182872
192971
202971
212971
222971
232971
243070
253070
263070
272971
282971
292971
302971
312971

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitationSnow

Tacoma gets around 5.2 in of rain and snow over 16.5 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 52% and peaks near 54% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1503
2503
3512
4512
5522
6522
7532
8532
9542
10542
11542
12542
13542
14542
15541
16541
17541
18541
19541
20541
21531
22531
23521
24521
25511
26511
27501
28501
29501
30491
31491

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
157calm
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 42 min at the start of March to 12 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 108 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:01 AM to 6:01 AM, and sunset from 5:45 PM to 6:28 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.77:015:45
210.87:005:46
310.86:585:48
410.96:565:49
510.96:545:51
611.06:525:52
711.16:505:54
811.16:485:55
911.26:465:57
1011.26:445:58
1111.36:425:59
1211.36:406:01
1311.46:386:02
1411.56:366:04
1511.56:346:05
1611.66:326:07
1711.66:306:08
1811.76:286:10
1911.86:266:11
2011.86:246:13
2111.96:226:14
2211.96:206:15
2312.06:186:17
2412.06:166:18
2512.16:146:20
2612.26:126:21
2712.26:096:23
2812.36:076:24
2912.36:056:25
3012.46:036:27
3112.56:016:28

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 3.02 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 0.89 kWh/m² to a high of 6.22 kWh/m² in July across the year — March's 3.02 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.5Moderate
42.5Moderate
52.6Moderate
62.6Moderate
72.6Moderate
82.7Moderate
92.7Moderate
102.7Moderate
112.8Moderate
122.8Moderate
132.9Moderate
142.9Moderate
153.0Moderate
163.0Moderate
173.0Moderate
183.1Moderate
193.2Moderate
203.2Moderate
213.3Moderate
223.3Moderate
233.4Moderate
243.4Moderate
253.5Moderate
263.5Moderate
273.6Moderate
283.6Moderate
293.6Moderate
303.7Moderate
313.7Moderate
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Tacoma

In seasonPeak

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

Tacoma's rainy season runs October–April, 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 Tacoma?

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

2.3
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 Tacoma.

What to pack for Tacoma in March

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

In March, Tacoma sees daytime highs around 52°F and nights near 41°F. Pack a warm layer and rain gear. About 17 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Tacoma in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Tacoma peaks around July 17 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen and a hat are worth it in the middle of the day. It bottoms out near December 18 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 8Dec 18UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb1Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr5Moderate
May7Very high
Jun6High
Jul8Very high
Aug6High
Sep4Moderate
Oct3Moderate
Nov1Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Tacoma 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 Tacoma is worst in September — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.4× the cleanest month (December, 7 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodGoodModerateGoodSep 1322 µg/m³Dec 177 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan8Good
Feb9Good
Mar12Moderate
Apr12Good
May11Good
Jun10Good
Jul10Good
Aug18Moderate
Sep22Moderate
Oct12Good
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Tacoma?

Tacoma sits at 47.3°N, 122.4°W, 243 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is University Place, 5.0 mi away.

Topography around Tacoma

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Tacoma has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 420 ft around an average of 184 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 594 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 14,403 ft.

The land around Tacoma is covered by artificial surfaces (54%) and trees (22%) within 2 miles, trees (43%), water (25%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 10 miles, and trees (77%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
420 ft
10 miles
594 ft
50 miles
14,403 ft
treesgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
March weather nearby: University Place 5.0 mi · Lakewood 6.8 mi · Parkland 6.8 mi · Federal Way 8.1 mi · Puyallup 8.7 mi · Spanaway 11 mi · Auburn 11 mi · South Hill 11 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 Tacoma (47.2529°, -122.4443°, elevation 243 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).