Ridgecrest weather in August

In August, Ridgecrest sees average daytime highs of 96°F and overnight lows near 68°F, with 0.1 in of rain across 0.5 wet days and about 13.3 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 97°F in the first days to 94°F by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 88% of the time in August, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of August to 12 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, August is Ridgecrest's 2nd-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Ridgecrest's year-round climate.

Daytime high
96°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
68°
11th coldest
Rainfall
0.1 in
0.5 wet days
Daylight
13 h 24 min
5:14 AM – 6:36 PM
Cloud cover
14%
2nd clearest
Wind
6 mph
6th windiest
Solar energy
7.64 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.2
out of 10

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.

Temperature in August

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 97°F in the first days to 94°F by the end.

A typical August day in Ridgecrest reaches about 96°F in the afternoon and slips back to 68°F overnight — a 27°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 90°F and 101°F. Set against its neighbours, August runs on par with July and about 7°F warmer than September.

60°70°80°90°100°151015202531
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
19769
29769
39769
49769
59669
69669
79669
89669
99669
109669
119669
129669
139668
149668
159668
169668
179668
189668
199568
209568
219568
229568
239568
249568
259467
269467
279467
289467
299467
309367
319367

How August really feels in Ridgecrest

Once humidity and wind are folded in, August averages 31 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
31
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

The story in August is heat — humidity pushes the afternoon "feels like" well above the raw temperature.

Ridgecrest weather by month

How August compares with the rest of the year at a glance. August is the 2nd-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan56° / 38°1.24.20.89.94.5
Feb59° / 40°1.34.30.610.75.5
Mar66° / 44°0.73.10.411.77.3
Apr72° / 48°0.31.4012.98.6
May81° / 55°0.10.6013.98.3
Jun91° / 63°0.00.3014.45.1
Jul96° / 69°0.10.8014.22.8
Aug96° / 68°0.10.5013.33.2
Sep88° / 63°0.10.5012.26.0
Oct76° / 53°0.31.2011.18.9
Nov64° / 44°0.41.80.210.17.1
Dec55° / 38°0.93.10.59.64.3

Cloud cover in August

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 88% of the time in August.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 7% of August, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 6%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
1928
2928
3928
4937
5937
6937
7946
8946
9946
10955
11955
12955
13955
14955
15946
16946
17946
18946
19946
20946
21946
22955
23955
24955
25955
26955
27955
28955
29955
30955
31955

Chance of precipitation in August

Any precipitation

Ridgecrest gets around 0.1 in of rain over 0.5 wet days in August. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 2% and peaks near 2% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
12
22
32
42
52
62
71
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
151
161
171
181
192
202
212
222
232
242
252
262
272
282
292
302
312

Humidity in August

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, August lands in the dry band about 97% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19631
29721
39721
49721
59721
69721
79721
89721
99721
109820
119820
129820
139820
149820
159721
169721
179721
189721
199721
209721
219721
229721
239721
249721
259721
269721
279721
289721
299721
309721
319721

Wind in August

Winds average 6 mph in August.

Across August, daily wind ranges from about 6 mph on the calmest days to 6 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (mph)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
276calm
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in August

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of August to 12 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 60 minutes over August. Sunrise moves from 5:02 AM to 5:26 AM, and sunset from 6:51 PM to 6:16 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:026:51
213.85:036:50
313.85:046:50
413.75:046:49
513.75:056:48
613.75:066:47
713.65:076:46
813.65:086:45
913.65:086:44
1013.65:096:42
1113.55:106:41
1213.55:116:40
1313.55:126:39
1413.45:126:38
1513.45:136:37
1613.45:146:36
1713.35:156:34
1813.35:166:33
1913.35:166:32
2013.25:176:31
2113.25:186:29
2213.25:196:28
2313.15:206:27
2413.15:206:25
2513.05:216:24
2613.05:226:23
2713.05:236:21
2812.95:246:20
2912.95:246:18
3012.95:256:17
3112.85:266:16

Solar energy in August

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in August, about 7.64 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.03 kWh/m² to a high of 8.66 kWh/m² in June across the year — August's 7.64 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
18.0Intense
28.0Intense
37.9Intense
47.9Intense
57.9Intense
67.9Intense
77.9Intense
87.9Intense
97.8Intense
107.8Intense
117.8Intense
127.8Intense
137.7Intense
147.7Intense
157.7Intense
167.7Intense
177.6Intense
187.6Intense
197.6Intense
207.5Intense
217.5Intense
227.5Intense
237.4Intense
247.4Intense
257.3Intense
267.3Intense
277.3Intense
287.2Intense
297.2Intense
307.1Intense
317.1Intense
Planning a trip in August

Is August a good time to visit Ridgecrest?

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

3.2
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
7.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

August is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Ridgecrest. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Ridgecrest in August

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

In August, Ridgecrest sees daytime highs around 96°F and nights near 68°F. Pack light clothes and sun protection.

light clothessun protection

UV index in Ridgecrest in August

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in August peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 21UV 11Dec 17UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan3Moderate
Feb4Moderate
Mar5High
Apr7Very high
May8Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep8Very high
Oct6High
Nov3Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Ridgecrest in August

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 2220 µg/m³Dec 165 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar9Good
Apr9Good
May8Good
Jun10Good
Jul14Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep19Moderate
Oct9Good
Nov6Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

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.

2 miles
157 ft
10 miles
2,516 ft
50 miles
10,167 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandartificial surfacesbare terrain
August weather nearby: Rosamond 59 mi · Barstow 62 mi · Barstow Heights 63 mi · Lancaster 69 mi · Arvin 71 mi · Adelanto 73 mi · Lamont 75 mi · Palmdale 76 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 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).