Big Bear Lake Dam Weather Records (USC00040742)

Record envelope, standing records and threshold days for Big Bear Lake Dam (USC00040742), California, United States, with 58 years of record.

Key Facts for Big Bear Lake Dam

Big Bear Lake Dam (USC00040742) is a weather station in California, United States at 34.24 latitude and -116.97 longitude, 2,077 m (6,815 ft) above sea level.
The station reports from 1914 to 1971, 58 years of record.
1,464 records set at Big Bear Lake Dam still stand.
Records are tracked for prcp, snow: an element needs 30 years of data to be eligible.
Big Bear Lake Dam set a daily record precipitation of 8.6 mm (0.34 in) on 17 July 1971.

About the Station

Location: California, United States, 34.24 latitude, -116.97 longitude.
Elevation: 2,077 m (6,815 ft).
Period of record: 1914 to 1971, 58 years.
Eligible elements: prcp, snow.

Daily Record Envelope and 2026

0 days at or beyond a record

The band shows the record high and record low for each calendar day at Big Bear Lake Dam. The lines show the 2026 daily maximum and minimum. 0 days in 2026 matched or passed a record. Temperatures are in degrees Celsius.

Daily record high and record low at Big Bear Lake Dam, with 2026 drawn through them
Month	Highest record high	Lowest record low	2026 highest maximum	2026 lowest minimum
Jan	19.4 C (66.9 F)	-31.7 C (-25.1 F)	n/a	n/a
Feb	21.1 C (70.0 F)	-26.7 C (-16.1 F)	n/a	n/a
Mar	20.6 C (69.1 F)	-24.4 C (-11.9 F)	n/a	n/a
Apr	25.0 C (77.0 F)	-21.7 C (-7.1 F)	n/a	n/a
May	27.8 C (82.0 F)	-9.4 C (15.1 F)	n/a	n/a
Jun	31.1 C (88.0 F)	-5.0 C (23.0 F)	n/a	n/a
Jul	33.3 C (91.9 F)	-0.6 C (30.9 F)	n/a	n/a
Aug	33.9 C (93.0 F)	-2.2 C (28.0 F)	n/a	n/a
Sep	32.2 C (90.0 F)	-5.6 C (21.9 F)	n/a	n/a
Oct	26.7 C (80.1 F)	-12.2 C (10.0 F)	n/a	n/a
Nov	22.8 C (73.0 F)	-22.8 C (-9.0 F)	n/a	n/a
Dec	18.3 C (64.9 F)	-19.4 C (-2.9 F)	n/a	n/a

Which Years Hold Standing Records

1,464 standing records

1,464 records at Big Bear Lake Dam still stand. 1949 holds the most, with 102.

Standing records at Big Bear Lake Dam by the year they were set
Year set	Standing records
1914	4
1920	33
1921	77
1922	50
1930	6
1933	14
1934	76
1935	36
1936	42
1937	45
1938	52
1939	35
1940	41
1941	42
1942	30
1943	37
1944	39
1945	41
1946	40
1947	42
1948	41
1949	102
1950	91
1951	77
1952	62
1953	65
1954	17
1955	20
1956	26
1957	35
1958	40
1959	70
1960	36

Wettest Day of Each Month

Mar: 382.5 mm (15.1 in)

The wettest day on record for each calendar month at Big Bear Lake Dam. The most was 382.5 mm (15.1 in) on 3 March 1938.

Record daily precipitation for each month at Big Bear Lake Dam
Month	Record daily precipitation (mm)	Date
Jan	276.4 mm (10.9 in)	23 January 1943
Feb	180.3 mm (7.1 in)	13 February 1937
Mar	382.5 mm (15.1 in)	3 March 1938
Apr	93.7 mm (3.7 in)	1 April 1940
May	64.8 mm (2.6 in)	1 May 1955
Jun	17.8 mm (0.7 in)	16 June 1918
Jul	57.7 mm (2.3 in)	20 July 1946
Aug	32.0 mm (1.3 in)	22 August 1961
Sep	76.7 mm (3.0 in)	26 September 1939
Oct	118.1 mm (4.6 in)	17 October 1934
Nov	315.0 mm (12.4 in)	23 November 1965
Dec	198.9 mm (7.8 in)	6 December 1966

Period of Record Coverage

1914 to 1960

33 years of record at Big Bear Lake Dam, 1914 to 1960. 12 years have data for under 90 percent of days and are left out of rankings: 1914, 1920, 1922, 1930, 1933, 1935, 1953, 1954 and others.

Days with data per year at Big Bear Lake Dam
Year	Days with data	Share of year	Complete
1914	31	8%	No
1920	257	70%	No
1921	354	97%	Yes
1922	204	56%	No
1930	30	8%	No
1933	61	17%	No
1934	364	100%	Yes
1935	318	87%	No
1936	347	95%	Yes
1937	363	99%	Yes
1938	364	100%	Yes
1939	363	99%	Yes
1940	338	92%	Yes
1941	363	99%	Yes
1942	356	98%	Yes
1943	364	100%	Yes
1944	364	99%	Yes
1945	365	100%	Yes
1946	365	100%	Yes
1947	337	92%	Yes
1948	358	98%	Yes
1949	356	98%	Yes
1950	365	100%	Yes
1951	365	100%	Yes
1952	359	98%	Yes
1953	247	68%	No
1954	120	33%	No
1955	144	39%	No
1956	149	41%	No
1957	211	58%	No
1958	362	99%	Yes
1959	356	98%	Yes
1960	178	49%	No

Latest Records

Latest records at Big Bear Lake Dam
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
17 July 1971	Big Bear Lake Dam, US	daily rain	8.6 mm (0.34 in)	3.8 mm (0.15 in)	20 years	14 of 100 (Routine)
27 May 1971	Big Bear Lake Dam, US	daily rain	7.4 mm (0.29 in)	2.1 mm (0.08 in)	24 years	14 of 100 (Routine)
22 May 1971	Big Bear Lake Dam, US	daily rain	0.8 mm (0.03 in)	0.8 mm (0.03 in)	52 years	20 of 100 (Routine)
7 May 1971	Big Bear Lake Dam, US	daily rain	27.9 mm (1.1 in)	22.6 mm (0.9 in)	16 years	30 of 100 (Routine)
6 May 1971	Big Bear Lake Dam, US	daily rain	5.8 mm (0.23 in)	5.8 mm (0.23 in)	52 years	20 of 100 (Routine)
15 April 1971	Big Bear Lake Dam, US	daily rain	11.4 mm (0.4 in)	1.0 mm (0.04 in)	8 years	7 of 100 (Routine)
2 January 1971	Big Bear Lake Dam, US	daily rain	12.2 mm (0.5 in)	2.0 mm (0.08 in)	48 years	19 of 100 (Routine)
21 December 1970	Big Bear Lake Dam, US	daily rain	87.6 mm (3.4 in)	50.0 mm (2.0 in)	32 years	26 of 100 (Routine)
1 December 1970	Big Bear Lake Dam, US	daily rain	0.8 mm (0.03 in)	0.8 mm (0.03 in)	56 years	20 of 100 (Routine)
30 November 1970	Big Bear Lake Dam, US	daily rain	82.8 mm (3.3 in)	72.1 mm (2.8 in)	36 years	37 of 100 (Notable)
29 November 1970	Big Bear Lake Dam, US	daily rain	63.0 mm (2.5 in)	39.4 mm (1.6 in)	36 years	27 of 100 (Routine)
26 November 1970	Big Bear Lake Dam, US	daily rain	39.6 mm (1.6 in)	7.6 mm (0.30 in)	8 years	9 of 100 (Routine)
26 August 1970	Big Bear Lake Dam, US	daily rain	2.8 mm (0.11 in)	2.8 mm (0.11 in)	49 years	20 of 100 (Routine)
16 August 1970	Big Bear Lake Dam, US	daily rain	16.3 mm (0.6 in)	15.8 mm (0.6 in)	3 years	20 of 100 (Routine)
23 April 1970	Big Bear Lake Dam, US	daily rain	31.8 mm (1.3 in)	11.2 mm (0.4 in)	9 years	12 of 100 (Routine)
1 March 1970	Big Bear Lake Dam, US	daily rain	105.4 mm (4.1 in)	19.3 mm (0.8 in)	32 years	19 of 100 (Routine)
31 August 1967	Big Bear Lake Dam, US	daily rain	1.0 mm (0.04 in)	1.0 mm (0.04 in)	46 years	20 of 100 (Routine)
25 August 1967	Big Bear Lake Dam, US	daily rain	3.0 mm (0.12 in)	3.0 mm (0.12 in)	46 years	20 of 100 (Routine)
17 August 1967	Big Bear Lake Dam, US	daily rain	9.1 mm (0.36 in)	8.6 mm (0.34 in)	21 years	20 of 100 (Routine)
16 August 1967	Big Bear Lake Dam, US	daily rain	0.5 mm (0.02 in)	0.5 mm (0.02 in)	46 years	19 of 100 (Routine)

Climate Trend

17 complete years, 1934 to 1959

One stripe for each of 17 complete years at Big Bear Lake Dam, 1934 to 1959. Blue stripes are years cooler than the station's own mean of 6.8 C (44.3 F); red stripes are warmer. The coolest year was 1952, at 5.1 C (41.2 F), and the warmest was 1934, at 8.8 C (47.8 F). The strongest colour marks a difference of 2.0 C (3.6 F).

Annual mean temperature at Big Bear Lake Dam as warming stripes, 1934 to 1959
Year	Annual mean temperature	Difference from the station mean
1934	8.8 C	+1.95 C
1936	7.6 C	+0.78 C
1937	6.5 C	-0.29 C
1938	6.5 C	-0.33 C
1939	7.0 C	+0.21 C
1941	6.5 C	-0.33 C
1942	7.3 C	+0.42 C
1943	7.7 C	+0.82 C
1944	5.7 C	-1.09 C
1945	6.7 C	-0.12 C
1946	6.8 C	-0.02 C
1949	5.1 C	-1.73 C
1950	7.4 C	+0.52 C
1951	6.0 C	-0.81 C
1952	5.1 C	-1.74 C
1958	6.8 C	-0.05 C
1959	8.7 C	+1.89 C

This station does not have enough complete years (30 are needed) to fit a temperature trend.

A year is complete when all 12 months have at least 20 days of both daily maximum and daily minimum readings. The annual mean is the mean of the monthly means. The trend describes this one station over this period; it does not say what caused the change.

Extremes by Year

1914 to 1971

Yearly extremes at Big Bear Lake Dam: the record and the median year
Measure	Record	Year of the record	Median year	Years with a value
Hottest day (TXx)	33.9 C (93.0 F)	1938	30.6 C (87.1 F)	33
Coldest night (TNn)	-31.7 C (-25.1 F)	1937	-16.4 C (2.5 F)	32
Wettest day (Rx1day)	382.5 mm (15.1 in)	1938	117.1 mm (4.6 in)	44
Wettest five days (Rx5day)	675.8 mm (26.6 in)	1938	187.6 mm (7.4 in)	44
Longest dry spell (CDD)	172 days	1944	55 days	44

Hottest day (TXx)

The hottest day of the year at Big Bear Lake Dam, 1914 to 1971. The record is 33.9 C (93.0 F) in 1938, marked on the chart; the median year is 30.6 C (87.1 F).

Hottest day (TXx) at Big Bear Lake Dam by year
Year	Hottest day (TXx)
1914	14.4 C (57.9 F)
1918	n/a
1919	n/a
1920	30.0 C (86.0 F)
1921	30.0 C (86.0 F)
1922	33.3 C (91.9 F)
1930	27.8 C (82.0 F)
1933	18.9 C (66.0 F)
1934	30.6 C (87.1 F)
1935	29.4 C (84.9 F)
1936	31.1 C (88.0 F)
1937	30.0 C (86.0 F)
1938	33.9 C (93.0 F)
1939	30.0 C (86.0 F)
1940	30.0 C (86.0 F)
1941	30.0 C (86.0 F)
1942	30.0 C (86.0 F)
1943	31.7 C (89.1 F)
1944	30.6 C (87.1 F)
1945	29.4 C (84.9 F)
1946	32.2 C (90.0 F)
1947	32.8 C (91.0 F)
1948	31.7 C (89.1 F)
1949	30.6 C (87.1 F)
1950	32.8 C (91.0 F)
1951	30.6 C (87.1 F)
1952	28.9 C (84.0 F)
1953	31.1 C (88.0 F)
1954	23.3 C (73.9 F)
1955	31.7 C (89.1 F)
1956	31.1 C (88.0 F)
1957	30.0 C (86.0 F)
1958	31.1 C (88.0 F)
1959	31.7 C (89.1 F)
1960	29.4 C (84.9 F)
1961	n/a
1962	n/a
1963	n/a
1964	n/a
1965	n/a
1966	n/a
1967	n/a
1970	n/a
1971	n/a

Coldest night (TNn)

The coldest night of the year at Big Bear Lake Dam, 1914 to 1971. The record is -31.7 C (-25.1 F) in 1937, marked on the chart; the median year is -16.4 C (2.5 F).

Coldest night (TNn) at Big Bear Lake Dam by year
Year	Coldest night (TNn)
1914	n/a
1918	n/a
1919	n/a
1920	-14.4 C (6.1 F)
1921	-20.6 C (-5.1 F)
1922	-26.1 C (-15.0 F)
1930	0.0 C (32.0 F)
1933	-13.3 C (8.1 F)
1934	-13.3 C (8.1 F)
1935	-20.6 C (-5.1 F)
1936	-15.0 C (5.0 F)
1937	-31.7 C (-25.1 F)
1938	-16.1 C (3.0 F)
1939	-17.2 C (1.0 F)
1940	-11.7 C (10.9 F)
1941	-14.4 C (6.1 F)
1942	-13.9 C (7.0 F)
1943	-12.2 C (10.0 F)
1944	-16.1 C (3.0 F)
1945	-16.7 C (1.9 F)
1946	-17.8 C (0.0 F)
1947	-18.3 C (-0.9 F)
1948	-20.0 C (-4.0 F)
1949	-27.2 C (-17.0 F)
1950	-26.1 C (-15.0 F)
1951	-22.8 C (-9.0 F)
1952	-25.6 C (-14.1 F)
1953	-18.9 C (-2.0 F)
1954	-21.1 C (-6.0 F)
1955	-14.4 C (6.1 F)
1956	-15.0 C (5.0 F)
1957	-10.6 C (12.9 F)
1958	-16.1 C (3.0 F)
1959	-13.9 C (7.0 F)
1960	-23.9 C (-11.0 F)
1961	n/a
1962	n/a
1963	n/a
1964	n/a
1965	n/a
1966	n/a
1967	n/a
1970	n/a
1971	n/a

Wettest day (Rx1day)

The wettest day of the year at Big Bear Lake Dam, 1914 to 1971. The record is 382.5 mm (15.1 in) in 1938, marked on the chart; the median year is 117.1 mm (4.6 in).

Wettest day (Rx1day) at Big Bear Lake Dam by year
Year	Wettest day (Rx1day)
1914	51.3 mm (2.0 in)
1918	25.4 mm (1.0 in)
1919	39.9 mm (1.6 in)
1920	63.5 mm (2.5 in)
1921	190.5 mm (7.5 in)
1922	87.6 mm (3.4 in)
1930	0.0 mm (0.00 in)
1933	179.1 mm (7.1 in)
1934	118.1 mm (4.6 in)
1935	66.0 mm (2.6 in)
1936	96.5 mm (3.8 in)
1937	180.3 mm (7.1 in)
1938	382.5 mm (15.1 in)
1939	76.7 mm (3.0 in)
1940	124.2 mm (4.9 in)
1941	75.4 mm (3.0 in)
1942	53.3 mm (2.1 in)
1943	276.4 mm (10.9 in)
1944	149.9 mm (5.9 in)
1945	164.1 mm (6.5 in)
1946	120.7 mm (4.8 in)
1947	104.1 mm (4.1 in)
1948	126.7 mm (5.0 in)
1949	127.5 mm (5.0 in)
1950	77.0 mm (3.0 in)
1951	119.1 mm (4.7 in)
1952	122.2 mm (4.8 in)
1953	54.4 mm (2.1 in)
1954	155.2 mm (6.1 in)
1955	64.8 mm (2.6 in)
1956	198.4 mm (7.8 in)
1957	186.4 mm (7.3 in)
1958	88.6 mm (3.5 in)
1959	118.1 mm (4.6 in)
1960	65.8 mm (2.6 in)
1961	98.0 mm (3.9 in)
1962	127.3 mm (5.0 in)
1963	116.1 mm (4.6 in)
1964	59.2 mm (2.3 in)
1965	315.0 mm (12.4 in)
1966	198.9 mm (7.8 in)
1967	125.0 mm (4.9 in)
1970	105.4 mm (4.1 in)
1971	27.9 mm (1.1 in)

Wettest five days (Rx5day)

The wettest five days of the year at Big Bear Lake Dam, 1914 to 1971. The record is 675.8 mm (26.6 in) in 1938, marked on the chart; the median year is 187.6 mm (7.4 in).

Wettest five days (Rx5day) at Big Bear Lake Dam by year
Year	Wettest five days (Rx5day)
1914	93.7 mm (3.7 in)
1918	35.5 mm (1.4 in)
1919	63.5 mm (2.5 in)
1920	156.4 mm (6.2 in)
1921	359.4 mm (14.1 in)
1922	117.6 mm (4.6 in)
1930	0.0 mm (0.00 in)
1933	229.9 mm (9.1 in)
1934	261.7 mm (10.3 in)
1935	124.4 mm (4.9 in)
1936	193.5 mm (7.6 in)
1937	210.3 mm (8.3 in)
1938	675.8 mm (26.6 in)
1939	104.3 mm (4.1 in)
1940	202.4 mm (8.0 in)
1941	127.2 mm (5.0 in)
1942	101.3 mm (4.0 in)
1943	445.0 mm (17.5 in)
1944	282.0 mm (11.1 in)
1945	362.5 mm (14.3 in)
1946	181.2 mm (7.1 in)
1947	183.2 mm (7.2 in)
1948	176.2 mm (6.9 in)
1949	162.3 mm (6.4 in)
1950	91.7 mm (3.6 in)
1951	192.0 mm (7.6 in)
1952	245.7 mm (9.7 in)
1953	69.4 mm (2.7 in)
1954	223.4 mm (8.8 in)
1955	108.5 mm (4.3 in)
1956	294.7 mm (11.6 in)
1957	233.1 mm (9.2 in)
1958	247.4 mm (9.7 in)
1959	296.9 mm (11.7 in)
1960	128.5 mm (5.1 in)
1961	126.9 mm (5.0 in)
1962	214.4 mm (8.4 in)
1963	129.6 mm (5.1 in)
1964	121.0 mm (4.8 in)
1965	438.5 mm (17.3 in)
1966	559.8 mm (22.0 in)
1967	234.7 mm (9.2 in)
1970	198.6 mm (7.8 in)
1971	46.1 mm (1.8 in)

Longest dry spell (CDD)

The longest dry spell of the year at Big Bear Lake Dam, 1914 to 1971. The record is 172 days in 1944, marked on the chart; the median year is 55 days.

Longest dry spell (CDD) at Big Bear Lake Dam by year
Year	Longest dry spell (CDD)
1914	12 days
1918	40 days
1919	41 days
1920	95 days
1921	36 days
1922	73 days
1930	30 days
1933	28 days
1934	27 days
1935	29 days
1936	55 days
1937	53 days
1938	33 days
1939	68 days
1940	38 days
1941	71 days
1942	86 days
1943	116 days
1944	172 days
1945	49 days
1946	45 days
1947	61 days
1948	86 days
1949	69 days
1950	46 days
1951	54 days
1952	42 days
1953	62 days
1954	40 days
1955	65 days
1956	68 days
1957	52 days
1958	78 days
1959	79 days
1960	76 days
1961	70 days
1962	62 days
1963	102 days
1964	56 days
1965	49 days
1966	52 days
1967	37 days
1970	90 days
1971	49 days

Each chart shows one value per year; the dot marks the record year. TXx is the hottest daily maximum, TNn the coldest daily minimum, Rx1day and Rx5day the largest one-day and five-day rain totals, and CDD the longest run of days with less than 1 mm of rain. A year with missing days can understate an extreme.

Rainfall Return Levels

30 years, 1919 to 1966

A day with at least 110.6 mm (4.4 in) of rain is expected about once in 2 years. A day with at least 356.4 mm (14.0 in) of rain is expected about once in 100 years.

Rainfall return levels at Big Bear Lake Dam: the daily rain expected about once in a given number of years
Expected about once in	A day with at least	Note
2 years	110.6 mm (4.4 in)
5 years	166.1 mm (6.5 in)
10 years	206.6 mm (8.1 in)
25 years	262.6 mm (10.3 in)
50 years	308.0 mm (12.1 in)	Longer than the 30 years of record
100 years	356.4 mm (14.0 in)	Longer than the 30 years of record

The levels come from a generalised extreme value (GEV) distribution fitted by L-moments to the wettest-day total of each year, 30 years of values from 1919 to 1966.

A return level is an estimate. It is least reliable for the long periods, 50 and 100 years, and for any period longer than the record behind the fit, where the fit has to reach past the largest day actually observed. It is not a forecast.

The largest wettest-day totals in the fit: 382.5 mm (15.1 in) in 1938; 198.9 mm (7.8 in) in 1966; 198.4 mm (7.8 in) in 1956.

Download the Data

Data for Big Bear Lake Dam standing records by year: CSV or JSON. Field meanings are on the data page.
Data for Big Bear Lake Dam threshold days by year: CSV or JSON. Field meanings are on the data page.

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Climatology Network Daily (GHCN-Daily). Records are computed by World Extreme Weather Monitor and are not official NOAA products. (US Government open data (NOAA NCEI)) Data as of 2026-10-14 (14 October 2026). Records are computed by this site and are not official.

Data as of 2025-12-31. Last revised 31 December 2025 (2025-12-31).