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Ridgecrest, California

City in Kern County, California

Air quality

The air at Ridgecrest

Index 35, good, led by ozone. Read at 8 PM from its reporting area, Trona (CA), 20 miles off.

35Good
  • Ozone35Good38 ppb20.3 mi
  • Coarse particles (PM10)6Good20.3 mi

The days ahead

Good each day through Fri Oct 16, led by ozone. Yesterday measured 33, good.

Smoke, the next 45 hours

Little smoke near the ground through Sat 5 PM: the index from smoke stays at 17 or under.

FriSat

Precipitation

What has fallen at Ridgecrest

None in the last 3 days, to Thu 8 PM. Measured by radar and rain gauges, as water.

Last 24 hours
0.00in
Last 3 days
0.00in

Visibility

How far you can see at Ridgecrest, the next 45 hours

Visibility stays 10 miles or more through Sat 5 PM.

FriSat

On the radar over Ridgecrest, CaliforniaReflectivityStorm topsRain rateRain, last 24 hoursForecast temperatureForecast rain totalEvery picture

What is measuring near here

The 7 instruments nearest Ridgecrest, how far away each one is, how high it stands, and what kind of measurement it makes. The nearest is 1.0 miles away.

measured now5 instruments

measured daily2 instruments

Station report

The weather at China Lake (NAF), drawn

The nearest airport reporting now, 4.4 mi from Ridgecrest, California. From its report of Oct 15, 2026, 8:56 PM local time: 3 of its 6 sheets.

The sky

No cloud reported; visibility 10 mi or more.

Section of the sky over China Lake (NAF), height above the station to scale: no cloud reported, and visibility of 10 mi or more.1122334455667788AABBCCDDEE© 2026 STORM STATION 247THE FIELD BOOKSTATION REPORT NIDFIG. A THE SKY OVER CHINA LAKE (NAF)SECTION, HEIGHT ABOVE THE STATION TO SCALE, EACH LAYER AT THE HEIGHT OF ITS BASE AS REPORTED; COVER IN EIGHTHS OF THE SKY; TOPS NOT MEASUREDFT ABOVE THE STATION05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,000ETAGESLOWTHE STATIONTHE CEILOMETER READS TO 12,000 FT, ABOVE THIS SHEETNO CLOUD REPORTEDVISIBILITY, MILES: 10 MI OR MORE0510TITLEChina Lake (NAF), the skySTATION REPORT · ASOS NIDTYPESECTIONSCALEHEIGHT TO SCALEREVAS REPORTED SHEET 1 of 6DATE2026-10-16IDSR-NID-1DRAWN AS linework on paperSOURCES FB-SKY-001

The air

74.0 F with a dew point of 27.0 F, 17 per cent relative humidity. Air lifted from the station would cool to its dew point, where cloud forms, about 10,500 ft up.

Chart of the air at China Lake (NAF): temperature 74.0 degrees Fahrenheit and dew point 27.0, 17 per cent relative humidity; air lifted from the station cools along the dry rate and meets its dew point about 10,500 feet above the station; height to scale.1122334455667788AABBCCDDEE© 2026 STORM STATION 247THE FIELD BOOKSTATION REPORT NIDFIG. B THE AIR AT CHINA LAKE (NAF)THE REPORTED TEMPERATURE AND DEW POINT, AND AIR LIFTED FROM THE STATION WITHOUT MIXING UNTIL IT SATURATES; HEIGHT ABOVE THE STATION TO SCALEFT ABOVE THE STATION02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00010 F30 F50 F70 FSATURATES 10,500 FT ABOVE THE STATION, AT 17.7 FTEMPERATURE 74.0 FDEW POINT 27.0 FSPREAD 47.0 FRELATIVE HUMIDITY 17 PER CENTTHE AIR COOLS ABOUT 5.4 F EACH 1,000 FT IT RISES, AND ITS DEW POINT ABOUT 1 FSOLID: THE LIFTED AIR'S TEMPERATURE; DASHED: ITS DEW POINTTITLEChina Lake (NAF), the airSTATION REPORT · ASOS NIDTYPECHARTSCALEHEIGHT TO SCALEREVAS REPORTED SHEET 2 of 6DATE2026-10-16IDSR-NID-2DRAWN AS linework on paperSOURCES FB-WAT-002, FB-ENG-011, FB-ENG-005

The wind

From the north northeast (20 degrees) at 13 mph: force 4, a moderate breeze on the Beaufort scale. The strongest gust today was 41 mph.

Plan of the wind at China Lake (NAF), north up: blowing from 20 degrees, the north northeast, at 13 miles an hour; beside it the Beaufort scale from calm to hurricane force, force 4, moderate breeze, marked.1122334455667788AABBCCDDEE© 2026 STORM STATION 247THE FIELD BOOKSTATION REPORT NIDFIG. C THE WIND AT CHINA LAKE (NAF)PLAN, NORTH UP: THE WIND AS REPORTED, AND WHERE IT SITS ON THE BEAUFORT SCALENESWTHE STATIONFROM 20°BEAUFORT FORCELEAST WIND, MPH0CALM01LIGHT AIR12LIGHT BREEZE43GENTLE BREEZE84MODERATE BREEZE13NOW, 13 MPH5FRESH BREEZE196STRONG BREEZE257NEAR GALE328GALE399STRONG GALE4710STORM5511VIOLENT STORM6412HURRICANE FORCE73TITLEChina Lake (NAF), the windSTATION REPORT · ASOS NIDTYPEPLAN north upSCALENOT TO SCALEREVAS REPORTED SHEET 3 of 6DATE2026-10-16IDSR-NID-3DRAWN AS linework on paperSOURCES FB-EVT-150, FB-ENG-008, FB-INS-002

The full report of China Lake (NAF), in 6 sheets, each beside the Field Book plates that explain it

0in

Snow on the ground

Measured at N.American Chemical Corp. Main Plant (TNAC1), 18.7 miles from here, read 15 Oct, 06:00. measured daily

Elsewhere in California

33 places, each with its own forecast and its own instruments.

Near Ridgecrest

The nearest places, each with its own forecast and the instruments nearest it.

Near Ridgecrest

River and lake gauges