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Desert conditions · When to go

The best time to visit California City

Autumn, for most people. Spring has the wildflowers but also the wind; summer is for early starts only; winter is fine by day and cold by night. Here is the year month by month, with the numbers behind each call.

Reference sections last reviewed · 12 sources

When is the best time to visit California City?

  1. JanMixed
  2. FebMixed
  3. MarGood
  4. AprMixed
  5. MayMixed
  6. JunHard
  7. JulHard
  8. AugHard
  9. SepMixed
  10. OctGood
  11. NovGood
  12. DecMixed

October and November are the easiest months to plan around. October averages highs of about 78°F and November about 66°F, and they are among the calmest months of the year: at the Mojave airport, ten miles west, about a third of October and November days gust to 30 mph, against three-quarters of April days.13

March and April are just as mild, with highs of 67°F and 72°F, and in a wet year they bring the wildflowers.14 The price is wind: April has more days gusting to 40 mph than any other month.3

June to August is hot: a normal year brings about 34 days of 100°F or more, nearly all of them in those three months.2 December and January are pleasant by day and freezing by night, with about 13 to 15 nights a month at or below 32°F.1

What each month is like

Temperatures and rainfall are NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for Mojave, the nearest station that has them1; the gust figure is the share of days between 2016 and 2025 on which the Mojave airport recorded a gust of 40 mph or more.3 “Good”, “Mixed” and “Hard” are this guide’s summary for riding and camping, not an official rating. California City weather year round has the full table, with freezing nights, average wind and the record highs and lows.

  1. January

    Mixed
    High
    58°F
    Low
    33°F
    Precip.
    1.08 in
    Days gusting 40+
    23%
    Cold nights: about 13 at or below freezing in a normal January.1 In a wet winter the first flowers can already be out: in January 2026 State Parks reported lacy phacelia and coreopsis in bloom at Red Rock Canyon.4

  2. February

    Mixed
    High
    60°F
    Low
    35°F
    Precip.
    1.49 in
    Days gusting 40+
    22%
    The wettest month, at about 1.5 inches.1 State Parks says peak bloom in its desert parks typically begins from mid-February, depending on the place and the rain.4

  3. March

    Good
    High
    67°F
    Low
    40°F
    Precip.
    0.80 in
    Days gusting 40+
    29%
    Mild days and wildflowers in a wet year, but the wind is rising: 63% of March days gust to 30 mph or more at Mojave.3 The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve expects its bloom from mid-March to May.4

  4. April

    Mixed
    High
    72°F
    Low
    45°F
    Precip.
    0.21 in
    Days gusting 40+
    45%
    Some of the best temperatures of the year, and more strong gusts than any other month: 45% of April days gust to 40 mph or more at Mojave.3 BLM seasonal fire restrictions began on 15 April in 2026.6

  5. May

    Mixed
    High
    81°F
    Low
    53°F
    Precip.
    0.13 in
    Days gusting 40+
    43%
    The windiest month on average, at 15.6 mph, with 82% of days gusting to 30 or more.3 In 2025 the seasonal fire restrictions began on 21 May.7

  6. June

    Hard
    High
    91°F
    Low
    64°F
    Precip.
    0.03 in
    Days gusting 40+
    38%
    Heat arrives and the rain stops: highs average 91°F and June sees about 0.03 inches.1 Still windy, with 81% of days gusting to 30.3

  7. July

    Hard
    High
    97°F
    Low
    69°F
    Precip.
    0.18 in
    Days gusting 40+
    16%
    The hottest month, with average highs of 97°F.1 Ride at dawn, watch the NWS HeatRisk, and carry more water than seems sensible.11

  8. August

    Hard
    High
    97°F
    Low
    67°F
    Precip.
    0.17 in
    Days gusting 40+
    17%
    As hot as July on average. June, July and August together bring about 31 days of 100°F or more.2

  9. September

    Mixed
    High
    90°F
    Low
    61°F
    Precip.
    0.10 in
    Days gusting 40+
    12%
    Cooling, with highs near 90°F, and the wind settles: 36% of days gust to 30 mph.13 Seasonal fire restrictions are still in force.6

  10. October

    Good
    High
    78°F
    Low
    49°F
    Precip.
    0.42 in
    Days gusting 40+
    16%
    Highs near 78°F and one of the calmest months: 35% of days gust to 30 mph.13 The 2026 seasonal fire order runs to 29 October 2026; in 2025 the restrictions were lifted effective 30 October.68

  11. November

    Good
    High
    66°F
    Low
    39°F
    Precip.
    0.34 in
    Days gusting 40+
    20%
    Highs in the mid-60s and the first freezing nights, about four in a normal November.1 Thanksgiving weekend is busy: in 2020 State Parks and the BLM warned of “high visitation surges” in the desert, including over it.9 Kern County’s burn season for clearing brush reopened on 26 November in 2025.10

  12. December

    Mixed
    High
    57°F
    Low
    32°F
    Precip.
    0.81 in
    Days gusting 40+
    17%
    The most freezing nights of the year, about 15, and the calmest average wind.13 The wet season is under way: December averages about 0.8 inches.1

When do the desert wildflowers bloom?

From about February to May, if the winter was wet. Bloom depends on the timing and amount of rain, sunlight, temperature and wind, so no two years match. State Parks names Red Rock Canyon among the desert parks that can put on a display, says peak bloom in its desert parks typically begins from mid-February, and lists 2017, 2019 and 2023 as notable years; the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, to the south-west, expects its bloom from mid-March to May.4

The open desert blooms too. The poppies below were photographed in March 2019 in Short Canyon, on land managed by the BLM’s Ridgecrest Field Office, the office that also manages Jawbone Canyon, Dove Springs and the Rand and El Paso Mountains.5

Orange California poppies and small yellow flowers spread across a sandy desert slope among grey-green shrubs.
Poppies in Short Canyon, on BLM land in the Ridgecrest Field Office, 23 March 2019. Photo by Kirsten Carroll, BLM. Public domain. Source · Licence

What else to plan around: fire season, holidays and camping

Fire season. From spring to late autumn the BLM’s seasonal restrictions limit campfires on the public land around the city to developed sites.6 Fire restrictions around California City and Jawbone Canyon has the current dates.

Holiday weekends. Thanksgiving is the one to plan around: ahead of it in 2020, State Parks and the BLM jointly warned of “high visitation surges” in the desert.9 If you want the desert to yourself, go the weekend before or after.

Camping at Red Rock Canyon. The state park’s Ricardo Campground has 50 primitive sites with fire rings, tables, potable water and pit toilets.12

And the week itself. Whatever the month, the forecast beats the averages. The California City, CA weather forecast rates the coming weekend for riding and camping from the latest NWS forecast.

Sources

Every date, figure and name above traces to one of these. If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us and it will be fixed.

  1. 1.U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, monthly: Mojave, CA (USC00045756). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.Average highs and lows, precipitation, snowfall and freezing nights by month.
  2. 2.U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, annual and seasonal: Mojave, CA (USC00045756). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.Days of 90°F and 100°F or more, and freezing nights, per year and per season.
  3. 3.Integrated Surface Database (Global Hourly). NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.Hourly wind and gust reports from Mojave (KMHV, 72295303183) and Edwards AFB (KEDW, 72381023114), 2016–2025, summarised by this site's scripts/wind_climatology.py.
  4. 4.Colorful Wildflower Displays Expected at California's Desert State Parks This Spring. California State Parks, 23 January 2026.
  5. 5.Ridgecrest Field Office. Bureau of Land Management.Manages Jawbone Canyon, Dove Springs, the El Paso Mountains and the Rand Mountains, in the California Desert District.
  6. 6.Fire Prevention Order CAD-000-2026-02: California Desert District Seasonal Fire Restrictions. Bureau of Land Management, April 2026.
  7. 7.The BLM initiates seasonal fire and target shooting restrictions in California Desert District. Bureau of Land Management, 16 May 2025.
  8. 8.BLM lifts seasonal fire and target shooting restrictions in Southern California. Bureau of Land Management, 21 November 2025.
  9. 9.State and Federal Officials Advise Outdoor Enthusiasts to Recreate Responsibly in the Great Outdoors This Thanksgiving Weekend. Bureau of Land Management, 24 November 2020.
  10. 10.Kern County Open Burning Announced. Kern County Fire Department, 25 November 2025.
  11. 11.NWS HeatRisk. National Weather Service.The five HeatRisk categories and who each one affects.
  12. 12.Red Rock Canyon State Park. California State Parks.