Los Angeles County stepped up its water conservation game in March after dismal February.Normally a tough month for conservation, Californians saved 35 billion gallons of water in March compared with the same month in 2013 for 24.3 percent water savings, state water officials reported Tuesday.

Likewise, Southern California residents reduced usage by 20.7 percent in March, almost tripling the savings from February for the region.

Cooler temperatures and March showers contributed to stepped-up savings but the March numbers were impressive in Southern California and across the state, said Felicia Marcus, chair of the State Water Resources Control Board.

“It is the most welcome news we’ve had in a long time,” Marcus said Tuesday during a board meeting in Sacramento. “That is pretty remarkable after the rains. This says something about people knowing to turn off their sprinklers.”

The March water savings signaled a big turnaround from the previous month.

Southern California as a region conserved only 6.9 percent in February, the lowest of any region in the state, most likely due to record heat driving up outdoor watering. Meanwhile, Californians had saved 13.6 billion gallons of water in February, conserving 12 percent.

Most South Bay cities similarly rebounded.

The Palos Verdes Peninsula more than doubled its savings from 14.5 percent in February to 33.1 percent in March, just three points shy of its 36 percent target. Unlike other coastal communities whose mandates were slightly lowered, such as Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach, the Hill’s is still at the highest tier.

Though Lomita also did not have the advantage of a softened target, remaining at 20 percent, savings there skyrocketed from 2.6 percent in February to 19.1 percent in March.

Individual water use in Southern California for March, at 68.2 gallons per person per day, marks the second lowest for the region in 15 months, water records show.

Los Angeles County cities that had struggled to save water in February increased savings in March, some by factors of two, three, four or more:

Los Angeles doubled its percentage, saving 16.6 percent in March compared with 8.3 percent in February; Inglewood saved 15.5 percent compared to 9.2 percent in February.

State water board officials said the March numbers across the state indicate a sea change in outdoor watering practices ingrained in homeowners since the beginning of the drought nearly five years ago.