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Bakersfield weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Average temperatures in Bakersfield follow a clear seasonal rhythm, rising and falling by 31.2°F over the course of the year. Rainfall is on the low side overall. Bakersfield weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, extremes and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+12.5°Fhigh well above average

89° / 58°Today
77° / 52°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+3.3°Faverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–492frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 16 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 16 in the 1940s125days above 86°F a year now (2016–2025) · 112 in the 1940sdays above 86°F · 112 in the 1940s+3.3°F vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 1.9 incheshigh 61°low 40°February, rain 1.9 incheshigh 64°low 42°March, rain 2.2 incheshigh 68°low 46°April, rain 1.2 incheshigh 73°low 50°May, rain 0.4 incheshigh 81°low 56°June, rain 0.1 incheshigh 88°low 63°July, rain 0.02 incheshigh 93°low 68°August, rain 0.1 incheshigh 92°low 67°September, rain 0.1 incheshigh 87°low 61°October, rain 0.5 incheshigh 77°low 53°November, rain 1.3 incheshigh 67°low 45°December, rain 1.9 incheshigh 60°low 40°wettest month March, 2.2 inches · 11.6 inches a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Clear

Right now

82.4°

82°feels like
28%humidity
46°dew point
3 mphfrom SW
UV index5.5
sunrise07:06sunset18:15day length11h 10m
TodayClear89°58°
TueClear86°53°
WedOvercast70°55°
ThuClear72°54°
FriPartly cloudy69°58°
SatClear79°58°
SunOvercast83°60°

On this date: October 19

Today (forecast)
89° / 58°
Average for October 19
77° / 52°

High well above average · +12.5°F

  • Highest since 1940: 89.6° · 1944
  • Lowest since 1940: 38.2° · 1949
  • One year ago: 79° / 51°

Every October 19 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 19 on record (n = 87). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Bakersfield is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 35.37°N, 119.02°W, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
35.37°N, 119.02°W
Time zone
America/Los Angeles
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

27 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +6.4°F.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

The warmest month is July, with typical afternoon highs of 93.3°F and nights around 68.3°F. Roughly 125 days a year now top 86°F. The coolest month is December, when afternoons reach about 60.4°F and overnight lows sit around 40.0°F.

In total, Bakersfield averages about 11.6 inches of precipitation a year; March is usually the wettest month (2.2 inches), while July passes with hardly any rain at all.

Comparing the record's first decade with its most recent one, Bakersfield now averages 3.3°F warmer than it did in the 1940s. Frost days have thinned out, from around 15 a year in the first decade to about 2 now.

Climate graph (climograph)

July is the warmest month, December the coolest: a yearly swing of 31°F. Wettest month: March (~2.2 in). Whole year averages ~11.6 inches of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 35 rainy days a year: most in March (~7), fewest in July (almost none).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 0.08 in per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Bakersfield month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Highest and Lowest are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightHighestLowest
January60.5°39.9°1.9 in69.9 h77.4° (2014)22.6° (1949)
February63.8°42.4°1.9 in610.7 h84.2° (2015)23.6° (1989)
March67.5°45.7°2.2 in711.7 h89.6° (2015)28.6° (1944)
April73.4°49.8°1.2 in412.9 h98.3° (1985)32.5° (1945)
May80.9°56.5°0.4 in113.9 h102.6° (2020)39.6° (1964)
June87.9°62.8°0.1 in014.4 h106.8° (1942)45.9° (1954)
July93.3°68.3°0.02 in014.2 h108.9° (1942)52.3° (1983)
August91.6°66.8°0.1 in013.3 h105.2° (1940)52.8° (1947)
September86.9°61.3°0.1 in012.2 h107.4° (2022)42.1° (1948)
October77.5°52.9°0.5 in211.1 h95.6° (1943)30.8° (1971)
November66.9°44.7°1.3 in410.1 h89.0° (2010)28.8° (1977)
December60.4°40.0°1.9 in69.6 h77.9° (1941)15.1° (1972)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +3.3°F.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.40°F per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Mar–May is warming fastest: +0.48°F per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 86°F per year: 112.2 early in the record → 125.3 recently. Frost days: 16 → 2.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

Hottest day since 1940 in 1942, coldest in 1972: 108.9°F / 15.1°F.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~11.6 in/year on average. Last decade: −1% vs that average. Long-term trend: 0.00 in per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Bakersfield

Which is the warmest month in Bakersfield?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Bakersfield is July (mean daily temperature of about 79.8°F) and the coolest is December (about 48.6°F).
How does today's temperature in Bakersfield compare to the historical average?
On October 19, 2026, Bakersfield is forecast to reach a high of 89.2°F and a low of 58.1°F. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 76.7°F and a low of 52.3°F, so today's high is 12.5°F warmer than that average.
How much has Bakersfield warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Bakersfield is about 3.3°F warmer.
How much does it rain in Bakersfield?
Bakersfield receives about 11.6 inches of precipitation per year on long-term average, with March typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Bakersfield?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Bakersfield is about 63.0°F. The warmest month is July and the coolest is December.
What are the average temperatures in Bakersfield by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Bakersfield (°F, full record since 1940): January 61°/40°, February 64°/42°, March 68°/46°, April 73°/50°, May 81°/56°, June 88°/63°, July 93°/68°, August 92°/67°, September 87°/61°, October 77°/53°, November 67°/45°, December 60°/40°.
What is the weather like in Bakersfield in summer?
In summer, June through August, Bakersfield is dry and hot. Afternoons run 88–93°F and nights 63–68°F; July is the warmest month. Almost no rain.
What is the weather like in Bakersfield in winter?
December to February is winter in Bakersfield, and it is fairly mild. Expect 60–64°F by day and 40–42°F at night, with January the coldest month. Rain falls on about 6 days a month, adding up to around 1.9 inches. It is the wettest season of the year.
What is the weather like in Bakersfield in spring?
Spring in Bakersfield (March to May) is pleasantly warm. It warms from 68°F by day and 46°F at night in March to 81°F and 56°F in May. Rain eases through the season: 7 rainy days and 2.2 inches in March, 1 day and 0.4 inches in May.
What is the weather like in Bakersfield in autumn?
September to November is autumn in Bakersfield, and it is dry and pleasantly warm. It cools from 87°F by day and 61°F at night in September to 67°F and 45°F in November. Rain rises from 0.1 inches in September to 1.3 inches in November.
How many days a year does it rain in Bakersfield?
On long-term average, Bakersfield has about 35 days a year with at least 0.08 inches of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 11.6 inches.

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