The chart below shows the daily high temperature recorded at the airport (SJC) for each day in March for 2004 (pink), 2005 (light blue) and this year (dark blue). As you can see – we do look pretty cold this year! On March 11, 2005, we had a high of 86°F. This March, our warmest day was 71°F, then one day with a high of 69°F and all other days having a high of 63°F or less.

And what about rainfall? This chart shows the daily amount of rainfall recorded again at SJC, and measured in inches (keep in mind that our average annual rainfall total is about 14 inches). Again this is for March 2004 (pink), 2005 (light blue), and 2006 (dark blue). As you can see, in 2004 we only had ONE rainy day in the first three weeks of March! By contrast this year, we’ve only had four days with no rain! Keep in mind that on showery days, we might see rain at SJC and none in the Almaden valley, and so forth, so your experiences might differ a bit from what’s indicated on the chart. There were an incredible 22 days of measureable rain in San Jose in March 2006.

Hoever, when we look at March rainfall totals for San Jose for each year since 1948, we see that a few other years have seen higher rainfall totals: 1995, 1991, and 1983. 1995 and 1983 were "El Nino" years, while 1991 was not. The current year, 2006, is a developing La Nina.

Conclusion? It certainly does look to be a cold, wet March! Look at the complete San Jose climate records for more comprehensive information.