Bishop, CA Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: climate measurements used in PlainClimate's documented score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Bishop's primary NOAA station, BISHOP AP.
The climate verdict for Bishop
Dryness leads the climate profile for Bishop, California, with 4.8 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 57°F. At 52/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 24% of scores.
- 57°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 52/100
- comfort score, above 24% of station-mapped location scores
- 4.8"
- annual precipitation
- 169 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Bishop: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USW00023157 · Bishop, CA 57°F mean · 4.8" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-ARID · SWING-MID · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 57°F
- RANK-UPPER #4,597
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Centerville
- PRCP-ARID 4.8"
- SWING-MID 40°F
- COMF-LOW 52/100
- LOAD-HEAT 4,001 HDD
- STN-1 USW00023157
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Centerville, TN (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every CA station list.
- Bishop (this station) 57°F
- Cold N Wilkesboro, NC 57°F
- Hot Rural Hall, NC 57°F
- Near Centerville, TN 57°F
- Near Spring City, TN 57°F
Climate Living Index · Bishop
Bishop: 26/100 · grade F
Bishop publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals · NOAA hourly normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Bishop, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 52/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Annual temperature balance | 57.3°F · 10.2° from 67.5°F | 67/100 · C |
| Frost-free season | 169 days/year | 41/100 · D |
| Summer moisture balance | 35.2°F mean dew point | 14/100 · F |
| Precipitation balance | 4.8 in · 30.2 from 35 in | 1/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 246 calendar days | 0/100 · F |
Bishop · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Bishop's normals sit in a dry climate class: BWk
Annual precipitation falls well below the aridity threshold for this temperature regime, so the normals classify as cold desert (BWk). Class BWk is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: dry (arid or semi-arid), specifically cold desert.
- Köppen code
- BWk
- Group
- Dry (arid or semi-arid)
- Warmest month
- 78.2°F
- Coldest month
- 38.3°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Bishop sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Bishop's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 67th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 99%
- Bishop's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 35th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Bishop compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Bishop's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
52 24th percentile score exceeds 24% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). This entry sits in this band.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Bishop's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 72 complete annual observations from 1950 to 2025, BISHOP AP warmed at a fitted rate of 0.18°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Bishop primary station fitted change +0.18 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56°F (13°C) | 24°F (-5°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 1.1" | 28.6 | 0.0 |
| February | 59°F (15°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 0.9" | 23.2 | 0.0 |
| March | 67°F (19°C) | 31°F (0°C) | 49°F (10°C) | 0.6" | 17.8 | 0.0 |
| April | 74°F (23°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 0.2" | 8.3 | 0.5 |
| May | 83°F (28°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 0.2" | 1.1 | 6.2 |
| June | 94°F (34°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 0.1" | 0.1 | 20.8 |
| July | 100°F (38°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 78°F (26°C) | 0.2" | 0.0 | 29.5 |
| August | 98°F (37°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 76°F (24°C) | 0.1" | 0.0 | 29.1 |
| September | 90°F (32°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 69°F (20°C) | 0.1" | 0.2 | 16.6 |
| October | 78°F (25°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 0.3" | 6.9 | 1.4 |
| November | 64°F (18°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 0.3" | 23.7 | 0.0 |
| December | 55°F (13°C) | 22°F (-5°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 0.7" | 29.3 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Bishop works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 100°F by July 20 and hold at or above 90°F on 104 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 142 dates, bottoming at 22°F around December 17.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from June 5 through September 16, covering 104 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs March 28 to November 3.
This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 20, then returns to freezing around October 31, covering 142 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is February 13, when 13% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is August 19 at 3%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 26 wet dates a year.
The widest day
August 26 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 45°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Bishop.
Where Bishop Stands Nationally
Summers here run among the most heat-heavy normals calendars in the country: on about 104 days a year the normal daily high itself reaches 90°F — a count fewer than one station in ten exceeds.
Aridity defines the water calendar: about 5 inches in a normal year lands this among the driest tenth of ranked stations.
Bishop earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall
3.8 days with precipitation
3.9 days with precipitation
2.9 days with precipitation
1.7 days with precipitation
2.3 days with precipitation
1.2 days with precipitation
1.8 days with precipitation
1.0 days with precipitation
1.2 days with precipitation
1.4 days with precipitation
1.6 days with precipitation
3.1 days with precipitation
Bishop's wet season runs through the cold months
December, January and February carry 56% of the year's precipitation here, while June through August contribute 8%. That is the cool-season-dominant pattern of the West Coast and the higher inland West, where storm tracks swing south in winter and summer turns dry; the thermometer meanwhile shows a 39.9°F seasonal spread.
- Wettest month
- January, 1.1"
- Driest month
- August, 0.1"
- Wettest three months
- January, February, December (56% of the year)
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A cool-season label means the December-February share reaches 35%. Where snow falls, the monthly figures above report liquid-equivalent precipitation, so a wet winter month is not necessarily a rainy one.
Bishop is dry, and what does fall arrives gently
Only about 26 days a year record measurable precipitation here, 7% of the calendar, and they carry 4.8" between them. At roughly 0.19 inches on an average wet day, this is not the damp drizzle of a marine climate; it is an arid record in which precipitation is both uncommon and light when it appears.
The wettest month by count is February at about 4 wet days; the driest is August at about 1.
A low per-event average in a dry record is a statement about typical days only. Arid regions can still take a large share of a year's total from a single convective storm, which a normal cannot show.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, not the extremes within it.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 15
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 29
50% probability date
Growing Season
169 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
4,001
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,212
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
December
Humidity & Wind
Monthly averages from hourly observations
| Month | Humidity | Wind (mph) | Clear Sky % | Overcast % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48% | 7.5 | 74% | 11% |
| February | 40% | 8.7 | 71% | 11% |
| March | 31% | 9.8 | 76% | 6% |
| April | 27% | 9.6 | 79% | 4% |
| May | 25% | 8.6 | 84% | 4% |
| June | 22% | 8.0 | 93% | 1% |
| July | 25% | 7.9 | 92% | 0% |
| August | 26% | 7.6 | 93% | 1% |
| September | 28% | 7.6 | 90% | 2% |
| October | 35% | 7.6 | 85% | 5% |
| November | 43% | 6.8 | 81% | 7% |
| December | 48% | 6.8 | 75% | 12% |
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside CA closest to Bishop on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (57°F here).
- Ash Grove, MO 57°F · 0.0°F off
- Asheville, NC 57°F · 0.0°F off
- Bentonville, AR 57°F · 0.0°F off
- Boonville, IN 57°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (4.8" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Tonopah, NV 4.8" · 0.0" off
- Las Vegas, NV 4.8" · 0.1" off
- Pahrump, NV 5.0" · 0.1" off
- Quartzsite, AZ 4.6" · 0.3" off
Scarce-water calendar
Where Bishop's limited precipitation lands
heating led · dry · mid swing
Bishop's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 4,001 annual heating degree days against 1,212 for cooling. Its 39.9°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Bishop's frost-free season lasts about 169 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
July and December mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Bishop's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 39.9°F. The annual average is 57°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Bishop's cold-season load does not imply a wet climate. Annual precipitation is 4.8 inches, which places the station in PlainClimate's dry range. Snowfall is not added to the interpretation because its annual value is missing. The snowfall and rainfall fields should be read separately rather than inferred from temperature.
Bishop wettest normal
January
January concentrates the scarce annual total (4.8 inches).
Bishop driest normal
August
August is typically driest; arid stations are defined by when water is absent, not by a four-season grid.
Questions about Bishop's climate
How dry is Bishop? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Bishop get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Bishop? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Bishop's primary station: BISHOP AP (USW00023157). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 0606798). Match rule for Bishop: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Bishop comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.