30-year climate normals

Kern County Climate and Weather Averages

Hottest month — July

98.3°

average daily high. The coldest month is December, averaging a low of 39.6°F.

Kern County gets 6.36" of precipitation a year, and 55% of it falls in Jan, Feb, Mar.

Temperature through the year

Each bar spans the average daily low to the average daily high for that month.

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Precip
January	58.5°	40.5°	1.19"
February	64.3°	43.2°	1.18"
March	70.2°	47.0°	1.15"
April	75.9°	50.7°	0.60"
May	84.1°	58.0°	0.25"
June	92.3°	65.1°	0.05"
July	98.3°	71.3°	0.00"
August	96.9°	70.0°	0.00"
September	91.4°	65.0°	0.05"
October	80.2°	55.2°	0.28"
November	67.1°	45.4°	0.51"
December	58.8°	39.6°	1.10"

Rainfall by month

Kern County has a distinct wet season. 55% of the year's precipitation arrives in Jan, Feb, Mar.

January 1.19"

February 1.18"

March 1.15"

April 0.60"

May 0.25"

June 0.05"

July 0.00"

August 0.00"

September 0.05"

October 0.28"

November 0.51"

December 1.10"

Annual total 6.36"

What this climate costs you

Degree days measure how hard a building has to work to stay comfortable. They are the reason two identical houses have very different power bills, and they are the link between the weather here and what you pay every month.

Cooling degree days How much air conditioning the climate demands 2,425

Heating degree days How much heating the climate demands 1,958

Approximate annual cooling cost At 33.25¢/kWh, California average $806

Approximate annual electric heating cost Lower where heating is gas rather than electric $228

These are rough planning figures from degree days and the state electricity price, not a bill estimate. House size, insulation and fuel type move them a lot. See the full cost of owning a home in Kern County, where electricity is one line of eight.

Common questions

What is the weather like in Kern County?

Kern County averages a high of 98.3°F in July and a low of 39.6°F in December. Annual precipitation is 6.36 inches, with essentially no snow.

When is the rainy season in Kern County?

The wettest stretch is Jan, Feb, Mar, which accounts for 55% of the year's precipitation. That is a pronounced wet season rather than rain spread evenly through the year.

How hot does it get in Kern County?

The average daily high in July, the hottest month, is 98.3°F. That drives 2,425 cooling degree days a year, which is what your air conditioning has to work against.

Does it snow in Kern County?

Effectively no. Measurable snowfall is rare in Kern County.

Sources

Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 Monthly Climate Normals, station BAKERSFIELD AP, CA US (USW00023155), 19.3 miles from the county centroid.
Heating and cooling degree days — NOAA, same station and period.
Electricity price — US Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, California residential average.
Wet-season share is the wettest three consecutive months as a percentage of annual precipitation, calculated from the monthly normals.