Climate averages 1991–2020
Bakersfield weather
in May.
A warm, very dry month: the 5th warmest and the 5th driest of the year. Meets the pleasant-weather rule
Long-term climate patterns, not a forecast for a particular trip.
May is a warm month in Bakersfield: daytime highs average 27.3°C and nights cool to about 14.4°C. By daytime temperature it is the 5th warmest of the 12 months.
Expect about 9.8 mm of rain on roughly 2 days, which makes May a very dry month (the 5th driest of the 12 months). Daylight, from sunrise to sunset, lasts about 14 h 00 min on an average May day.
The nearest other city in this atlas is Visalia (109 km away). In May its highs average 27.1°C, about as warm as Bakersfield, with 23 mm of rain.
Among the 498 cities listed in the United States, Bakersfield ranks joint 121st of 498 for the warmest May highs and 48th of 498 for the driest May (rainfall, lowest first). The mean May high of those 498 cities is 23.8°C; Bakersfield is 3.5°C warmer than that mean.
From May to June, average highs rise by 4.8°C to 32.1°C, and monthly rainfall falls from 9.8 mm to 1.3 mm.
The annual picture
May in context
Monthly rainfall
Average total · mmAverages from hourly ERA5 reanalysis data. Actual weather varies from year to year. How these numbers are calculated
Every month, side by side
Bakersfield climate table
| Month | Average highHigh / low | Average low | Rainfall mm/month | Rain days ≥1 mm/day | Daylight hours/dayDaylight h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15.3°C4.1°C | 4.1°C | 47 | 7.5 | 10.110 h |
| February | 16.7°C5.4°C | 5.4°C | 49 | 7.8 | 10.911 h |
| March | 19.3°C7.7°C | 7.7°C | 48 | 7.3 | 11.912 h |
| April | 22.6°C10.1°C | 10.1°C | 27 | 4.7 | 13.113 h |
| May, selected | 27.3°C14.4°C | 14.4°C | 9.8 | 2.1 | 14.014 h |
| June | 32.1°C18.5°C | 18.5°C | 1.3 | 0.3 | 14.515 h |
| July | 35.6°C22.4°C | 22.4°C | 0.6 | 0.2 | 14.314 h |
| August | 35.0°C21.6°C | 21.6°C | 0 | 0.0 | 13.513 h |
| September | 31.8°C17.9°C | 17.9°C | 1.0 | 0.3 | 12.412 h |
| October | 25.5°C12.5°C | 12.5°C | 11 | 2.1 | 11.311 h |
| November | 19.0°C7.4°C | 7.4°C | 26 | 4.7 | 10.310 h |
| December | 14.8°C3.8°C | 3.8°C | 48 | 6.9 | 9.810 h |
Rainfall is the average of the 30 separate monthly totals. A rain day is a local calendar day with at least 1 mm of precipitation. Daylight is the calculated sunrise-to-sunset length, not measured sunshine.
Compare places
May in nearby cities
- Visalia in MayUnited States · 109 kmHigh 27.1°C · Low 13.7°C · 23 mm rain
- Valencia, United States in MayUnited States · 110 kmHigh 25.4°C · Low 12.4°C · 10 mm rain
- Lancaster in MayUnited States · 110 kmHigh 26.7°C · Low 12.3°C · 3.6 mm rain
- Santa Clarita in MayUnited States · 117 kmHigh 25.2°C · Low 12.3°C · 10 mm rain
- Palmdale in MayUnited States · 121 kmHigh 25.7°C · Low 12.1°C · 12 mm rain
- Santa Barbara in MayUnited States · 123 kmHigh 25.1°C · Low 14.3°C · 10 mm rain
- Ventura in MayUnited States · 124 kmHigh 21.6°C · Low 12.8°C · 9.9 mm rain
- Simi Valley in MayUnited States · 125 kmHigh 23.9°C · Low 12.7°C · 12 mm rain
Read the numbers correctly
Climate, not a promise.
These patterns help compare months. They cannot tell you the weather on a specific day of your trip.
Sources, method and limitsHow these numbers are made (what the highs, lows and rain days mean, the sources and the model cell used for Bakersfield) is explained once on the Bakersfield year overview and on the Sources, method and limits page.