Original analysis of NOAA and Census data
Bakersfield heat data: how hard summer is on an air conditioner
Bakersfield now averages 51.8 days a year at 100°F or hotter and 32.8 nights that never cool below 75°F, based on 88 complete years of daily readings at Meadows Field. Over 1961-1990 those numbers were 38.3 and 16.6.
Days per year at 100°F or hotter, Meadows Field Airport
Nights per year when the low stayed at 75°F or above
What we found
- More 100 degree days. 38.3 a year over 1961-1990, 51.8 over 2016-2025, and 51.7 a year so far in the 2020s (6 complete years). Days at 95°F or more went from 74 to 88.7, about three months of them.
- Hot nights doubled. Nights with a low of 75°F or more went from 16.6 a year to 32.8. Nights at 70°F or more went from 47.3 to 70.5.
- It isn't a straight line. The 1970s were hot too, with 44.7 days at 100°F a year, and the 1990s were the mildest decade in the record at 30.2. The longest run of 100°F days is still 25 in a row, ending August 6, 1971. What is new is how warm the nights stay.
- Peak months: July averages about 20 days at 100°F or more over 2016-2025, August 16 and June 9. September still averages 5.1.
- Records: the hottest reading at the station is 115°F, on July 1, 1950 and again on September 6, 2022. The warmest night had a low of 86°F, first on August 9, 1978.
- 2026 so far: 47 days at 100°F or more through October 24, 2026, against a 1961-1990 average of 38.3 by that date and 51.8 for 2016-2025. The high for the year was 111°F on August 9, 2026, and 68 nights stayed at 70°F or above.
- Dry heat: the airport averaged 5.72 inches of rain a year over 1961-1990, and June through September brought 6% of it. Summer here is long and dry, which keeps outdoor coils dusty and filters loaded.
Average days at 100°F or hotter, by month
Average daily high and low by month, Meadows Field Airport
By decade
| Period | Days at 100°F+ per year | Days at 105°F+ per year | Nights at 70°F+ per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 42.5 | 12.1 | 19.3 |
| 1950s | 34.4 | 7.9 | 29.6 |
| 1960s | 33.4 | 9.1 | 43.1 |
| 1970s | 44.7 | 15.7 | 63.0 |
| 1980s | 37.7 | 11.6 | 37.3 |
| 1990s | 30.2 | 7.5 | 27.8 |
| 2000s | 32.9 | 7.1 | 47.0 |
| 2010s | 41.9 | 10.7 | 58.6 |
| 2020 to 2025 | 51.7 | 17.5 | 71.0 |
Homes by ZIP code
Older housing tends to mean older ducts and systems that were added or replaced piecemeal. Heating fuel shows which homes already rely on electric heat, where a heat pump is the usual replacement.
| ZIP | Area | Housing units | Median year built | Built before 1980 | Built 2000 or later | Owner occupied | Electric heat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93307 | South Bakersfield / Casa Loma | 24,398 | 1982 | 48% | 28% | 47% | 60% |
| 93306 | Northeast Bakersfield / Hillcrest | 24,143 | 1979 | 52% | 25% | 64% | 36% |
| 93309 | Stockdale / Westdale | 23,656 | 1976 | 65% | 4% | 47% | 39% |
| 93308 | Oildale | 21,354 | 1977 | 55% | 21% | 49% | 28% |
| 93312 | Northwest / Rosedale (east) | 19,166 | 2001 | 10% | 53% | 80% | 18% |
| 93311 | Seven Oaks / Tevis Ranch | 18,357 | 2001 | 5% | 55% | 71% | 22% |
| 93313 | Southwest / Silver Creek | 17,673 | 2000 | 14% | 50% | 79% | 28% |
| 93304 | Oleander-Sunset / Westpark | 16,234 | 1964 | 76% | 7% | 46% | 36% |
| 93305 | East Bakersfield (central) | 11,750 | 1965 | 79% | 6% | 34% | 51% |
| 93314 | Rosedale (west) | 11,508 | 2006 | 9% | 66% | 84% | 23% |
| 93263 | Shafter | 6,722 | 1989 | 43% | 38% | 63% | 28% |
| 93301 | Downtown / Westchester | 6,174 | 1973 | 61% | 16% | 37% | 35% |
| 93203 | Arvin | 5,314 | 1992 | 34% | 36% | 54% | 47% |
| 93241 | Lamont | 4,646 | 1972 | 74% | 14% | 43% | 52% |
Area names are our shorthand for the main neighborhood or town in each ZIP. Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (tables B25034, B25035, B25003, B25040). Click a column to sort.
How we built this
Temperature. NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network daily summaries for Bakersfield Meadows Field Airport (station USW00023155), October 1, 1937 to October 24, 2026. A year counts only if it has a high and low on at least 355 days, which leaves 88 complete years (1938-2025). "Earlier" here means 1961-1990, a fixed 30 year baseline; "recent" means 2016-2025. These are our own counts from the daily record, not NOAA's official normals. Data pulled October 29, 2026.
Homes. US Census American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates by ZIP Code Tabulation Area, via Census Reporter.
Limits. One airport station doesn't describe every neighborhood. Meadows Field sits at about 490 feet on the north side of town, near Oildale. The east side bluffs sit higher and the southwest tracts lower, and nights can run differently away from the airport. Use this to understand the area, not to diagnose your system.
Using this data. Feel free to quote or republish this data under CC BY 4.0, with a link to this page.