Frost dates in Bakersfield, California
NOAA 1991–2020 normals for a 32 °F freeze. Low spots and the edge of town run colder than downtown.
Short answer
The average last spring frost in Bakersfield is January 17, and the average first fall frost is December 15, from NOAA's Bakersfield Airport station, 6 miles from the middle of Bakersfield. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after February 18, and the first one by November 30. That leaves about 332 frost-free days. Bakersfield is in USDA planting zone 9b.
Weather stations around Bakersfield
The first row is the date most people in Bakersfield go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield Airport 6 mi away, 489 ft | January 17 1 in 10 after February 18 | December 15 1 in 10 by November 30 | 332 days |
| Bakersfield 5 NW 5 mi away, 470 ft | January 31 1 in 10 after February 27 | December 8 1 in 10 by November 23 | 311 days |
| Shafter 6E 11 mi away, 404 ft | February 20 1 in 10 after March 9 | November 23 1 in 10 by November 5 | 276 days |
| Wasco 24 mi away, 291 ft | January 31 1 in 10 after February 27 | December 5 1 in 10 by November 21 | 308 days |
| Buttonwillow 25 mi away, 225 ft | February 9 1 in 10 after March 6 | November 26 1 in 10 by November 10 | 290 days |
Distances are from the middle of Bakersfield as the Census Bureau maps it. The average date is NOAA's 50% date: half of years have a later last frost, or an earlier first one. Plan by the 1-in-10 date if a freeze would cost you plants. The planting zone is the USDA 2023 zone for ZIP code 93304, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Bakersfield covers a lot of ground. For the station nearest your own street, and its planting zone, type your ZIP code.
How these dates work
Frost dates come from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 Climate Normals, which work out from each weather station's daily lows how likely the last spring freeze and the first fall freeze (32 °F) are by each date. We use the station nearest the middle of your ZIP code and show its height and distance, since a station on a hill or by a lake can differ from your yard.
The average date is the 50% date: half of years have a freeze after the spring date or before the fall one. The 1-in-10 dates are NOAA's 10% dates, the ones to plan by if a late freeze would cost you plants. Within one yard, cold air pools in low spots while walls and paving hold heat, so some corners freeze before others.
More frost dates
All of California, station by station.
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Where the numbers come from
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University (zone data)
- NOAA NCEI, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, annual/seasonal
- NOAA, Normals calculation methodology (frost-freeze probability dates)
- US Census Bureau, 2025 ZCTA gazetteer (ZIP code centers)
- US Census Bureau, 2025 city population estimates and place gazetteer