Photo: Clinton Steeds from Los Angeles, USA · CC BY 2.0Hardly any U.S. towns collect less precipitation than Big Pine: 4 inches a year
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 96°. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 96% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with January up the most. The heating season runs November to March: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Big Pine at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Big Pine’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Big Pine’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Big Pine feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 166 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 29 and the first by October 15. Frost and day counts come from Bishop Airport, 15 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Big Pine’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 13°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 4 inches of rain a year
January is the wettest month and June the driest.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Big Pine
77% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Bishop Airport.
Living with Big Pine’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
166 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Apr 29 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 15.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May and October. 8.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Big Pine from natural hazards, avalanches are the largest share (54%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 20%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Big Pine and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Big Pine yet.
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Big Pine averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.4°).
A bigger shift than in 70% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Big Pine compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Big Pine’s place among California’s.
Big Pine weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Big Pine’s center. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 53° | 29° | 0.8" | 34° – 48° |
| February | 56° | 32° | 0.7" | 37° – 52° |
| March | 63° | 36° | 0.4" | 42° – 57° |
| April | 70° | 41° | 0.2" | 50° – 60° |
| May | 79° | 49° | 0.2" | 55° – 70° |
| June | 89° | 58° | 0.1" | 67° – 78° |
| July | 96° | 64° | 0.3" | 76° – 83° |
| August | 94° | 62° | 0.2" | 74° – 82° |
| September | 87° | 55° | 0.2" | 66° – 75° |
| October | 75° | 45° | 0.3" | 55° – 65° |
| November | 61° | 35° | 0.3" | 40° – 54° |
| December | 52° | 28° | 0.4" | 36° – 45° |
| Year | 73° | 45° | 4.2" |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. May swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 55° to 70°. July is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Big Pine’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Big Pine’s center.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Bishop Airport, 15 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft higher; no station nearby passes every check; this is the nearest one in the same valley, flagged above.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Big Pine’s climate
What is the weather like in Big Pine?
A typical July afternoon reaches 96°, a January night drops to 29°. Milder January nights than 72% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 96% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Big Pine in winter?
December nights average 28°. About 139 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 36°.
How hot does it get in Big Pine?
July, with a typical high of 96° and a low of 64°. About 104 days a year reach 90° and 29 reach 100° (Bishop Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Big Pine?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 29 and the first fall frost by October 15, about 166 frost-free days, at Bishop Airport.
What growing zone is Big Pine in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 13°.
What is the best time of year to visit Big Pine?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Big Pine getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 70% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Big Pine.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.