Napa weather in March
March in Napa: nice, rainy, with clean air — a great time to visit.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#8 of 12 months in Napa · #630 of 1413 destinations to visit in March · comfort 77/100 (tier B)
- Days
- 19°C
- Nights
- 6°C
- Wet days
- 11
- Sun
- 9.2 h
- Humidity
- 73%
- Daylight
- 12 h

Traveller notes on Napa in March
Notes from nearby San Francisco (59 km away)
Napa doesn't have its own notes for March yet — these are about San Francisco, close enough to share the season.
Forum posters describe March as one of the most changeable months in San Francisco - it could be warm, cold or rainy, with morning lows typically in the mid-to-upper 40sF and afternoon highs in the low-to-mid 60sF. Posters are consistent that any lingering rain is generally the tail end of the rainy season, with the major winter storms usually done by late March, though posters note it doesn't necessarily turn warm either - even in a typical year, only 2-3 days in the back half of the month might bring genuinely warm weather. Posters consistently emphasize real block-to-block variability, with temperatures feeling 5-10 degrees different between a sunny and shady side of the same street, and a 70F day cooling down to 50F by night. Posters generally recommend serious layers plus a lightweight raincoat regardless of the specific forecast.
Other months in Napa
Regulars are specific June gloom, the coastal marine layer that lingers over the beach towns, genuinely isn't a problem here inland, making this one of the great months to visit even though the valley can also produce its hottest single-day spikes of the year, sometimes topping 100F. Our row backs that hot, genuinely dry read, 28.5C reading as a hot 28C, over 12.3C nights feeling 11C, with rain essentially absent, 1.3mm across half a day, and humidity down to 54 percent. Regulars are consistent this stays cooler and less crowded overall than July, plenty of events filling the calendar, a light wrap worth packing for evenings that cool off fast once the sun goes down. The sea sits at a mild 20.7C. The record: 13.5 hours of sun, a 16.5 kph wind and AQI 35.
Napa-forum threads on January weather describe the coldest month of the year here, but regulars are quick to add it never turns genuinely cold by most standards - mornings in the low-to-mid 40s Fahrenheit warming into the mid-50s by afternoon. What January does reliably bring is rain, typically the wettest month on the valley's calendar, with Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail both described as nearly empty even at midday. The visual payoff regulars keep mentioning: mustard flowers blooming between the vine rows by month's end, turning the valley a vivid yellow that photographers specifically plan trips around. Crowds stay thin from just after New Year's through most of March, broken only by a brief Valentine's Day rush, and both flights and hotel rates run noticeably cheaper than any other stretch of the year. The record: 15.5C days feeling like 14C, 5.4C nights, a notably high 158mm across 11.3 days, 80 percent humidity and 6.3 hours of sun.
Napa-forum threads comparing months are quick to correct the harvest assumption for earlier-season visitors: the main crush happens in September, with only the earliest sparkling-wine grapes picked from late August, so anyone visiting before late summer sees grapes still forming on the vine rather than any harvest activity. September itself is when the valley is busiest with the actual crush underway - tasting rooms and roads around it genuinely full. Weather by September has settled past June's cooler, cloudier mornings into steadier warmth, dry heat that's described as comfortable even on a hot day compared to a humid day back east. The record: 29.6C days feeling like 30C, 12.6C nights, essentially none at all, 59 percent humidity and 11.2 hours of sun - a big day-night swing, dry heat by day, properly cool once the sun goes down.
July in Napa is hot by day and, in the forum's word, deliciously cool by night, because marine air comes up the valley from the bay every evening. Most days sit in the high 80s to mid 90s Fahrenheit with the occasional run of 100-plus, and the heat is dry, which regulars insist feels nothing like the same number somewhere humid. Our row is that gap in two figures: 28.5C by day against 13.1C overnight, with zero precipitation days. On timing, July is busy but not yet the worst - August through October are the crowded months, and the harvest bulk runs mid-September to mid-October, with only sparkling and sauvignon blanc picked from late July. Midweek is their advice. The record: humidity 57 percent, 13.3 hours of sun and AQI 36.
Add your own note from Napa's card on the map.
Napa climate normals — March
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Napa in March
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
Peak crowdsNapa Valley Marathon, Spring break in United States(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Napa's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Fair weatherNapa's best weather comes in April, May and July — separate windows, not one continuous season.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in Napa in March
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Nature
Mustard season
15 Jan – 20 Mar · usuallyWildflowers & bloomsWild mustard fills the rows between bare vines from mid-January and is usually best in February. It is the quietest and cheapest stretch of the valley's year, and the only one where you can walk into a tasting room. Source ↗
- Festival
Napa Valley Marathon
1–10 Mar · usuallySporting eventCrowdedA point-to-point race down the Silverado Trail from Calistoga to Napa on the first Sunday or so of March. The trail is closed to cars for the morning, which matters if you have a tasting booked on that side of the valley. Source ↗
Nearby, and something's on
Within 300 km of Napa — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.
Where is Napa?
Napa in March — FAQ
- Is March a good time to visit Napa?
- March in Napa: nice, rainy, with clean air — a great time to visit. It ranks #8 of 12 months for Napa on SeasonMap's comfort score (77/100).
- What is the weather like in Napa in March?
- In March, Napa averages a daily high of 19°C and a low of 6°C, with about 110.5 mm of rain over roughly 10.7 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Napa in March?
- Napa has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 37 in March.
Within 300 km: San Francisco's Plum and magnolia blossom around 25 Jan – 15 Mar, and Sacramento's Almond blossom around 10 Feb – 10 Mar.