Bakersfield in Winter

In winter (December, January and February), Bakersfield sees average daytime highs around 62°F and overnight lows near 42°F, with 5.6 in of rain over about 22 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 62°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.

Winter is Bakersfield's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Bakersfield's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
62°F
coldest season of the year
Avg overnight low
42°F
Rainfall
5.6 in
22 wet days
Avg wind
3 mph
Travel score
5.6
3rd-best season
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Bakersfield in Winter

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 62°F.

A typical winter day in Bakersfield reaches about 62°F and drops to 42°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.

30°40°50°60°70°80°DecJanFeb

How winter really feels in Bakersfield

Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F.

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

winter 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 the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

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 Winter

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time across winter.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Winter

Any precipitation

Bakersfield gets around 5.6 in of rain over 22 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Winter

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Winter

Winds average 3 mph across winter.

0246810DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Winter

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min in early December to 11 h 06 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Winter

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.2 kWh/m².

012345DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in winter

Is winter a good time to visit Bakersfield?

Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

5.6
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
1.1
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

winter is a reasonable time to visit Bakersfield for sightseeing.

What to pack for Bakersfield in Winter

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

In winter, Bakersfield sees daytime highs around 62°F and nights near 42°F. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 22 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

UV index in Bakersfield in Winter

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3 — 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 Winter

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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
Winter 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.