Barstow climate — normals and trends
Barstow (United States) has a cold desert climate (BWk) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 17.8 °C and it receives 103 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is July (29.4 °C on average) and the coldest is December (7.4 °C). Rainfall peaks in February.
Barstow averages 23 frost days, 125 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 19 rainy days per year.
Barstow has warmed by +2.9 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.35 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 39 to 7 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 45.5 °C (on 8 July 2024) and the coldest -13.7 °C (on 17 January 1949).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
BarstowCalifornia
- coords
- 34.90°, -117.02°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
17.8°C
Average daily high
24.5°C
Average daily low
11.0°C
Annual rainfall
103mm
Sunshine / day
11.5h
Mean relative humidity
38%
Average peak wind
20.7km/h
Seasonal range
22.0°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
23 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
125 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
19 d/yr
Annual snowfall
3.0 cm
Average feels-like high
21.2 °C
Average feels-like low
8.2 °C
Average peak gust
41.0 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
59 d/yr
Solar radiation
21.6 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.9 °C
since 1940
+0.4 °C per decade · r² = 0.72 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
45.5 °C
8 July 2024
Coldest day
-13.7 °C
17 January 1949
Wettest day
40 mm
10 September 1976
Windiest day
57.5 km/h
30 April 1954
Strongest gust
109.4 km/h
30 April 1954
Hottest feels-like
44.8 °C
16 July 2023
Coldest feels-like
-17.9 °C
23 December 1990
Snowiest day
12.0 cm
15 December 2008
Sunniest day
14.0 h
23 June 2025
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14.1 °C | +0.5 °C | 11 mm | -7 mm |
| Feb | 19.6 °C | +3.6 °C | 13 mm | -6 mm |
| Mar | 19.6 °C | +0.6 °C | 19 mm | +5 mm |
| Apr | 24.5 °C | +1.4 °C | 3 mm | -5 mm |
| May | 29.6 °C | +1.8 °C | 9 mm | +6 mm |
| Jun | 35.9 °C | +2.7 °C | 1 mm | -0 mm |
| Jul | 37.1 °C | +0.5 °C | 0 mm | -4 mm |
| Aug | 37.7 °C | +2.0 °C | 1 mm | -4 mm |
| Sep | 31.8 °C | -0.2 °C | 11 mm | +7 mm |
| Oct | 26.1 °C | +0.7 °C | 8 mm | +3 mm |
| Nov | 20.3 °C | +2.2 °C | 60 mm | +50 mm |
| Dec | 17.8 °C | +4.3 °C | 26 mm | +11 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Barstow?
Barstow has a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 17.8 °C and it receives 103 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Barstow?
The hottest day measured in Barstow between 1940 and 2025 was 8 July 2024, reaching 45.5 °C.
What is the coldest day in Barstow?
The coldest day measured in Barstow between 1940 and 2025 was 17 January 1949, at -13.7 °C.
Does it snow in Barstow?
Yes. Barstow gets on average 3.0 cm of snow per year and has around 23 frost days.
Has the climate of Barstow warmed?
Yes: Barstow warmed by +2.9 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Barstow?
The wettest day measured in Barstow between 1940 and 2025 was 10 September 1976, with 40 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Barstow?
The windiest day measured in Barstow between 1940 and 2025 was 30 April 1954, with winds reaching 57.5 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Barstow?
The warmest month in Barstow is July (29.4 °C on average); the coldest is December (7.4 °C).
How much does it rain in Barstow?
Barstow receives on average 103 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 19 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Barstow?
Barstow gets on average 11.5 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 4,198 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Barstow?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Barstow between 1940 and 2025 was 15 December 2008, with 12.0 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Barstow?
Yes: Barstow has on average 59 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Barstow?
In Barstow, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 44.8 °C on 16 July 2023, and the lowest was -17.9 °C on 23 December 1990.
Compare Barstow with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Barstow