Big Bar (4 mi E), California climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Big Bar (4 mi E)'s normal year runs from 34°F December nights to 97°F July afternoons, with 35.8 inches of precipitation and 3 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 13.8°C, December lows of 1°C, July highs of 36°C, 910 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBig Bar (4 mi E)
- Station IDUSC00040738
- Location40.74°N 123.21°W
- Elevation1,253 ft (382 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Big Bar (4 mi E) is 70°F and the normal low 40°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 21%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Big Bar (4 mi E).
- Jan 50° 34°
- Feb 56° 35°
- Mar 62° 37°
- Apr 69° 39°
- May 78° 44°
- Jun 86° 48°
- Jul 97° 53°
- Aug 95° 52°
- Sep 89° 47°
- Oct 74° 41°
- Nov 57° 38°
- Dec 48° 34°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Big Bar (4 mi E) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 97°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 34°F. The most precipitation falls in December (7.24 in), the least in July (0.17 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50°F | 34°F | 42.0°F | 6.41 | 0.7 | 16 | <1 | 14 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 56°F | 35°F | 45.2°F | 5.37 | 0.4 | 14 | <1 | 10 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 62°F | 37°F | 49.5°F | 4.58 | 0.3 | 14 | <1 | 7 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 69°F | 39°F | 53.9°F | 2.62 | 0.0 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 78°F | 44°F | 61.1°F | 1.67 | 0.0 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 86°F | 48°F | 67.3°F | 0.73 | 0.0 | 4 | 13 | <1 | 15 h |
| July | 97°F | 53°F | 74.8°F | 0.17 | 0.0 | 1 | 25 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 95°F | 52°F | 73.8°F | 0.20 | 0.0 | 1 | 26 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 89°F | 47°F | 68.1°F | 0.44 | 0.0 | 2 | 18 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 74°F | 41°F | 57.5°F | 2.20 | 0.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 57°F | 38°F | 47.2°F | 4.19 | 0.2 | 13 | <1 | 6 | 10 h |
| December | 48°F | 34°F | 40.9°F | 7.24 | 1.1 | 15 | <1 | 15 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 72°F | 42°F | 56.8°F | 35.82 | 2.7 | 101 | 90 | 59 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10°C | 1°C | 5.6°C | 163 mm | 2 cm |
| February | 13°C | 2°C | 7.3°C | 136 mm | 1 cm |
| March | 17°C | 3°C | 9.7°C | 116 mm | 1 cm |
| April | 21°C | 4°C | 12.2°C | 67 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 26°C | 7°C | 16.2°C | 42 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 30°C | 9°C | 19.6°C | 19 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 36°C | 12°C | 23.8°C | 4 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 35°C | 11°C | 23.2°C | 5 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 32°C | 8°C | 20.1°C | 11 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 24°C | 5°C | 14.2°C | 56 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 14°C | 3°C | 8.4°C | 106 mm | 1 cm |
| December | 9°C | 1°C | 4.9°C | 184 mm | 3 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00040738; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
Which months are mildest at Big Bar (4 mi E)?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May and October. Of those, October has the fewest days with rain (5).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00040738.
When is the last frost at Big Bar (4 mi E)?
In Big Bar (4 mi E), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 16 in half of years and after May 3 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 31 in half of years and before October 13 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- April 161 year in 10 after May 3; 9 in 10 after March 23
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 311 year in 10 before October 13; 9 in 10 before November 26
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 197 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 245 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 17 in half of springs and before November 19 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Big Bar (4 mi E) in zone 8b in ZIP code 96048, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 9a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 21°F (17 complete years); the map interpolates between stations and terrain, so the station and the ZIP area can differ by half a zone.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in California · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00040738; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get at Big Bar (4 mi E)?
In a normal year in Big Bar (4 mi E), 90 days a year reach 90°F (30 of them 100°F or more), 59 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 101 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 90a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 30a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 59a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- fewer than 1high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 101a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 1a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00040738.
How sunny is it at Big Bar (4 mi E)?
Over a year 83% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Big Bar (4 mi E), 4.9 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (95%) and December the cloudiest (63%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 68% | 2.0 |
| February | 70% | 2.9 |
| March | 70% | 4.1 |
| April | 76% | 5.5 |
| May | 82% | 6.9 |
| June | 89% | 7.9 |
| July | 95% | 8.1 |
| August | 95% | 7.2 |
| September | 92% | 5.7 |
| October | 85% | 3.9 |
| November | 73% | 2.4 |
| December | 63% | 1.6 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How many heating and cooling degree days does Big Bar (4 mi E) record?
A normal year at Big Bar (4 mi E) brings 3,868 heating degree days, 28% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 888 cooling degree days, 2% fewer than the median (908). Six months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 3,431 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 715 | 0 |
| February | 554 | 0 |
| March | 482 | 0 |
| April | 335 | 3 |
| May | 162 | 40 |
| June | 48 | 115 |
| July | 3 | 308 |
| August | 2 | 277 |
| September | 39 | 132 |
| October | 246 | 14 |
| November | 534 | 0 |
| December | 747 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 3,868 | 888 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00040738. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
How does Big Bar (4 mi E)'s climate compare?
Big Bar (4 mi E) is warmer than 48 of the 219 places with their own NOAA record in California, and wetter than 178. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 56.8°F is warmer than 66%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Big Bar (4 mi E) is Csa: temperate, dry-summer, hot summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Big Bar (4 mi E) share this climate record?
7 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Hayfork, CA3,198 people · 12 mi S
- Junction City, CA1,084 people · 6 mi E
- Salyer, CA465 people · 21 mi NW
- Burnt Ranch, CA253 people · 16 mi W
- Trinity Village, CA230 people · 19 mi NW
- Post Mountain, CA93 people · 22 mi S
- Hyampom, CA16 people · 16 mi SW
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Big Bar (4 mi E)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Big Bar (4 mi E)?
December, with a normal high of 48°F and a normal low of 34°F. The warmest is July (97°F by day, 53°F at night).
Does it snow at Big Bar (4 mi E)?
Yes: 3 inches in a normal year, falling on 2 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (1.1 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Big Bar (4 mi E)?
December, with 7.24 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is July with 0.17 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Big Bar (4 mi E) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Big Bar (4 mi E) in zone 8b in ZIP code 96048, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 21°F (17 years, 1991-2020): zone 9a.
How late can frost come at Big Bar (4 mi E)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 16; in one year in ten it comes after May 3. Waiting until May 3 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- California climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Weaverville, CA14 miles from this station, 55.0°F a year
- Trinity River Hatchery, CA22 miles from this station, 56.2°F a year
- Cecilville, CA28 miles from this station, 53.9°F a year
- Whiskeytown Reservoir, CA37 miles from this station, 62.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made