Climate and average weather in Ridgecrest
In Ridgecrest, the summers are sweltering, dry, and clear and the winters are cool and mostly clear.
Over the course of the year, the temperature in Ridgecrest typically varies from 38°F to 96°F, and is rarely below 29°F or above 103°F. July is the hottest month of the year, while December is the coldest.
Based on the travel score, the best times of year to visit Ridgecrest for warm-weather activities are from mid March to late May and late September to mid November.
- Hottest
- Jul
- 96°
- Coldest
- Dec
- 38°
- Wettest
- Feb
- 1.3 in
- Driest
- Jun
- 0.0 in
- Rain / yr
- 5.5 in
- 22 wet days
- Daylight
- 9.6–14.4 h
- shortest–longest
- Elevation
- 2,290 ft
- 35.6°N
- Clearest
- Sep
- 13% cloud
Ridgecrest is city in Kern County, California, United States.
- Density
- 519/km²
- people per km²
- Founded
- 1963
Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.
Ridgecrest weather by month, at a glance
The whole year in one picture — sky, rain, humidity, temperature and travel score. Click any band to jump to its full chart.
Each stripe is one measure across the whole year, stacked so a single day reads top to bottom. The sky band runs overcast grey on top down to clear blue at the base — more blue means sunnier — followed by the rainfall curve, the humidity band, a temperature strip that tints each stretch of the year by how warm its average high is, and the travel-score line at the foot. Scan straight down any date to read that day across every measure at once; the score climbs highest around mid March to late May.
Temperature through the year
Daily average highs and lows in Ridgecrest, from 1991–2020 of climate data. The shaded bands show the range most days fall in — 10th to 90th percentile.
The hot season lasts 3.6 months, from June 3 to September 21, with daily high temperatures above 86°F. The hottest month of the year in Ridgecrest is July, with an average high of 96°F and low of 69°F.
The cool season lasts 3.5 months, from November 19 to March 4, with daily high temperatures below 62°F. The coldest month of the year in Ridgecrest is December, with an average low of 38°F and high of 55°F.
Days typically run about 23°F warmer than nights, with the widest day–night swing (around 28°F) in June.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high (°F) | 56 | 59 | 66 | 72 | 81 | 91 | 96 | 96 | 88 | 76 | 64 | 55 |
| Avg low (°F) | 38 | 40 | 44 | 48 | 55 | 63 | 69 | 68 | 63 | 53 | 44 | 38 |
| Avg high (°F) | Avg low (°F) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 38 |
| Feb | 59 | 40 |
| Mar | 66 | 44 |
| Apr | 72 | 48 |
| May | 81 | 55 |
| Jun | 91 | 63 |
| Jul | 96 | 69 |
| Aug | 96 | 68 |
| Sep | 88 | 63 |
| Oct | 76 | 53 |
| Nov | 64 | 44 |
| Dec | 55 | 38 |
How hot and cold Ridgecrest really feels
The felt-temperature range through the year — heat index on the day's high (summer humidity), wind chill on the night's low (winter wind). The dashed lines are the plain thermometer; the gap is how much hotter or colder it really feels.
On the hottest afternoons, once humidity is folded in, Ridgecrest feels like about 97°F (around July 25). About 90 days a year carry some heat stress, peaking in July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like high (°F) | 56 | 59 | 66 | 72 | 81 | 90 | 96 | 95 | 88 | 76 | 64 | 55 |
| Air high (°F) | 56 | 59 | 66 | 72 | 81 | 91 | 96 | 96 | 88 | 76 | 64 | 55 |
| Feels-like low (°F) | 35 | 36 | 40 | 46 | 55 | 63 | 69 | 68 | 63 | 53 | 41 | 34 |
| Air low (°F) | 38 | 40 | 44 | 48 | 55 | 63 | 69 | 68 | 63 | 53 | 44 | 38 |
| Feels-like high (°F) | Air high (°F) | Feels-like low (°F) | Air low (°F) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 56 | 35 | 38 |
| Feb | 59 | 59 | 36 | 40 |
| Mar | 66 | 66 | 40 | 44 |
| Apr | 72 | 72 | 46 | 48 |
| May | 81 | 81 | 55 | 55 |
| Jun | 90 | 91 | 63 | 63 |
| Jul | 96 | 96 | 69 | 69 |
| Aug | 95 | 96 | 68 | 68 |
| Sep | 88 | 88 | 63 | 63 |
| Oct | 76 | 76 | 53 | 53 |
| Nov | 64 | 64 | 41 | 44 |
| Dec | 55 | 55 | 34 | 38 |
Average hourly temperature in Ridgecrest
A compact picture of the whole year, hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled average temperature. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
Read left to right for the day of the year and top to bottom for the hour of the day; the color is the modeled temperature, cool blues through to hot reds on the same scale as the other charts. A vertical slice is a single day's swing — coolest just before dawn, warmest in the mid-afternoon — while a horizontal slice follows one hour across the seasons. The darker overlay marks night and the lighter one the twilight around sunrise and sunset. Colors run warmest on July afternoons, near 96°F, and coldest before dawn in December, near 38°F.
Ridgecrest weather by month
Every month at a glance. Click a month for its detailed page.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56° / 38° | 1.2 | 4.2 | 0.8 | 9.9 | 4.5 |
| Feb | 59° / 40° | 1.3 | 4.3 | 0.6 | 10.7 | 5.5 |
| Mar | 66° / 44° | 0.7 | 3.1 | 0.4 | 11.7 | 7.3 |
| Apr | 72° / 48° | 0.3 | 1.4 | 0 | 12.9 | 8.6 |
| May | 81° / 55° | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0 | 13.9 | 8.3 |
| Jun | 91° / 63° | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0 | 14.4 | 5.1 |
| Jul | 96° / 69° | 0.1 | 0.8 | 0 | 14.2 | 2.8 |
| Aug | 96° / 68° | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0 | 13.3 | 3.2 |
| Sep | 88° / 63° | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0 | 12.2 | 6.0 |
| Oct | 76° / 53° | 0.3 | 1.2 | 0 | 11.1 | 8.9 |
| Nov | 64° / 44° | 0.4 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 10.1 | 7.1 |
| Dec | 55° / 38° | 0.9 | 3.1 | 0.5 | 9.6 | 4.3 |
Chance of rain
How likely it is to rain on a typical day, and how that shifts across the wetter and drier seasons.
Ridgecrest gets about 5.5 in of precipitation a year. On a typical day the chance of rain is mostly dry, but that rises and falls sharply with the seasons.
The wetter season lasts 4.7 months, from around Nov 16 to Apr 7, peaking in February at about 17% chance on a given day. The drier stretch runs the rest of the year, bottoming out around Jun 5.
February is the wettest month by volume, with 1.3 in over about 4 wet days; June is the driest, with 0.0 in.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain on a day (%) | 13 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| Rain days | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Rain on a day (%) | Rain days | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | 4 |
| Feb | 15 | 4 |
| Mar | 11 | 3 |
| Apr | 5 | 1 |
| May | 2 | 1 |
| Jun | 1 | 0 |
| Jul | 2 | 1 |
| Aug | 2 | 1 |
| Sep | 2 | 1 |
| Oct | 4 | 1 |
| Nov | 6 | 2 |
| Dec | 10 | 3 |
Monthly rainfall
Over a full year, Ridgecrest collects about 5.5 in of rain across 22 wet days — roughly 0.5 in in an average month.
It doesn’t fall evenly. February is the wettest month with 1.3 in, while June is the driest at just 0.0 in. The three wettest months alone bring about 61% of the year’s total, and some of the cold-season precipitation falls as snow.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainfall (in) | 1.2 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.9 |
| Rain days | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Snow days | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Rainfall (in) | Rain days | Snow days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1.2 | 4 | 1 |
| Feb | 1.3 | 4 | 1 |
| Mar | 0.7 | 3 | 0 |
| Apr | 0.3 | 1 | 0 |
| May | 0.1 | 1 | 0 |
| Jun | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 0.1 | 1 | 0 |
| Aug | 0.1 | 1 | 0 |
| Sep | 0.1 | 1 | 0 |
| Oct | 0.3 | 1 | 0 |
| Nov | 0.4 | 2 | 0 |
| Dec | 0.9 | 3 | 1 |
Clouds and sunshine
How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast.
In Ridgecrest, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.
The clearer part of the year begins around April 24 and lasts for 6.5 months, ending around November 8. The clearest month is September, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 94% of the time on average.
The cloudier part of the year begins around November 9 and lasts for 5.5 months, ending around April 23. The cloudiest month is January, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 35% of the time.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clearer (%) | 65 | 66 | 71 | 80 | 84 | 92 | 90 | 94 | 94 | 88 | 79 | 70 |
| Cloudier (%) | 35 | 34 | 29 | 20 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 21 | 30 |
| Clearer (%) | Cloudier (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65 | 35 |
| Feb | 66 | 34 |
| Mar | 71 | 29 |
| Apr | 80 | 20 |
| May | 84 | 16 |
| Jun | 92 | 8 |
| Jul | 90 | 10 |
| Aug | 94 | 6 |
| Sep | 94 | 6 |
| Oct | 88 | 12 |
| Nov | 79 | 21 |
| Dec | 70 | 30 |
Daylight, sunrise and sunset
Hours of daylight through the year, with sunrise and sunset times.
The gold band is daylight — sunrise runs along its lower edge, sunset along the upper — so it widens toward summer and pinches toward winter, with night the dark area above and below. The longest day, around June 11, brings about 14 h 24 min of light; the shortest, around January 1, only 9 h 36 min — a swing of roughly 4 h 48 min.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.9 | 10.7 | 11.7 | 12.9 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.3 | 12.2 | 11.1 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
| Sunrise (AM) | 7:05 | 6:46 | 6:09 | 5:24 | 4:51 | 4:39 | 4:51 | 5:14 | 5:38 | 6:03 | 6:33 | 6:59 |
| Sunset (PM) | 4:55 | 5:25 | 5:52 | 6:18 | 6:43 | 7:03 | 7:02 | 6:36 | 5:52 | 5:08 | 4:39 | 4:35 |
| Daylight (h) | Sunrise (AM) | Sunset (PM) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 9.9 | 7:05 | 4:55 |
| Feb | 10.7 | 6:46 | 5:25 |
| Mar | 11.7 | 6:09 | 5:52 |
| Apr | 12.9 | 5:24 | 6:18 |
| May | 13.9 | 4:51 | 6:43 |
| Jun | 14.4 | 4:39 | 7:03 |
| Jul | 14.2 | 4:51 | 7:02 |
| Aug | 13.3 | 5:14 | 6:36 |
| Sep | 12.2 | 5:38 | 5:52 |
| Oct | 11.1 | 6:03 | 5:08 |
| Nov | 10.1 | 6:33 | 4:39 |
| Dec | 9.6 | 6:59 | 4:35 |
Sunny days
How many genuinely sunny days each month brings — days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — banded into plain-language zones.
Ridgecrest averages about 21 sunny days a month — counting the days the sky stays clear or mostly clear — with a clear seasonal swing between 15 and 27 days.
The sunnier stretch runs 6.1 months, from around May 3 to Nov 4. The sunniest month is September, with roughly 27 sunny days (brilliant).
The greyest month is January, down near 16 sunny days — about 41% fewer than the September peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny days | 16 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 20 | 17 |
| Sky | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Bright | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Brilliant | Bright | Bright |
| Sunny days | Sky | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | Bright |
| Feb | 15 | Bright |
| Mar | 17 | Bright |
| Apr | 20 | Bright |
| May | 23 | Bright |
| Jun | 25 | Brilliant |
| Jul | 26 | Brilliant |
| Aug | 27 | Brilliant |
| Sep | 27 | Brilliant |
| Oct | 25 | Brilliant |
| Nov | 20 | Bright |
| Dec | 17 | Bright |
Humidity comfort
Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.
Humidity comfort is graded by the dew point — the temperature at which the air would be fully saturated — because it tracks how muggy it actually feels far better than relative humidity does. A low dew point feels dry and crisp; a high one feels sticky and oppressive no matter the reading on a humidity gauge.
In Ridgecrest, the air stays dry or comfortable essentially all year. Even in July, the muggiest month, it feels humid or worse only about 1% of the time — humidity is not something you need to plan around here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry (%) | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 95 | 97 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Comfortable (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Humid (%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dry (%) | Comfortable (%) | Humid (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul | 95 | 4 | 1 |
| Aug | 97 | 2 | 1 |
| Sep | 99 | 1 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec | 100 | 0 | 0 |
Wind
Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.
This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.
Across the year, average wind speed in Ridgecrest is typically calm, near 6 mph, and varies little with the seasons.
The windier part of the year lasts 6.0 months, from around Feb 27 to Aug 27. The windiest month is May, averaging about 7 mph (calm).
The calmer part of the year runs from around Aug 28 to Feb 26, with January the calmest month at about 5 mph.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wind speed (mph) | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Feels | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
| Wind speed (mph) | Feels | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5 | calm |
| Feb | 5 | calm |
| Mar | 6 | calm |
| Apr | 7 | calm |
| May | 7 | calm |
| Jun | 7 | calm |
| Jul | 6 | calm |
| Aug | 6 | calm |
| Sep | 5 | calm |
| Oct | 5 | calm |
| Nov | 5 | calm |
| Dec | 5 | calm |
Best time to visit Ridgecrest
To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Ridgecrest throughout the year, we compute two travel scores — one for general sightseeing, one for beach and pool weather.
Around late March, Ridgecrest is still near the start of its best-weather window — great conditions with the peak-season crowds not yet at full swing.
Inferred from the travel-score curve; month-by-month visitor numbers are a planned addition.
The travel score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 64°F and 82°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Ridgecrest for general outdoor tourist activities run from mid March to late May and again from late September to mid November, with a peak score in the third week of October.
The travel score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel score (0–10) | 4.5 | 5.5 | 7.2 | 8.5 | 8.3 | 5.1 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 6.0 | 8.8 | 7.1 | 4.3 |
| Rating | fair | fair | good | ideal | ideal | fair | poor | poor | good | ideal | good | fair |
| Travel score (0–10) | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.5 | fair |
| Feb | 5.5 | fair |
| Mar | 7.2 | good |
| Apr | 8.5 | ideal |
| May | 8.3 | ideal |
| Jun | 5.1 | fair |
| Jul | 2.9 | poor |
| Aug | 3.2 | poor |
| Sep | 6.0 | good |
| Oct | 8.8 | ideal |
| Nov | 7.1 | good |
| Dec | 4.3 | fair |
The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with daytime highs between 75°F and 93°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Ridgecrest for hot-weather activities run from late April to late June and again from late August to late October, with a peak score in the last week of September.
The beach/pool score (filled area), and its constituents: the temperature score (red line), the cloud cover score (blue line), and the precipitation score (green line).
What to pack for Ridgecrest, by month
Month by month, what's worth putting in the bag — from the temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind. Tap a month for a quick packing note.
For a warm-season trip around July (highs near 96°F), the essentials are light clothes and sun protection. In the cold season around December (highs near 55°F), pack a warm layer.
In July, Ridgecrest sees daytime highs around 96°F and nights near 69°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection.
UV index (midday) in Ridgecrest by month
Clear-sky midday UV index through the year, shaded by the WHO exposure levels — how much sun protection each month calls for.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Ridgecrest peaks around June 21 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5 | High |
| Apr | 7 | Very high |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Average hourly UV index in Ridgecrest
Modeled clear-sky UV for every hour of every day — when in the day sun protection actually matters.
The whole year hour by hour: each column is a day, each row an hour, and the color is the modeled clear-sky UV index — the midday peak scaled down as the sun sits lower in the sky. Darker overlays mark night, lighter ones the civil-twilight hours around sunrise and sunset.
UV falls off far faster than brightness as the sun drops, so even in June the burn window is concentrated in the middle of the day: about 9 hours a day reach index 3 (protection recommended), and 6.5 hours reach 6 or more. Mornings and late afternoons stay comparatively gentle year round.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | 1.5 | 4 | 5.5 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8.5 | 8 | 7 | 5.5 | 2 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 | 5 | 6.5 | 6 | 5.5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UV ≥ 3 (h/day) | UV ≥ 6 (h/day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1.5 | 0 |
| Feb | 4 | 0 |
| Mar | 5.5 | 0 |
| Apr | 7 | 3.5 |
| May | 8 | 5 |
| Jun | 9 | 6.5 |
| Jul | 8.5 | 6 |
| Aug | 8 | 5.5 |
| Sep | 7 | 4 |
| Oct | 5.5 | 0 |
| Nov | 2 | 0 |
| Dec | 0 | 0 |
Air quality in Ridgecrest by month
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see which months the air is worst, not just the yearly average.
Air quality in Ridgecrest is worst in August — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 3.8× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 20 | 19 | 9 | 6 | 5 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | Good |
| Feb | 7 | Good |
| Mar | 9 | Good |
| Apr | 9 | Good |
| May | 8 | Good |
| Jun | 10 | Good |
| Jul | 14 | Moderate |
| Aug | 20 | Moderate |
| Sep | 19 | Moderate |
| Oct | 9 | Good |
| Nov | 6 | Good |
| Dec | 5 | Good |
Growing season
Ridgecrest is mild enough that a frost-free day stays more likely than not even in midwinter. Nights are reliably above freezing from about February 4 to December 3 (303 days); outside that window a hard frost is an occasional risk.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frost-free chance (%) | 85 | 91 | 97 | 99 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 97 | 84 |
| Frost nights | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| Frost-free chance (%) | Frost nights | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 85 | 27 |
| Feb | 91 | 0 |
| Mar | 97 | 0 |
| Apr | 99 | 0 |
| May | 100 | 0 |
| Jun | 100 | 0 |
| Jul | 100 | 0 |
| Aug | 100 | 0 |
| Sep | 100 | 0 |
| Oct | 100 | 0 |
| Nov | 97 | 0 |
| Dec | 84 | 28 |
Growing degree days
Growing degree days tally heat above 50°F: each day adds however many degrees its average temperature runs over that threshold, and cold days add nothing. Ridgecrest banks about 5,141 degree days a year, and the running total — which growers use to time plantings and predict maturity — climbs fastest around July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growing degree days (°F·days) | 0 | 2 | 144 | 306 | 559 | 798 | 1,014 | 986 | 760 | 459 | 113 | 0 |
| Growing degree days (°F·days) | |
|---|---|
| Jan | 0 |
| Feb | 2 |
| Mar | 144 |
| Apr | 306 |
| May | 559 |
| Jun | 798 |
| Jul | 1,014 |
| Aug | 986 |
| Sep | 760 |
| Oct | 459 |
| Nov | 113 |
| Dec | 0 |
Solar energy
Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.
Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.
Ridgecrest receives about 6.0 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 3.0 and 8.7 kWh/m².
The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.3 months, from around Mar 19 to Sep 27. The brightest month is June, averaging about 8.6 kWh/m² (intense).
The dimmest month is December, down near 3.0 kWh/m² — roughly 65% less than the June peak.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | 3.2 | 4.3 | 5.8 | 7.3 | 8.2 | 8.7 | 8.2 | 7.6 | 6.5 | 5.0 | 3.7 | 3.0 |
| Level | Moderate | Bright | Bright | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Intense | Bright | Moderate | Moderate |
| Solar energy (kWh/m²) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3.2 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4.3 | Bright |
| Mar | 5.8 | Bright |
| Apr | 7.3 | Intense |
| May | 8.2 | Intense |
| Jun | 8.7 | Intense |
| Jul | 8.2 | Intense |
| Aug | 7.6 | Intense |
| Sep | 6.5 | Intense |
| Oct | 5.0 | Bright |
| Nov | 3.7 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3.0 | Moderate |
Where is Ridgecrest?
Ridgecrest sits at 35.6°N, 117.7°W, 2,290 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Rosamond, 59 mi away.
Topography around Ridgecrest
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Ridgecrest.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Ridgecrest has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 157 ft around an average of 2,303 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,516 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 10,167 ft.
The land around Ridgecrest is covered by bare terrain (49%) and artificial surfaces (45%) within 2 miles, bare terrain (80%) within 10 miles, and bare terrain (51%) and grassland (26%) within 50 miles.
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
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 Ridgecrest (35.6225°, -117.6709°, elevation 2,290 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).