Bakersfield has warmer summer afternoons than 75% of U.S. towns
January nights here settle around 25°. Its yearly precipitation tops that of 73% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with February up the most. Comfortable outdoor weather, highs of 70–82°, belongs to April, May, September and October.
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 Missouri 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 196 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 9 and the first by October 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Dora 3se, MO, 15 miles from the town’s center, 180 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bakersfield’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 4°. 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 6 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Tecumseh 1ne, MO, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 48 inches a year; April is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 90 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bakersfield
76% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Dora 3se, MO.
Living with Bakersfield’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
196 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 9 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bakersfield from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (49%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 28%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bakersfield and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Bakersfield yet.
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, MO | 25° | 90° | 48" | 5.7" |
| Owensboro, KY | 25° | 88° | 48" | 5.7" |
| Harrisburg, IL | 25° | 88° | 48" | 7.2" |
| Pittsburg, KS | 24° | 90° | 46" | 9.5" |
| Mechanicsville, VA | 28° | 89° | 46" | 8.8" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Bakersfield averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.0°).
A smaller shift than in 74% 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.
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 Missouri’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 Tecumseh 1ne, MO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 25° | 3.0" | 1.5" | 6 | 1 | 30° – 44° |
| February | 51° | 29° | 3.0" | 2.2" | 6 | 0 | 31° – 48° |
| March | 60° | 36° | 4.6" | 1.4" | 9 | 0 | 41° – 60° |
| April | 70° | 45° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| May | 77° | 54° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| June | 85° | 63° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| July | 90° | 67° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 73° – 84° |
| August | 89° | 65° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 70° – 83° |
| September | 82° | 57° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 66° – 76° |
| October | 71° | 45° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| November | 59° | 36° | 4.4" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 40° – 54° |
| December | 48° | 28° | 3.5" | 0.5" | 6 | 0 | 25° – 46° |
| Year | 69° | 46° | 47.5" | 5.7" | 90 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 46°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
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: Tecumseh 1ne, MO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Dora 3se, MO, 15 miles from the town’s center, 180 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 90°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 6 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 63% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 75% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bakersfield in winter?
January nights average 25°. About 96 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 30°.
How much snow does Bakersfield get?
About 5.7 inches in a normal winter at Tecumseh 1ne, MO, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Bakersfield?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 67°. About 35 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Dora 3se, MO).
When is the first and last frost in Bakersfield?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 9 and the first fall frost by October 23, about 196 frost-free days, at Dora 3se, MO.
What growing zone is Bakersfield in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Bakersfield?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Bakersfield getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 74% 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.