Winters are cool with nighttime temperatures dropping to 32 F or less about 77 days a year then warming into the 50s during the day. Precipitation is at its maximum from November through March with normal monthly rainfall averaging 0.5 inch or more. Normally, frontal systems move rapidly through the area and should be expected to move through the area on an average of three a month. Average annual precipitation in the Ridgecrest area is reported at less than 3 inches, while the relative humidity throughout the year averages 39 percent. Because temperatures rarely fall below freezing, snowfall is insignificant.
Air routinely flows into the Indian Wells Valley through low mountain passes.
Air circulates in from the San Joaquin Valley via Red Rock Canyon, Walker Pass and possibly Tehachapi Pass. To the northwest, air from Owens Valley flows through the gap at Little Lake. From the east, air comes into the Valley through Burro Canyon and from the southeast, through the gap between Argus and El Paso Ranges.