Located at the head of Owens Valley, Bishop is an arid city located in the rainshadow of the Sierra Nevada. An average of just over 5 inches of rain falls in Bishop each year. Yet only a few miles to the west nearly 4 times that amount will fall, mostly as snow, on the towering Sierra Peaks.
Summers are long and dry in Bishop with very little rain falling between April and the end of October. Temperatures routinely climb through the 90s in June, July and August and frequently break the 100 degree mark. A little snow usually falls in Bishop each year, particularly in January or December. Winters are cold but often warmed by adiabatic winds blowing down the Sierra. The omnipresent sunshine helps keep winter days above freezing.
- Köppen Classification: (BWk) Arid mid-latitude desert.
- Current conditions may be found at the National Weather Service.
- Climate data from The Western Regional Climate Center.
Rob O’Keefe
