Bowman Dam, California climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Bowman Dam's normal year runs from 29°F December nights to 82°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 10.2°C, December lows of −2°C, July highs of 28°C.
- NOAA stationBowman Dam
- Station IDUSC00041018
- Location39.45°N 120.66°W
- Elevation5,385 ft (1,641 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Bowman Dam is 63°F and the normal low 40°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Bowman Dam.
- Jan 46° 29°
- Feb 47° 28°
- Mar 49° 30°
- Apr 55° 33°
- May 64° 40°
- Jun 73° 47°
- Jul 82° 54°
- Aug 81° 54°
- Sep 77° 51°
- Oct 66° 42°
- Nov 54° 34°
- Dec 45° 29°
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 Bowman Dam each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 82°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 29°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46°F | 29°F | 37.1°F | – | <1 | 23 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 47°F | 28°F | 37.6°F | – | <1 | 21 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 49°F | 30°F | 39.6°F | – | <1 | 21 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 55°F | 33°F | 44.1°F | – | <1 | 16 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 64°F | 40°F | 51.9°F | – | <1 | 6 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 73°F | 47°F | 60.0°F | – | 1 | 1 | 15 h |
| July | 82°F | 54°F | 68.1°F | – | 3 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 81°F | 54°F | 67.6°F | – | 4 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 77°F | 51°F | 63.7°F | – | 1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 66°F | 42°F | 53.9°F | – | <1 | 3 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 54°F | 34°F | 44.1°F | – | <1 | 13 | 10 h |
| December | 45°F | 29°F | 36.9°F | – | <1 | 23 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 62°F | 39°F | 50.4°F | – | 9 | 127 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8°C | −2°C | 2.8°C |
| February | 8°C | −2°C | 3.1°C |
| March | 10°C | −1°C | 4.2°C |
| April | 13°C | 1°C | 6.7°C |
| May | 18°C | 5°C | 11.1°C |
| June | 23°C | 8°C | 15.6°C |
| July | 28°C | 12°C | 20.1°C |
| August | 27°C | 12°C | 19.8°C |
| September | 25°C | 10°C | 17.6°C |
| October | 19°C | 5°C | 12.2°C |
| November | 12°C | 1°C | 6.7°C |
| December | 7°C | −2°C | 2.7°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Downieville (12 miles away), gets 26 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00041018; 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 Bowman Dam?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August, September and October.
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 USC00041018.
When is the last frost at Bowman Dam?
In Bowman Dam, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 12 in half of years and after June 2 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 29 in half of years and before October 10 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
- May 121 year in 10 after June 2; 9 in 10 after April 22
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 291 year in 10 before October 10; 9 in 10 before November 13
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 167 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 199 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 23 in half of springs and before November 13 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Bowman Dam in zone 8b in ZIP code 95986, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in California · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00041018; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. 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 Bowman Dam?
In a normal year in Bowman Dam, 9 days a year reach 90°F and 127 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 9a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 127a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 6high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1901) is 102°F, on July 24, 1902; the lowest is −2°F, on January 19, 1935.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2016, with 96.62 in; the snowiest season is 1966–67, with 401.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00041018; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00041018. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Bowman Dam?
Over a year 85% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Bowman Dam, 5.1 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (95%) and December the cloudiest (69%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 73% | 2.4 |
| February | 72% | 3.2 |
| March | 73% | 4.4 |
| April | 77% | 5.8 |
| May | 82% | 7.1 |
| June | 92% | 8.3 |
| July | 95% | 8.3 |
| August | 95% | 7.4 |
| September | 93% | 5.9 |
| October | 87% | 4.2 |
| November | 77% | 2.7 |
| December | 69% | 2.0 |
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 Bowman Dam record?
A normal year at Bowman Dam brings 5,655 heating degree days, 5% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 343 cooling degree days, 62% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,227 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 867 | 0 |
| February | 769 | 0 |
| March | 787 | 0 |
| April | 628 | 0 |
| May | 410 | 4 |
| June | 181 | 33 |
| July | 32 | 128 |
| August | 30 | 109 |
| September | 102 | 62 |
| October | 351 | 7 |
| November | 627 | 0 |
| December | 871 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,655 | 343 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00041018. 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 Bowman Dam's climate compare?
Bowman Dam is warmer than 22 of the 219 places with their own NOAA record in California. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 50.4°F is warmer than 42%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Bowman Dam share this climate record?
2 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.
- Sierra City, CA213 people · 8 mi N
- Graniteville, CA15 people · 4 mi W
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 Bowman Dam's climate
What is the coldest month at Bowman Dam?
December, with a normal high of 45°F and a normal low of 29°F. The warmest is July (82°F by day, 54°F at night).
Does it snow at Bowman Dam?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Downieville (12 miles away), records 26 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Bowman Dam in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Bowman Dam in zone 8b in ZIP code 95986, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Bowman Dam?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 12; in one year in ten it comes after June 2. Waiting until June 2 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- California climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Lake Spaulding, CA9 miles from this station, 48.1°F a year
- Downieville, CA12 miles from this station, 53.1°F a year
- Blue Canyon Airport, CA12 miles from this station, 52.1°F a year
- Sagehen Creek, CA22 miles from this station, 41.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made