Hail history in Bakersfield, CA
On average, NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Bakersfield on 0.1 days a year from 2016 to 2025, 0.1 of them with hail 1 inch or larger. NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Bakersfield on 1 day since 2010. The largest hail reported was 1.0 in, in 2016. 1 of those days had hail of 1 inch or larger. April has the most hail days, 1 since 2010. The most recent was April 24, 2016. NOAA also recorded high wind on 4 days, with gusts up to 58 mph.
Ranks #168 of 200 US cities for days with hail 1 inch or larger, 2016 to 2025.
- Hail days since 2010
- 1
- Largest hail
- 1.0 in
- Highest gust
- 58 mph
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
1 hail day within 15 miles since 2010, largest 1.0 in
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
Hail days by year
Bar chart of hail days per year, 2010 to 2026. 1 hail days in total; the most was 1 in 2016.
Hail days by month
Hail days by month since 2010: Jan 0, Feb 0, Mar 0, Apr 1, May 0, Jun 0, Jul 0, Aug 0, Sep 0, Oct 0, Nov 0, Dec 0.
Most recent hail days
| Date | Largest hail | Nearest report |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 24, 2016 | 1.0 in | 3.8 mi |
About this data
- Distances are from the center of Bakersfield, not from any one property. Look up a street address below for a single building.
- Reports come from trained spotters and the public, so they cluster near towns and roads.
- No report does not mean no hail. Hail can fall where no one is there to report it.
- This is not a damage or insurance assessment.
4 high-wind days within 15 miles since 2010, strongest gust 58 mph
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
Most recent high-wind days
| Date | Highest gust | Nearest report |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 2021 | 40 mph | 0.9 mi |
| Sep 3, 2017 | 49 mph | 3.2 mi |
| Feb 28, 2014 | 45 mph | 2.2 mi |
| Sep 23, 2011 | 58 mph | 2.9 mi |
About this data
- Distances are from the center of Bakersfield, not from any one property. Look up a street address below for a single building.
- Reports come from trained spotters and the public, so they cluster near towns and roads.
- No report does not mean no hail. Hail can fall where no one is there to report it.
- Wind speed is the highest reported gust; some reports have no speed.
- This is not a damage or insurance assessment.
Gusts, tornadoes and hurricanes in Bakersfield
Estimated peak gusts
No day since October 1, 2021 had an estimated peak gust of 58 mph or more at Bakersfield.
| Day | Estimated peak gust |
|---|---|
| Jan 4, 2023 | 50 mph or more |
Estimates: the highest gust of each storm day in NOAA’s hourly 2.5 km wind analysis (URMA), which fills in between weather stations. Analyses like this smooth out short thunderstorm gusts, so they are best for widespread wind (hurricanes, winter storms, high wind days); for thunderstorm wind, NOAA’s wind reports are the better record. Not a measurement at any building.
Tornadoes within 10 miles
NOAA recorded 3 tornadoes whose path came within 10 miles of Bakersfield since 1950; the strongest was rated EF0.
| Day | Rating | Path length | Closest |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 2013 | EF0 | 0.44 miles | 1.7 miles |
| Apr 3, 1999 | EF0 | 0.1 miles | 3.8 miles |
| Feb 17, 1997 | EF0 | 0.3 miles | 2.4 miles |
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center. Ratings before 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
No hurricane or tropical storm in NOAA's records brought modeled tropical-storm-force winds (39 mph) to Bakersfield.
Modeled from NOAA’s best tracks for open, flat ground; not measurements. How we model hurricane winds
1 radar hail day within 15 miles since 2020, largest 0.75 in or more
Source: NOAA MRMS radar (MESH), from October 14, 2020. Estimates of the largest hail in each 1 km cell, not measurements.
0 days with radar hail 1 inch or larger, 0 at 2 inches or larger, within 15 miles of Bakersfield’s center.
Biggest radar hail days
- 0.75 in+
- 1.0 in+
- 1.5 in+
- 2.0 in+
- 2.5 in+
- 3.0 in+
Most recent radar hail days
| Date | Largest radar estimate |
|---|---|
| Jun 21, 2022 | 0.75 in or more |
Storms in Bakersfield
Because the city sits near the base of the Sierra Nevada and the Tehachapis, downslope winds from the south or southeast reach it and can at times hit 50 mph.1
Notable storms
- February 4, 2024Strong downslope winds on February 4 gusted over 50 mph in Bakersfield and brought down trees and power lines. PG&E reported about 10,000 customers without power in Bakersfield that afternoon.2,3
- September 3, 2017On September 3, thunderstorms moving north through the valley brought gusts of 40 to 50 mph. In Bakersfield the winds downed a tree near Meadows Field and tree branches in East Bakersfield, and downed power poles and a mudslide closed State Route 99 near Panama Lane for about an hour.4,5
- April 24, 2016Severe thunderstorms dropped 1-inch hail about 5 miles west-southwest of Oildale that night.6,7
- May 6, 2013A thunderstorm produced a brief, weak EF0 tornado that touched down at 7:10 p.m. in the dry bed of the Kern River near Old River Road and Stockdale Highway in west Bakersfield. No damage was reported.8,9
- September 23, 2011A severe thunderstorm with winds estimated at 58 mph toppled a tree and a power pole in Bakersfield, and 3,723 customers in the city lost power.10,11
- February 17, 1997Hail 1.5 inches in diameter fell on the southwest side of the city, the largest documented in Bakersfield as of NWS Hanford's 2008 climate study.1
Warnings and alerts
NWS San Joaquin Valley/Hanford is the local National Weather Service office for Bakersfield.12 ReadyKern, Kern County's emergency notification system, alerts registered residents and businesses to severe weather, floods and fires.13
Sources
- 1. NWS Hanford: The Climate of Bakersfield, California (NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS WR-281)
- 2. NWS Hanford: Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena, February 2024
- 3. 23ABC News (KERO): Widespread power outages across Kern
- 4. NWS Hanford: Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena, September 2017
- 5. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Kern County, September 3, 2017
- 6. NWS Hanford: Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena, April 2016
- 7. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Kern County, April 24, 2016
- 8. NWS Hanford: Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena, May 2013
- 9. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, Kern County, May 6, 2013
- 10. NWS Hanford: Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena, September 2011
- 11. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Kern County, September 23, 2011
- 12. National Weather Service: Forecast for Bakersfield, CA
- 13. Kern County Fire Department: ReadyKern
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Questions about hail in Bakersfield
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
- How often does it hail in Bakersfield?
- NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Bakersfield on 0.1 days a year on average from 2016 to 2025, 0.1 of them with hail 1 inch or larger. Since 2010 it recorded 1 hail day.
- When is hail season in Bakersfield?
- April has the most hail days within 15 miles of the center of Bakersfield, 1 since 2010.
- What is the largest hail recorded in Bakersfield?
- 1.0 in, in 2016: the largest hail NOAA recorded within 15 miles of the center of Bakersfield since 2010.
- When did it last hail in Bakersfield?
- NOAA's most recent hail report within 15 miles of the center of Bakersfield is from April 24, 2016, with hail up to 1.0 in reported 3.8 miles from the center. Data through November 1, 2026.