Bakersfield weather in March

In March, Bakersfield sees average daytime highs of 68°F and overnight lows near 47°F, with 1.9 in of rain across 7.3 wet days and about 11.7 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 65°F in the first days to 69°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 12 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Bakersfield's 10th-clearest and 3rd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bakersfield's year-round climate.

Daytime high
68°
8th warmest
Overnight low
47°
5th coldest
Rainfall
1.9 in
7.3 wet days
Daylight
11 h 42 min
6:14 AM – 5:57 PM
Cloud cover
50%
10th clearest
Wind
3 mph
3rd windiest
Solar energy
5.33 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Bakersfield is city and county seat of Kern County, California, United States.

Density
960/km²
people per km²
Founded
1869

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 65°F in the first days to 69°F by the end.

A typical March day in Bakersfield reaches about 68°F in the afternoon and slips back to 47°F overnight — a 21°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 59°F and 77°F. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 4°F warmer than February and about 5°F cooler than April.

40°60°80°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16545
26545
36546
46546
56646
66646
76646
86746
96747
106747
116747
126747
136847
146847
156847
166848
176848
186848
196948
206948
216948
226948
236948
246948
256948
266948
276948
286948
296948
307049
317049

How March really feels in Bakersfield

Once humidity and wind are folded in, March averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

March sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Bakersfield weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 8th-warmest and 2nd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan61° / 41°1.97.59.95.5
Feb64° / 44°1.97.810.76.0
Mar68° / 47°1.97.311.76.8
Apr73° / 51°1.14.712.97.9
May80° / 57°0.42.113.88.2
Jun87° / 64°0.10.314.36.4
Jul92° / 69°0.00.214.14.5
Aug92° / 68°0.0013.34.8
Sep86° / 62°0.00.312.26.8
Oct77° / 54°0.42.111.18.7
Nov67° / 46°1.04.710.17.2
Dec60° / 41°1.96.99.75.4

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 42%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15149
25248
35248
45248
55347
65347
75347
85545
95545
105545
115743
125743
135743
145842
155842
165842
175842
185941
195941
206040
216040
226139
236238
246337
256238
266337
276436
286436
296535
306535
316535

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Bakersfield gets around 1.9 in of rain over 7.3 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 24% and peaks near 30% on the wettest days. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
229
328
428
527
627
726
826
925
1024
1124
1223
1323
1423
1523
1623
1723
1823
1923
2023
2123
2223
2322
2422
2522
2622
2721
2821
2921
3020
3120

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of March feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, March lands in the dry band about 98% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
3991
4991
5991
6991
7991
8991
9991
10982
11982
12982
13982
14973
15973
16973
17973
18973
19973
20973
21973
22973
23973
24973
25982
26982
27982
28982
29982
30982
31982

Wind in March

Winds average 3 mph in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 3 mph on the calmest days to 4 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
13calm
23calm
33calm
43calm
53calm
63calm
73calm
83calm
93calm
103calm
113calm
123calm
133calm
143calm
153calm
163calm
173calm
183calm
193calm
203calm
213calm
223calm
233calm
243calm
253calm
263calm
274calm
284calm
294calm
304calm
314calm

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min at the start of March to 12 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 66 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 6:34 AM to 5:52 AM, and sunset from 5:44 PM to 6:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.26:345:44
211.26:335:45
311.26:325:46
411.36:315:47
511.36:295:48
611.36:285:49
711.46:275:50
811.46:255:50
911.56:245:51
1011.56:225:52
1111.56:215:53
1211.66:205:54
1311.66:185:55
1411.66:175:56
1511.76:155:57
1611.76:145:57
1711.86:135:58
1811.86:115:59
1911.86:106:00
2011.96:086:01
2111.96:076:02
2212.06:056:02
2312.06:046:03
2412.06:026:04
2512.16:016:05
2612.16:006:06
2712.15:586:07
2812.25:576:07
2912.25:556:08
3012.35:546:09
3112.35:526:10

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 5.33 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.76 kWh/m² to a high of 8.45 kWh/m² in June across the year — March's 5.33 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.5Bright
34.6Bright
44.7Bright
54.7Bright
64.8Bright
74.8Bright
84.9Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.1Bright
125.1Bright
135.2Bright
145.3Bright
155.3Bright
165.3Bright
175.4Bright
185.5Bright
195.5Bright
205.5Bright
215.6Bright
225.6Bright
235.7Bright
245.7Bright
255.8Bright
265.8Bright
275.9Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Bakersfield?

Our two travel scores rate March for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

6.8
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
3.5
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Bakersfield for sightseeing.

What to pack for Bakersfield in March

From March's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In March, Bakersfield sees daytime highs around 68°F and nights near 47°F. Worth packing: sun protection. About 7 days see rain.

sun protection

UV index in Bakersfield in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bakersfield peaks around June 19 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 15 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highVery highHighModerateJun 19UV 11Dec 15UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul10Very high
Aug10Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Bakersfield in March

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where March falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Bakersfield is worst in December — around 44 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 6.1× the cleanest month (June, 7 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0204060JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodDec 1740 µg/m³Jun 107 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan9Good
Feb9Good
Mar11Good
Apr9Good
May8Good
Jun7Good
Jul10Good
Aug14Moderate
Sep11Good
Oct11Good
Nov9Good
Dec44Poor
Location & terrain

Where is Bakersfield?

Bakersfield sits at 35.4°N, 119.0°W, 404 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Oildale, 3.1 mi away.

Topography around Bakersfield

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Bakersfield.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Bakersfield has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 141 ft around an average of 407 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 991 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 9,009 ft.

The land around Bakersfield is covered by artificial surfaces (83%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (33%) and grassland (29%) within 10 miles, and grassland (55%) and trees (21%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
141 ft
10 miles
991 ft
50 miles
9,009 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
March weather nearby: Oildale 3.1 mi · Lamont 9.9 mi · Arvin 16 mi · Shafter 17 mi · Wasco 24 mi · Delano 30 mi · Porterville 48 mi · Corcoran 58 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Bakersfield (35.3733°, -119.0187°, elevation 404 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).