Bakersfield, TX 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.
The climate verdict for Bakersfield
Dryness leads the climate profile for Bakersfield, Texas, with 14.4 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 65°F. It scores 83/100 for climate comfort (excellent), putting it in the top third of station-mapped location scores and exceeding 81% of them.
- 65°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 83/100
- comfort score, above 81% of station-mapped location scores
- 14.4"
- annual precipitation · 1" snow
- 234 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Bakersfield: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00410482 · Bakersfield, TX 65°F mean · 14.4" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-MID · COMF-TOP · LOAD-MIX · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 65°F
- RANK-UPPER #6,106
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Burnet
- PRCP-DRY 14.4"
- SWING-MID 37°F
- COMF-TOP 83/100
- LOAD-MIX H/C balanced
- STN-1 USC00410482
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Burnet, TX (+ 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 TX station list.
- Bakersfield (this station) 65°F
- Hot Longview Wsmo, TX 65°F
- Near Burnet, TX 65°F
- Near China Lake Naf, CA 65°F
- Near Clayton, AL 65°F
Bakersfield sits in Texas, the #4 hottest U.S. state at 66.2°F statewide annual average - see all 50 hottest states ranked by NOAA normals
Climate Living Index · Bakersfield
Bakersfield: 67/100 · grade C
Bakersfield publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Bakersfield, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 83/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Annual temperature balance | 65.3°F · 2.2° from 67.5°F | 93/100 · A |
| Frost-free season | 234 days/year | 83/100 · B |
| Snowfall burden | 1.4 inches/year | 80/100 · B |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 138 calendar days | 54/100 · D |
| Precipitation balance | 14.4 in · 20.6 from 35 in | 26/100 · F |
Bakersfield · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Bakersfield's normals sit in a dry climate class: BSh
Precipitation is low relative to temperature but above true desert thresholds: hot semi-arid steppe (BSh). Class BSh is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: dry (arid or semi-arid), specifically hot semi-arid steppe.
- Köppen code
- BSh
- Group
- Dry (arid or semi-arid)
- Warmest month
- 82.7°F
- Coldest month
- 45.7°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 11% warmest
- Among 6,861 stations, Bakersfield sits in the warmer third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 84%
- Bakersfield's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Narrower than 77%
- 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
83 Top 19% score exceeds 81% 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 35 complete annual observations from 1966 to 2017, BAKERSFIELD warmed at a fitted rate of 0.33°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 +0.33 °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 | 60°F (15°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 1.0" | 0.3" | 15.3 | 0.0 |
| February | 65°F (18°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 0.6" | 0.0" | 8.2 | 0.2 |
| March | 72°F (22°C) | 44°F (6°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 0.8" | 0.0" | 3.7 | 1.4 |
| April | 81°F (27°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 1.0" | 0.0" | 0.4 | 7.1 |
| May | 88°F (31°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 74°F (24°C) | 1.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 15.8 |
| June | 94°F (34°C) | 69°F (20°C) | 81°F (27°C) | 1.7" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 25.1 |
| July | 94°F (35°C) | 71°F (22°C) | 83°F (28°C) | 1.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 27.4 |
| August | 94°F (35°C) | 71°F (21°C) | 82°F (28°C) | 1.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 27.4 |
| September | 88°F (31°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 76°F (24°C) | 2.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 16.6 |
| October | 79°F (26°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 1.5" | 0.0" | 0.3 | 5.0 |
| November | 68°F (20°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 0.9" | 0.5" | 6.0 | 0.1 |
| December | 60°F (16°C) | 33°F (1°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 0.6" | 0.6" | 14.1 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Bakersfield works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 95°F by August 3 and hold at or above 90°F on 106 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 32 dates, bottoming at 31°F around January 5.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from May 23 through September 5, covering 106 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs March 11 to November 9.
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.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into January 22, then returns to freezing around December 22, covering 32 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is May 25, when 17% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is November 25 at 9%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 45 wet dates a year.
The widest day
April 10 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 30°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.
A drier-than-most normal water year — around 15 inches, below what four out of five ranked stations collect.
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: 0.3"
3.7 days with precipitation
2.9 days with precipitation
3.1 days with precipitation
2.9 days with precipitation
5.0 days with precipitation
4.2 days with precipitation
4.1 days with precipitation
4.5 days with precipitation
4.6 days with precipitation
4.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.5"
2.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.6"
3.1 days with precipitation
Bakersfield spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 32% of the annual total and December through February 15%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Bakersfield has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 37°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: September averages 2.1" and February 0.6". The three wettest months together take 37% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
How Bakersfield's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 45 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 14.4" between them, or roughly 0.32 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Snow reaches Bakersfield, but rarely amounts to much
The normals record 1.4 inches of snow a year here, most likely in December. 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; about 1 days a year record any measurable snow at all.
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
November 11
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
March 22
50% probability date
Growing Season
234 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
2,352
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
2,486
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside TX 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 (65°F here).
- Clayton, AL 65°F · 0.0°F off
- Minden, LA 65°F · 0.0°F off
- Mooringsport, LA 65°F · 0.0°F off
- Winnfield, LA 65°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (14.4" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Circle, MT 14.4" · 0.0" off
- Opheim, MT 14.4" · 0.0" off
- Lakeview, OR 14.4" · 0.0" off
- Denver, CO 14.5" · 0.0" 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 14.4 inches annually, within PlainClimate's dry band. Annual snowfall totals 1.4 inches. The monthly distribution matters because the total alone does not reveal the timing.
July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Bakersfield's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 37.0°F. The annual average is 65°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 2,352 and 2,486 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.
A roughly 234-day frost-free season sits inside this mixed heating-and-cooling profile. Start and end dates matter because both sides of the thermostat register during a normal year.
Bakersfield wettest normal
September
September concentrates the scarce annual total (14.4 inches).
Bakersfield driest normal
February
February 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 (USC00410482). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The conservative exact name-and-state crosswalk finds no Census place match, so PlainClimate treats this as a station-mapped location and does not claim it is a municipality. No exact Gazetteer row for Bakersfield; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.
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.