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Arizona Snowbowl March Skiing

Arizona Snowbowl snow in March

Data show March is the second best month Arizona Snowbowl for overall snow quality when considering the following factors:

  • Snow quantity at Arizona Snowbowl
  • Snow quality at Arizona Snowbowl
  • How much snow is required for proper terrain coverage at Arizona Snowbowl—steeper resorts require more snow to get 100% open.
  • Arizona Snowbowl's snow frequency (standard deviation)
  • Arizona Snowbowl's elevation
  • Arizona Snowbowl's latitude
  • Arizona Snowbowl's slope aspects - more north-facing slopes protect snow later into winter
Arizona Snowbowl snow score by month, March in focus
March
Dec1
Dec15
Jan1
Jan15
Feb1
Feb15
Mar1
Mar15
Apr1
Apr15

Arizona Snowbowl this winter: El Niño

NOAA's latest reading shows strong El Niño conditions heading into 2026–27. Over 40 winters, El Niño winters have brought Arizona Snowbowl 19% more snow than average, and 15% more snow in the strongest ones. More snow: more snow in most El Niño winters.

How El Niño affects Arizona Snowbowl → · El Niño and New Mexico & Arizona ski resorts

Arizona Snowbowl in March, by the numbers

By ZRankings' snow data, Arizona Snowbowl's March snow scores 53 out of 100, its 2nd-best month, 83rd of the 220 North American resorts we track. Over 40 winters of weather data, it snows or rains on about 26% of March days, the sun reaches 87% of its clear-sky potential, and mid-mountain highs average 40°F with lows near 20°F.

March snow score 53/100 83rd of 220 resorts · its 2nd-best month
Sunshine 87% of clear-sky sun · sunnier than 96% of resorts
Storm days 26% of March days bring snow or rain
Rain at the base 4% of days; 0.6% at the summit
Average March temperatures
HighLow
Summit36°F16°F
Mid-mountain40°F20°F
Base44°F24°F

Passes for 2026-27: Power Pass (unlimited). Compare passes.

What matters when it comes to snow for March skiing:

Ski areas with higher elevations and more northerly latitudes can keep snow colder when thawing temperatures in March or during warming events degrade other resorts' snowpacks. Aspects have the same affect, so the snow at a ski resort with more east or south-facing slopes will suffer more quickly as the sun grows stronger into March and the later spring.

For that reason, ski resorts with more north-facing terrain will be able to shelter snow more thoroughly into and through March. The most important factors for good snow preservation in spring tend to be elevation and north aspects, so the ski resorts with the highest elevations and the highest percentage of north-facing slopes tend to be those that preserve their snow best. More explanation on this topic can be found on our snow rankings page.

Lots of east and south exposures coupled with cold temperatures at night can put ski slopes into a nasty freeze-thaw process, wherein the ski resort becomes an ice rink overnight and doesn't revert to being skiable until the sun thaws things out. If the sun doesn't come out, however, skiers can be stuck with terrible conditions for days on end.

So, quite simply, in March, look for resorts with high elevations and high percentages of north-facing terrain (~50%+).

Arizona Snowbowl skiing by month:
Arizona Snowbowl
By Month