Climate · Ridgecrest Heights

Ridgecrest Heights, CA climate

Ridgecrest Heights has mild winters and scorching summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 103°, a January night drops to 34°, and snow is almost unheard of.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
103°
58th hottest of 1,618 California towns
January low
34°
250th coldest of 1,618 California towns
Rain + melted snow
3 in
37th driest of 1,618 California towns
Snow a winter
0.5 in
274th snowiest of 1,499 California towns
A normal year

What a year in Ridgecrest Heights feels like

Winter

60° / 34°
Typical high / low · Snow is rare

Spring

78° / 49°
Typical high / low · Last frost around Mar 9

Summer

100° / 68°
Typical high / low · 137 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

81° / 51°
Typical high / low · First frost around Nov 20
Best months to be outsideMarAprOctHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Ridgecrest Heights weather by month

Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet daysSnow on ground30-yr range
January59°34°0.7" 0.3"30 42° – 53°
February63°37°0.8" 050 44° – 58°
March70°43°0.5" 030 49° – 64°
April77°48°0.1" 010 56° – 66°
May86°56°0.1" 010 61° – 78°
June97°64°0.0" 000 74° – 86°
July103°71°0.1" 010 82° – 91°
August101°69°0.1" 010 82° – 88°
September94°62°0.1" 010 74° – 82°
October82°51°0.2" 010 62° – 73°
November68°40°0.2" 010 45° – 61°
December58°32°0.5" 0.2"20 41° – 50°
Year80°51°3.5"0.5"190

“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.

Rain & snow

Rain and snow in Ridgecrest Heights

Ridgecrest Heights gets 3 inches of rain and melted snow a year. February is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 19 days a year.

3 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 100% of U.S. towns
0.5 in
Snow in a normal winter
Less snow than 88% of U.S. towns
0 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
Fewer than 87% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
0.8"

Snowfall by month

About 0.5" in a normal year, so most winters see none.
Frost & the growing season

About 250 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 9 and the first one by November 20. That leaves about 250 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 90% of U.S. towns.

58
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
0
nights below 0° in a normal year
137
days that reach 90° in a normal year

Freezing nights by month

Average nights at or below 32°

90° days by month

Average days at 90° or more
Heating & cooling

Heating and cooling a home in Ridgecrest Heights

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Ridgecrest Heights, 50% of that work is heating and 50% is cooling.

50%heating
2,431 heating degree daysLess heating than 90% of U.S. towns
2,389 cooling degree daysMore cooling than 92% of U.S. towns

Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.

Compared with other towns

How Ridgecrest Heights compares

Summer heat103° July high
Hotter than 100% of U.S. towns58th hottest of 1,618 California towns
Winter cold34° January low
Milder than 86% of U.S. towns250th coldest of 1,618 California towns
Precipitation3" a year
Drier than 100% of U.S. towns37th driest of 1,618 California towns
Snow0.5" a winter
Less snow than 88% of U.S. towns274th snowiest of 1,499 California towns
Growing season250 frost-free days
Longer than 90% of U.S. towns362nd shortest of 1,542 California towns

Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.

Then and now

Warmer than it used to be

+1.5°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Ridgecrest Heights averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in September (+2.2°). The shift is larger than in 71% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+1.3° now 47°, was 46°
🌷 Spring+1.5° now 63°, was 62°
☀️ Summer+1.5° now 84°, was 83°
🍂 Fall+1.7° now 66°, was 64°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Ridgecrest Heights’s spot on NOAA’s grid

Year to year

How much a month can swing

A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. May swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 61° to 78°. August is the most reliable, staying within 7°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Ridgecrest Heights’s climate

What is the coldest month in Ridgecrest Heights?

December, with a typical high of 58° and a low of 32°.

What is the hottest month in Ridgecrest Heights?

July, with a typical high of 103° and a low of 71°. About 137 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Ridgecrest Heights get?

Almost none. A normal year brings 0.5 inches.

When is the first frost in Ridgecrest Heights?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by November 20, and the last spring frost by March 9.

What is the rainiest month in Ridgecrest Heights?

February, with 0.8 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 3 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Ridgecrest Heights itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Inyokern, CA (7 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/19 · 2025-01-01