California weather in March

March splits California wide open: Death Valley runs 83° afternoons while South Lake Tahoe tops out near 48°.

Based on 12 weather stations. Twelve stations from Death Valley to the Sierra — California holds most of the country’s climates inside one border, and no state needs its regions kept apart more than this one.

Southern California

Highs 66–71°, nights 46–55°, and 1.5–3.1 in of rain in a typical March.

Place	Highs / lows	Wet days	The short version
Los Angeles	70° / 52°	3	The last of the rains, with the hills at their best.
Anaheim	71° / 52°	2	The rain eases and the orange blossom smell arrives.
San Diego	67° / 55°	3	Spring shows up early — bring a layer for the mornings.
Santa Barbara	66° / 46°	4	Sun returning, ocean at its most unwelcoming.

Central Coast

Highs 63–64°, nights 43–46°, and 2.8–4.3 in of rain in a typical March.

Place	Highs / lows	Wet days	The short version
Monterey	63° / 46°	6	Wet weeks, and the ocean at its coldest and wildest.
Santa Cruz	64° / 43°	6	Rain, wind, and the coldest water on the calendar.

Bay Area & Wine Country

Highs 62–64°, nights 42–49°, and 3.0–3.1 in of rain in a typical March.

Place	Highs / lows	Wet days	The short version
San Francisco	62° / 49°	7	Still soggy, but the light is back and the wind picks up.
Napa	64° / 42°	6	Bud break, green hills, and one more wet stretch.

The Deserts

Highs 81–83°, nights 54–57°, and 0.3–0.5 in of rain in a typical March.

Place	Highs / lows	Wet days	The short version
Palm Springs	81° / 54°	1	Pool weather arrives, and every hotel books out.
Death Valley	83° / 57°	1	Warm, busy, and beautiful; take the canyons early.

The Sierra

Highs 48–57°, nights 24–34°, and 2.9–5.5 in of rain in a typical March.

Place	Highs / lows	Wet days	The short version
Yosemite Valley	57° / 34°	8	Storm after storm, feeding the snowpack that runs the falls.
South Lake Tahoe	48° / 24°	10	Spring skiing by afternoon, hard frost almost every night.

Each place above has its own page for the full story — what the month feels like, what to pack, and whether the timing is right.

Where to go in March, across the whole country ›