Frost Dates for 93514 — Bishop, California

Half of springs at Bishop Airport, CA see their last 32°F night by April 29; only one in ten is past it by April 12, and one in ten still has one after May 27. Planting tender crops after May 7 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 15 20%, and after May 27 10%. The 28 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 60% of the 220 California stations behind this site's ZIP pages, so a fixed calendar date is a gamble here.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 15 in half of years, as early as September 30 one year in ten, and holds off past October 27 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around October 25; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 10, 17 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 166 days in a typical year, shorter than at 89% of the 219 California stations; it reaches 187 days one year in ten and falls short of 138 one year in ten. On average 139 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 18 days longer, to about May 17, and return around October 4. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 29 and February 10.

July is the warmest month at Bishop Airport, CA, averaging 100°F by day and 57°F at night; December is the coldest at 55°F and 22°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 43% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,886 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 64% of the 283 California stations. 35% of them (1,362) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 874. Precipitation totals 4.9 inches a year, most in January (1.1") and least in June (0.1"); May to September bring 14% of it.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Bishop usually arrives around December 30, and the last of the season around February 9. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Bishop Airport, CA, 6.3 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 83% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 79 days after the last snow.

ZIP 93514 is 6 miles from Bishop Airport, CA, which stands at 4,102 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 93514 in zone 7a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.