Geography and Climate
Los Banos is located on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley in an area north of the Westlands Water District at 37°03′30″N 120°51′00″W / 37.05833°N 120.85°W / 37.05833; -120.85. To the west is the San Luis Reservoir and Interstate 5, which runs north-to-south between the Bay Area and Los Angeles. Los Banos is located next to the Diablo Range, coastal range mountains and hills.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.1 square miles (26 km2), of which, 10.0 square miles (26 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (1.22%) is water. It sits approximately fifty feet above sea level in elevation.
This land is usually windy and receives rain about 20 times a year.
Los Banos sits on the southwestern edge of extensive national and state game refuges; wetlands that support waterfowl and other wildlife habitat along a stretch of the San Joaquin river that still carries water and the Grasslands Ecological Area, home to rare California Grasslands habitat. The San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex includes San Luis National Wildlife Refuge which includes the Kesterson Unit, East Bear Creek, West Bear Creek and the Blue Goose Unit. Nearby are the Merced National Wildlife Refuge and the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge. Fishers, hunters, birdwatchers and other recreational users flock to Los Banos year round.
Los Banos has an arid climate with cool winters and hot summers. Most of the rainfall occurs in the winter months. Average January temperatures are a maximum of 55.1 °F (12.8 °C) and a minimum of 36.2 °F (2.3 °C). Average July temperatures are a maximum of 96.5 °F (35.8 °C) and a minimum of 60.4 °F (15.8 °C). There are an average of 96.9 days with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher. There are an average of 29.4 days with lows of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower. The record high temperature of 116 °F (47 °C) was on July 25, 1931. The record low temperature of 14 °F (−10 °C) was on January 11, 1949, and December 22, 1990. Gusty winds are common in the late afternoon, especially in the vicinity of nearby Pacheco Pass.
Average annual rainfall in Los Banos is 9.21 inches (234 mm). There an average of 46 days with measurable precipitation. The wettest year was 1998 with 21.08 inches (535 mm) and the dryest year was 1947 with 4.61 inches (117 mm). The most rainfall in one month was 8.08 inches (205 mm) in March 1998. The most rainfall in 24 hours was 2.40 inches (61 mm) on January 18, 1914. Although snow is rare, 3.0 inches fell in January 1916 and 1.5 inches (38 mm) fell in January 1962.
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