Bakersfield, California Weather
Ceanothus blooms again. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Bakersfield weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 7:24 AM PDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Clear——88°61°—
- TuesdaySep 22Clear——89°60°+1°
- WednesdaySep 23Clear——100°66°+11°
- ThursdaySep 24Clear——103°71°+3°
- FridaySep 25Overcast——96°64°-7°
- SaturdaySep 26Overcast——99°64°+3°
- SundaySep 27Partly Cloudy——93°66°-6°
Air quality now AQI 69 · Moderate
AQI 69 (Moderate), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). PM2.5 at 14.7 µg/m³, PM10 at 43.4 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 14.7 µg/m³, PM10 at 43.4 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.34
- Wind
- light
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- background
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
- Moonrise
- 4:19 PM
- Moonset
- 1:36 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Ceanothus blooms again
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Bakersfield at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 75°F (high 88°F, low 61°F), about the 74°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: January 31 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 7 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — plant beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots; harvest peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
16-Day Forecast — Bakersfield
- Mon88°61°0%
- Tue89°60°1%
- Wed100°66°0%
- Thu103°71°0%
- Fri96°64°0%
- Sat99°64°1%
- Sun93°66°1%
- Mon90°58°1%
- Tue101°62°3%
- Wed105°69°6%
- Thu104°75°6%
- Fri104°73°12%
- Sat105°72°11%
- Sun109°77°9%
- Mon102°73°6%
- Tue101°69°3%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Bakersfield
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Bakersfield — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of September 21, the growing season is at its peak — the first frost (around December 8) is weeks away. Fall transplants go in about 10–12 weeks before the first frost, September 15 to September 29 here. This city's planting calendar for September: plant beans, squash, fall brassicas, and carrots; harvest peppers, beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
Sun & seasons in Bakersfield
Bakersfield sits in Kern County, where the year’s longest day runs 14h 33m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 46m — a swing of +4h 47m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Los Angeles, the state’s largest city, lies about 93 miles to the SSE. The nearest town Bakersfield tracks is Potomac Park, roughly 4 miles to the E.
Air quality in Bakersfield
Air quality in Bakersfield’s county has trended cleaner since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2023 (median AQI 69). See the full air-quality history for Bakersfield.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| February | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | lettuce, spinach, radishes |
| March | — | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| April | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach |
| May | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | garlic |
| June | squash | beans, summer squash |
| July | beans, squash | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| August | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, summer squash, winter squash |
| September | beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| November | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| December | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
The year in Bakersfield tops out in July (~84°F) and dips lowest in December (~48°F), with February wettest at 2.0 inches and August driest at 0.0 inches.
| Month | Mean temp | Precip |
|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 1.9″ |
| February | 51° | 2.0″ |
| March | 54° | 2.0″ |
| April | 61° | 0.9″ |
| May | 69° | 0.3″ |
| June | 76° | 0.0″ |
| July | 84° | 0.0″ |
| August | 83° | 0.0″ |
| September | 76° | 0.1″ |
| October | 66° | 0.3″ |
| November | 54° | 1.1″ |
| December | 48° | 1.7″ |
Regional context
Similar climates Benton Park, CA, Old Stine, CA, Casa Loma, CA
Bakersfield swings from 48°F in January to 84°F in July (35°F) per modelled 1991-2020 normals (EC_Earth3P_HR model via Open-Meteo); precipitation in Bakersfield runs about 10.4 inches.
Cool-season fronts carry Bakersfield's rain: February logs 2.0 inches, against August's 0.0 inches — winter does the heavy lifting in Bakersfield. It is a winter-storm rhythm Bakersfield shares with places like Benton Park, CA, Old Stine, CA and Casa Loma, CA.
Bakersfield reaches its last hard frost near January 31; that is the cue for lettuce, chard, arugula, and mustard greens. Tomatoes and peppers do best set out two weeks later in Bakersfield, once nights clear the mid-40s°F. By December 8, frost is back in Bakersfield — protect or harvest anything tender. Open lawns in Bakersfield whiten first when frost returns.
Similar climates: Benton Park, CA, Old Stine, CA, Casa Loma, CA, Olde Stockdale, CA, Cottonwood, CA.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Bakersfield?
- Bakersfield's last spring frost lands near January 31, and in Bakersfield the first fall frost follows around December 8.
- What is the rainy season in Bakersfield?
- Bakersfield sees its heaviest rain in February (around 2.0 inches), part of roughly 10 inches a year.
- What is the warmest month in Bakersfield?
- The warmest stretch in Bakersfield comes in July, around 84°F on average.
- What is the coldest month in Bakersfield?
- On average December is the chilliest month in Bakersfield, about 48°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Bakersfield?
- Time tomatoes in Bakersfield for two weeks after January 31; peas and greens start at Bakersfield's frost line.
- What hardiness zone is Bakersfield?
- Bakersfield's hardiness zone tracks its winter low; with December near 48°F, check the USDA ZIP map for the exact zone.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Bakersfield?
- Bakersfield's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Bakersfield?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Bakersfield in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Bakersfield?
- Current conditions for Bakersfield and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Bakersfield forecast updated?
- The Bakersfield forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Bakersfield?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Bakersfield are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Bakersfield?
- The next few days in Bakersfield's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Bakersfield sits at 35.4°N; its climate zone is hot-summer Mediterranean (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Bakersfield
- 93301
- 93302
- 93304
- 93305
- 93306
- 93307
- 93308
- 93309
- 93311
- 93312
- 93313
- 93314
- 93383
- 93384
- 93385
- 93387
- 93389
- 93390