Bakersfield, CA Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Explore NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 climate normals → and a clearly labeled PlainClimate comfort calculation
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Bakersfield's primary NOAA station, BAKERSFIELD AP - 2 stations mapped to the area.
The climate verdict for Bakersfield
Dryness leads the climate profile for Bakersfield, California, with 6.4 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 66°F. It scores 80/100 for climate comfort (excellent), putting it in the top third of station-mapped location scores and exceeding 76% of them.
- 66°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 80/100
- comfort score, above 76% of station-mapped location scores
- 6.4"
- annual precipitation
- 332 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Bakersfield: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USW00023155 · Bakersfield, CA 66°F mean · 6.4" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-WARM · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-ARID · SWING-MID · COMF-TOP · LOAD-MIX · STN-MULTI · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 66°F
- RANK-WARM #6,175
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Anvil Rch
- PRCP-ARID 6.4"
- SWING-MID 36°F
- COMF-TOP 80/100
- LOAD-MIX H/C balanced
- STN-MULTI USW00023155
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Anvil Rch, AZ (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every CA station list.
- Bakersfield (this station) 66°F
- Hot El Paso, TX 66°F
- Near Anvil Rch, AZ 66°F
- Near Baxley, GA 66°F
- Near Crockett, TX 66°F
Climate Living Index · Bakersfield
Bakersfield: 75/100 · grade B
Bakersfield publishes all six Living Index dimensions from NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals · NOAA hourly normals.
PlainClimate-derived for Bakersfield, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 80/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Frost-free season | 332 days/year | 100/100 · A |
| Annual temperature balance | 66.2°F · 1.3° from 67.5°F | 95/100 · A |
| Summer moisture balance | 50.9°F mean dew point | 93/100 · A |
| Snowfall burden | 0.1 inches/year | 89/100 · A |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 106 calendar days | 73/100 · B |
| Precipitation balance | 6.4 in · 28.6 from 35 in | 4/100 · F |
Bakersfield · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Bakersfield's normals sit in a dry climate class: BWh
Annual precipitation falls well below the aridity threshold for this temperature regime, so the normals classify as hot desert (BWh). Class BWh is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: dry (arid or semi-arid), specifically hot desert.
- Köppen code
- BWh
- Group
- Dry (arid or semi-arid)
- Warmest month
- 84.8°F
- Coldest month
- 49.2°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · balanced station
Where Bakersfield sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Bakersfield's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Top 10% warmest
- Among 6,861 stations, Bakersfield sits in the warmer third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 98%
- Bakersfield's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 81%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Bakersfield is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Bakersfield compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Bakersfield's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
80 Top 24% score exceeds 76% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Below this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Below this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). This entry sits in this band.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Bakersfield's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 82 complete annual observations from 1938 to 2025, BAKERSFIELD AP warmed at a fitted rate of 0.26°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Bakersfield primary station fitted change +0.26 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59°F (15°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 1.2" | 0.1" | 3.5 | 0.0 |
| February | 64°F (18°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 1.2" | 0.0" | 0.8 | 0.0 |
| March | 70°F (21°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 1.1" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 0.4 |
| April | 76°F (24°C) | 51°F (10°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 0.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 2.5 |
| May | 84°F (29°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 0.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 8.8 |
| June | 92°F (34°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 79°F (26°C) | 0.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 19.7 |
| July | 98°F (37°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 85°F (29°C) | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 29.3 |
| August | 97°F (36°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 83°F (29°C) | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 27.8 |
| September | 91°F (33°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 78°F (26°C) | 0.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 19.4 |
| October | 80°F (27°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 0.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 4.1 |
| November | 67°F (19°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 0.5" | 0.0" | 0.7 | 0.0 |
| December | 59°F (15°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 49°F (10°C) | 1.1" | 0.0" | 4.9 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
The year in Bakersfield runs from a mild 39°F around December 18 to 99°F at the peak near July 19, and the normal low never reaches freezing on any date in the record.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from June 8 through September 21, covering 106 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs March 14 to November 8.
This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.
No freezing date
Not one calendar date in the 1991–2020 record carries a normal low at or below 32°F. The coldest normal low of the year is 39°F around December 18.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is February 18, when 23% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is July 25 at 0%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 38 wet dates a year.
The widest day
June 16 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 27°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Bakersfield.
Where Bakersfield Stands Nationally
Summers here run among the most heat-heavy normals calendars in the country: on about 106 days a year the normal daily high itself reaches 90°F — a count fewer than one station in ten exceeds.
Aridity defines the water calendar: about 6 inches in a normal year lands this among the driest tenth of ranked stations.
Bakersfield earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 0.1"
6.3 days with precipitation
6.8 days with precipitation
6.0 days with precipitation
3.9 days with precipitation
2.1 days with precipitation
0.4 days with precipitation
0.2 days with precipitation
0.1 days with precipitation
0.6 days with precipitation
1.6 days with precipitation
3.6 days with precipitation
6.0 days with precipitation
Bakersfield's wet season runs through the cold months
December, January and February carry 55% of the year's precipitation here, while June through August contribute 1%. That is the cool-season-dominant pattern of the West Coast and the higher inland West, where storm tracks swing south in winter and summer turns dry; the thermometer meanwhile shows a 35.6°F seasonal spread.
- Wettest month
- January, 1.2"
- Driest month
- August, 0.0"
- Wettest three months
- January, February, March (55% of the year)
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A cool-season label means the December-February share reaches 35%. Where snow falls, the monthly figures above report liquid-equivalent precipitation, so a wet winter month is not necessarily a rainy one.
Bakersfield is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 38 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 10% of the calendar, and they carry 6.4" between them. At roughly 0.17 inches on an average wet day, this is not the damp drizzle of a marine climate; it is an arid record in which precipitation is both uncommon and light when it appears.
The wettest month by count is February at about 7 wet days; the driest is August at about 0.
A low per-event average in a dry record is a statement about typical days only. Arid regions can still take a large share of a year's total from a single convective storm, which a normal cannot show.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, not the extremes within it.
Snow reaches Bakersfield, but rarely amounts to much
The normals record 0.1 inches of snow a year here, most likely in January. That is a real but marginal amount: enough that snow is part of the local record, not enough to define the winter.
A figure in this range usually reflects a handful of events that melt quickly rather than a season of accumulation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. An average across thirty years can smooth away a single heavy winter, so a small annual figure does not mean a significant snowfall is impossible.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
December 15
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
January 17
50% probability date
Growing Season
332 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
1,958
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
2,425
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Humidity & Wind
Monthly averages from hourly observations
| Month | Humidity | Wind (mph) | Clear Sky % | Overcast % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 69% | 5.0 | 56% | 25% |
| February | 63% | 5.5 | 55% | 23% |
| March | 52% | 6.4 | 65% | 15% |
| April | 43% | 7.1 | 72% | 11% |
| May | 38% | 7.4 | 83% | 6% |
| June | 33% | 7.1 | 93% | 1% |
| July | 34% | 6.7 | 95% | 0% |
| August | 35% | 6.1 | 92% | 1% |
| September | 40% | 5.5 | 86% | 4% |
| October | 51% | 4.8 | 77% | 8% |
| November | 63% | 4.6 | 65% | 18% |
| December | 71% | 4.6 | 57% | 26% |
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside CA closest to Bakersfield on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (66°F here).
- Baxley, GA 66°F · 0.0°F off
- Crockett, TX 66°F · 0.0°F off
- El Paso, TX 66°F · 0.0°F off
- Homerville, GA 66°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (6.4" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Gila Bend, AZ 6.3" · 0.0" off
- Mexican Hat, UT 6.3" · 0.0" off
- Lovell, WY 6.5" · 0.1" off
- Tuba City, AZ 6.3" · 0.1" off
Scarce-water calendar
Where Bakersfield's limited precipitation lands
mixed demand · dry · mid swing
Local precipitation is sparse in this otherwise mixed profile. The station reports 6.4 inches annually, within PlainClimate's dry band. Recorded annual snowfall is negligible. The monthly distribution matters because the total alone does not reveal the timing.
July and December mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Bakersfield's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 35.6°F. The annual average is 66°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Heating and cooling both register in Bakersfield's normal, at 1,958 and 2,425 degree days respectively. Neither total exceeds the other by more than two to one, so the record is better read as a mixed-demand calendar than as heating-led or cooling-led.
Bakersfield has a long frost-free window of roughly 332 days, but the dry annual profile is a separate constraint. Growing-season length says when freezes are unlikely, not whether rainfall is sufficient.
Bakersfield wettest normal
January
January concentrates the scarce annual total (6.4 inches).
Bakersfield driest normal
July
July is typically driest; arid stations are defined by when water is absent, not by a four-season grid.
Questions about Bakersfield's climate
How dry is Bakersfield? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Bakersfield get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Bakersfield? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Bakersfield's primary station: BAKERSFIELD AP (USW00023155). 2 NOAA stations are mapped to the Bakersfield area; the primary station's record is used for consistency. For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 0603526). Match rule for Bakersfield: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Bakersfield comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.