Ridgecrest in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Ridgecrest sees average daytime highs around 57°F and overnight lows near 39°F, with 3.4 in of precipitation over about 12 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 57°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Ridgecrest's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Ridgecrest's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 57°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 39°F
- Precipitation
- 3.4 in
- 12 wet days
- Avg wind
- 5 mph
- Travel score
- 4.8
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Ridgecrest in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 57°F.
A typical winter day in Ridgecrest reaches about 57°F and drops to 39°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
How winter really feels in Ridgecrest
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.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Ridgecrest 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.
| 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 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Ridgecrest gets around 3.4 in of rain and snow over 12 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 5 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
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.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.5 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Ridgecrest?
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.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Ridgecrest for sightseeing.
What to pack for Ridgecrest in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Ridgecrest sees daytime highs around 57°F and nights near 39°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 12 days see rain.
UV index in Ridgecrest in Winter
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 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 |
Air quality in Ridgecrest in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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).
| 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 |
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.