Bishop CA

Bishop's Climate


Dry terrain near Bishop

Bishop lies in the rain shadow east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the Owens Valley. At an elevation of 4,140 feet, it has an arid climate and receives an average of only about five inches of precipitation per year. The vast majority of days in Bishop are sunny or mostly sunny with an average of twenty–nine days per year receiving measurable precipitation. Water descending from the Sierra Nevada in creeks and the Owens River provide some vegetation to the valley floor.

In the winter, high temperatures in Bishop are typically in the 50s with lows in the 20s. It receives an average of eight inches of snowfall each year. About half of Bishop’s annual precipitation occurs in the winter. In the spring, temperatures warm up from an average high of 72 in March, up to 91 degrees in June.

Near the Round Valley in late March

Bishop's eastern California location and proximity to the Mojave Desert make for very warm summers. Summer high temperatures normally exceed 90 degrees, and many days are over 100. At night, temperatures typically cool into the 50's, with very low humidity. The surrounding mountain areas are much cooler. For example, nearby Mammoth Lakes at an elevation of 7900 feet, has an average high of 78 degrees in July, where as Bishop's average July high is 98 degrees. In the fall, temperatures descend from an average high of 88 degrees in September, down to 54 degrees in December.