Climateby Month

Bakersfield, CA climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 404 ft elevation

Bakersfield has very hot summers and cool winters. Highs peak at 98°F in July and fall to 59°F in January. The wettest month is February (about 7 wet days) and the driest is August (about 0). Snow is rare. By our comfort score the best months are March and April.

Warmest month
98°F
July normal high
Coldest month
40°F
December normal low
Wet days a year
38
6.4 in of precipitation
Muggy days a year
0
dew point 65°F or higher

How warm is Bakersfield?

Normal highs range from 59°F in January to 98°F in July.

40°60°80°100° January: normal high 59°F (15°C), low 41°F (5°C) 59° 41° February: normal high 64°F (18°C), low 43°F (6°C) March: normal high 70°F (21°C), low 47°F (8°C) April: normal high 76°F (24°C), low 51°F (11°C) May: normal high 84°F (29°C), low 58°F (14°C) June: normal high 92°F (33°C), low 65°F (18°C) July: normal high 98°F (37°C), low 71°F (22°C) 98° 71° August: normal high 97°F (36°C), low 70°F (21°C) September: normal high 91°F (33°C), low 65°F (18°C) October: normal high 80°F (27°C), low 55°F (13°C) November: normal high 67°F (19°C), low 45°F (7°C) December: normal high 59°F (15°C), low 40°F (4°C) JFMAMJJASOND

Bars run from the normal low to the normal high for each month.

How rainy is Bakersfield?

February has the most wet days (about 7); the year brings about 6.4 in of precipitation.

January: 6 wet days February: 7 wet days 7 March: 6 wet days April: 4 wet days May: 2 wet days June: 0 wet days July: 0 wet days August: 0 wet days 0 September: 1 wet days October: 2 wet days November: 4 wet days December: 6 wet days JFMAMJJASOND

Wet day: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow, counted from daily records 1991-2020.

How humid is Bakersfield?

Muggy days (dew point 65°F or higher) are rare in any month.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days April: 0 muggy days May: 0 muggy days June: 0 muggy days July: 0 muggy days August: 0 muggy days September: 0 muggy days 0 October: 0 muggy days November: 0 muggy days December: 0 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Meadows Field Airport, 4.7 mi NNW of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.8 hours in December to 14.5 hours in June.

January: 10.1 hours of daylight February: 10.9 hours of daylight March: 12.0 hours of daylight April: 13.1 hours of daylight May: 14.0 hours of daylight June: 14.5 hours of daylight 14.5 July: 14.3 hours of daylight August: 13.4 hours of daylight September: 12.4 hours of daylight October: 11.3 hours of daylight November: 10.3 hours of daylight December: 9.8 hours of daylight 9.8 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Bakersfield, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 59°F41°F 1.2 in6 0.1 in 0 10.1 h
February 64°F43°F 1.2 in7 0.0 in 0 10.9 h
March 70°F47°F 1.1 in6 0.0 in 0 12.0 h
April 76°F51°F 0.6 in4 0.0 in 0 13.1 h
May 84°F58°F 0.3 in2 0.0 in 0 14.0 h
June 92°F65°F 0.05 in0 0.0 in 0 14.5 h
July 98°F71°F 0.0 in0 0.0 in 0 14.3 h
August 97°F70°F 0.0 in0 0.0 in 0 13.4 h
September 91°F65°F 0.05 in1 0.0 in 0 12.4 h
October 80°F55°F 0.3 in2 0.0 in 0 11.3 h
November 67°F45°F 0.5 in4 0.0 in 0 10.3 h
December 59°F40°F 1.1 in6 0.0 in 0 9.8 h

High and low: NOAA 1991-2020 normal daily high and low. Wet days: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow. Muggy days: daily mean dew point 65°F or higher.

Best months to visit Bakersfield

By our comfort score, the best months are March and April.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 53740
Feb 651330
Mar 741930
Apr 761823
May 651019
Jun 492020
Jul 390029
Aug 380028
Sep 443019
Oct 661514
Nov 701720
Dec 52630

Score = 40 × share of comfortable days + 25 × share of days without notable rain + 20 × share of days neither hot (90°F+) nor cold (high 40°F or below) + 15 × daylight. How the score works.

Frost dates in Bakersfield

The last spring frost typically comes around Jan 17, and the first fall frost around Dec 15, leaving 334 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Bakersfield
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Jan 17after Feb 18
First fall frost (32°F)Dec 15before Nov 30
Hard freeze (28°F)in about 41% of years; no typical date
Frost-free season334 daysunder 301 days

"Typical" is the date with a 50% chance of a later spring frost (or earlier fall frost). Planting after the "1 year in 10" spring date gives a 90% chance of no further frost. The Old Farmer's Almanac publishes 30% dates, which fall between our typical and 1-in-10 dates.

Station: Bakersfield Airport (USW00023155), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in California.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 112°F (July 25, 2006); the lowest was 19°F (December 23, 1998).

From the temperature station's daily records with NOAA quality flags removed. Not an all-time record.

Near Bakersfield

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, snowfall, snow depth, frost dates, humidity and wind by hour and cloud cover: Bakersfield Airport (USW00023155), 4.7 mi NNW of the city center, 489 ft (85 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Meadows Field Airport (723840-23155), 4.7 mi NNW of the city center, 490 ft (86 ft higher than the city). Hourly observations, 1991-2020.

Distances from the city center (USGS). Methodology · Report an error