Watsonville weather in March

In March, Watsonville sees average daytime highs of 62°F and overnight lows near 46°F, with 3.0 in of rain across 8.4 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 36% 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 Watsonville's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Watsonville's year-round climate.

Daytime high
62°
9th warmest
Overnight low
46°
5th coldest
Rainfall
3.0 in
8.4 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:25 AM – 6:08 PM
Cloud cover
53%
10th clearest
Wind
5 mph
4th windiest
Solar energy
4.78 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Watsonville is city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States.

Density
3,052/km²
people per km²
Founded
1868

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 Watsonville reaches about 62°F in the afternoon and slips back to 46°F overnight — a 15°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 54°F and 70°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 2°F warmer than February and about 2°F cooler than April.

30°40°50°60°70°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16045
26045
36145
46145
56146
66146
76146
86146
96246
106246
116246
126246
136246
146246
156247
166247
176247
186247
196247
206247
216247
226247
236247
246247
256247
266247
276247
286247
296247
306247
316247

Watsonville 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
Jan58° / 43°4.28.79.84.6
Feb60° / 45°4.2910.64.9
Mar62° / 46°3.08.411.75.6
Apr64° / 48°1.34.712.96.6
May67° / 51°0.62.813.97.6
Jun70° / 53°0.10.614.58.7
Jul72° / 56°0.00.214.39.2
Aug73° / 57°0.00.213.49.4
Sep73° / 56°0.10.512.39.3
Oct71° / 52°0.82.1118.4
Nov64° / 46°1.85.3106.5
Dec58° / 43°3.88.69.54.6

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 48%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25149
35149
45149
55050
65149
75149
85050
95050
105149
115149
125149
135050
145050
154951
164951
174951
185050
195050
205050
215050
225149
235248
245347
255446
265446
275545
285743
295743
305743
315743

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Watsonville gets around 3.0 in of rain over 8.4 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 27% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
231
330
430
529
629
728
828
927
1026
1126
1226
1326
1426
1526
1626
1727
1827
1927
2027
2127
2227
2326
2426
2525
2625
2724
2823
2923
3022
3121

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
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in March

Winds average 5 mph in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 4 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
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
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 6:47 AM to 6:03 AM, and sunset from 5:54 PM to 6:21 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.16:475:54
211.26:465:55
311.26:445:56
411.26:435:57
511.36:415:58
611.36:405:59
711.36:395:59
811.46:376:00
911.46:366:01
1011.56:346:02
1111.56:336:03
1211.56:316:04
1311.66:306:05
1411.66:286:06
1511.76:276:07
1611.76:256:08
1711.76:246:09
1811.86:226:10
1911.86:216:11
2011.96:196:12
2111.96:186:12
2211.96:166:13
2312.06:156:14
2412.06:136:15
2512.16:126:16
2612.16:106:17
2712.26:096:18
2812.26:076:19
2912.26:066:20
3012.36:046:20
3112.36:036:21

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 2.39 kWh/m² to a high of 7.82 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 4.78 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.0Bright
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
184.9Bright
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 Watsonville

In seasonPeak

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

Watsonville's rainy season runs December–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 Watsonville?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
9th-best month of the year
1.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Watsonville for sightseeing.

What to pack for Watsonville in March

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

In March, Watsonville sees daytime highs around 62°F and nights near 46°F. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Watsonville 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 offshore is warmest in September at about 58°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
Jan55Bracing
Feb55Bracing
Mar55Bracing
Apr54Bracing
May54Bracing
Jun55Bracing
Jul57Bracing
Aug58Bracing
Sep58Bracing
Oct58Bracing
Nov56Bracing
Dec55Bracing

UV index in Watsonville 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 Watsonville peaks around June 22 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 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 22UV 11Dec 13UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7High
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Extreme
Aug10Very high
Sep7High
Oct5High
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Moderate

Air quality in Watsonville 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 Watsonville is worst in August — around 22 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.2× the cleanest month (June, 5 µg/m³).

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1920 µg/m³Jun 135 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan7Good
Feb8Good
Mar8Good
Apr7Good
May6Good
Jun5Good
Jul8Good
Aug22Moderate
Sep15Moderate
Oct12Moderate
Nov8Good
Dec7Good
Location & terrain

Where is Watsonville?

Watsonville sits at 36.9°N, 121.8°W, 33 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Prunedale, 11 mi away.

Topography around Watsonville

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

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Watsonville has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 131 ft around an average of 43 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,651 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,121 ft.

The land around Watsonville is covered by artificial surfaces (40%) and cropland (38%) within 2 miles, trees (43%) and water (21%) within 10 miles, and grassland (35%), trees (28%) and water (25%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
131 ft
10 miles
2,651 ft
50 miles
5,121 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
March weather nearby: Prunedale 11 mi · Gilroy 12 mi · Live Oak 13 mi · Santa Cruz 16 mi · Marina 16 mi · Morgan Hill 16 mi · Salinas 17 mi · Hollister 20 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 Watsonville (36.9102°, -121.7569°, elevation 33 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).