Bakersfield, California Weather
Summer heat deepens across the valleys. Day 15 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Bakersfield weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJul 5Overcast——99°76°—
- MondayJul 6Clear——99°71°0°
- TuesdayJul 7Clear——103°64°+4°
- WednesdayJul 8Clear——104°64°+1°
- ThursdayJul 9Clear——108°65°+4°
- FridayJul 10Clear——111°67°+3°
- SaturdayJul 11Partly Cloudy——113°73°+2°
AQI 89 (Moderate), driven by PM2.5. AQI up 6 over the last 6 hours (gradual rise). PM2.5 at 26.4 µg/m³, PM10 at 113.4 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 26.4 µg/m³, PM10 at 113.4 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.23
- 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).








































If the first of July be rainy weather, 'twill rain more or less for four weeks together.
- Moonrise
- 11:13 PM
- Moonset
- 11:15 AM
- In sign
- ♓︎ Pisces
Summer heat deepens across the valleys
Bakersfield at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 11°F above the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: March 19 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jul 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest early potatoes. Begin drying onions on the surface.
ZIP codes: 93301, 93304, 93305, 93306, 93307, 93308, 93309, 93311 +3 more
16-Day Forecast — Bakersfield
- Sun99°76°2%
- Mon99°71°0%
- Tue103°64°0%
- Wed104°64°0%
- Thu108°65°0%
- Fri111°67°0%
- Sat113°73°1%
- Sun112°76°2%
- Mon116°77°6%
- Tue114°84°7%
- Wed106°84°3%
- Thu107°78°6%
- Fri114°76°6%
- Sat121°79°10%
- Sun120°85°6%
- Mon116°84°6%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Bakersfield
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of July 5, the growing season is at its peak — frost is months away. Continue succession-planting beans and summer squash. Start fall brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) from seed indoors for transplanting in late summer.
Microseason · July 1–5
Summer heat deepens across the valleys
Inland temperatures exceed 95°F regularly; fire danger reaches moderate to high across most of the region.
Day 186 of 365 · Wedge 37 of 72
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | — |
| February | — | — |
| March | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | — |
| May | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| July | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| August | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| September | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| October | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | winter squash, tomatoes (last) |
| November | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | — |
| December | — | — |
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 | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 1.9″ | 13 |
| February | 51° | 2.0″ | 11 |
| March | 54° | 2.0″ | 12 |
| April | 61° | 0.9″ | 8 |
| May | 69° | 0.3″ | 3 |
| June | 76° | 0.0″ | 0 |
| July | 84° | 0.0″ | 1 |
| August | 83° | 0.0″ | 1 |
| September | 76° | 0.1″ | 1 |
| October | 66° | 0.3″ | 2 |
| November | 54° | 1.1″ | 8 |
| December | 48° | 1.7″ | 11 |
Regional context
Bakersfield swings from 48°F in January to 84°F in July (35°F) per NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals; precipitation in Bakersfield runs about 10.4 inches on roughly 70 measurable days.
Cool-season fronts carry Bakersfield's rain: February logs 2.0 inches on 10.5 days, against August's 0.0 inches on 0.7 — 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.
Hard freezes are rare in Bakersfield: the coldest month averages 48°F, so Bakersfield's growing window runs most of the year. July is the hottest stretch near 84°F, pushing cool-season crops to the milder shoulder months. Across Bakersfield, elevation and tree cover drive a 4-7°F spread in Bakersfield's overnight lows.
Similar climates: Benton Park, CA, Old Stine, CA, Casa Loma, CA, Olde Stockdale, CA, Cottonwood, CA.
Naturalist notes
Valley oaks begin their spring leaf-out in late March as soil temperatures warm.
Red-winged blackbirds return to wetland areas around Bakersfield in early April.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Bakersfield?
- Bakersfield's last spring frost lands near mid-March, and in Bakersfield the first fall frost follows around mid-December.
- 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 mid-March; peas and greens start at Bakersfield's frost line.
- How many rainy days does Bakersfield get?
- Bakersfield records around 70 days of measurable precipitation annually.
- 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.
Climate
Bakersfield, California occupies a hot-summer Mediterranean zone, with January means near 48°F and July around 84°F — a 36°F swing.
Yearly precipitation in Bakersfield totals around 10 inches, spread over about 70 days of rain or snow.
Latitude 35.4°N gives Bakersfield its 36°F swing, and with it the rhythm of Bakersfield's growing season.
ZIP codes in Bakersfield
- 93306
- 93307
- 93304
- 93305
- 93301
- 93309
- 93314
- 93311
- 93313
- 93312
- 93302
- 93383
- 93384
- 93385
- 93387
- 93389
- 93390