Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0Bakersfield reaches 100° on about 36 days a year, more than 98% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 99°, a January night drops to 40°, and snow is almost unheard of.
A year in Bakersfield at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bakersfield’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bakersfield’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Bakersfield feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 36 days a year reach 100°
And 112 days reach 90°. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Bakersfield Airport, 6 miles from the city’s center point, 110 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bakersfield’s center in zone 9b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 27°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 7 inches of rain a year
February is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain falls on about 38 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.1" in a normal year at Bakersfield Airport, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Bakersfield
45% of the work is heating, so air conditioning is the bigger bill. Months averaging under 55° run from December through February.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Bakersfield Airport.
Living with Bakersfield’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 9b. Frost comes about 9 winters in 10, so the growing year is set by heat, not cold: 36 days at 100° make midsummer the hard season for gardens.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: February, March, April, October and November. 107 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bakersfield from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (49%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bakersfield and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Bakersfield in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Bakersfield’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield, CA | 40° | 99° | 7" | 0.1" |
| Drexel Heights, AZ | 39° | 100° | 11" | 0.1" |
| Summerlin South, NV | 35° | 102° | 5" | 0.2" |
| Ivins, UT | 32° | 100° | 11" | 1.2" |
| Eagle Pass, TX | 41° | 98° | 19" | 0.0" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Bakersfield averaged 2.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.6°).
A bigger shift than in 92% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods. In a city of 422,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Bakersfield compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bakersfield’s place among California’s.
Bakersfield weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bakersfield’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bakersfield Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60° | 40° | 1.3" | 0.1" | 6 | 0 | 44° – 55° |
| February | 66° | 44° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 51° – 60° |
| March | 72° | 47° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 53° – 66° |
| April | 78° | 51° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 60° – 69° |
| May | 86° | 58° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 63° – 79° |
| June | 94° | 64° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 72° – 83° |
| July | 99° | 70° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 81° – 89° |
| August | 98° | 69° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 79° – 87° |
| September | 93° | 64° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 74° – 81° |
| October | 82° | 55° | 0.3" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 65° – 73° |
| November | 69° | 45° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 49° – 61° |
| December | 60° | 39° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 46° – 54° |
| Year | 80° | 54° | 7.1" | 0.1" | 38 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. May swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 63° to 79°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Bakersfield’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Bakersfield’s center.
- Snow: Bakersfield Airport (the official station).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Bakersfield Airport, 6 miles from the city’s center point, 110 ft higher; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Bakersfield’s climate
What is the weather like in Bakersfield?
A typical July afternoon reaches 99°, a January night drops to 40°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 89% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than all but 152 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bakersfield in winter?
December nights average 39°. About 10 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 46°.
How much snow does Bakersfield get?
About 0.1 inches in a normal winter at Bakersfield Airport, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Bakersfield?
July, with a typical high of 99° and a low of 70°. About 112 days a year reach 90° and 36 reach 100° (Bakersfield Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Bakersfield?
There is no reliable frost date: a 32° night comes in about 90% of winters at Bakersfield Airport, so most years bring a freeze but some pass without one.
What growing zone is Bakersfield in?
Zone 9b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 27°.
What is the best time of year to visit Bakersfield?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), February, March, April, October and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Bakersfield getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 92% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bakersfield.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.