Fort Bidwell, California Weather
Fort Bidwell, California — live current conditions, hourly and 7-day forecasts, NWS alerts, aviation weather, radar and satellite imagery, soil and crop conditions for Fort Bidwell, Modoc County.
Flight conditions near Fort Bidwell. Data source: locating…
Soil conditions, frost risk and crop weather for Fort Bidwell.
About Fort Bidwell, California
Fort Bidwell lies in a high desert basin, a place where the earth exhales a dry, clean air and the sky stretches, an immense, unblemished dome. It lies 143.3 miles east-south-east of Medford, OR (from Medford, OR: bearing 102°T), and is situated 24.8 miles south-south-east of Lakeview. The land around Fort Bidwell is a study in muted tones: sagebrush and juniper, ochre dust and the pale, sun-bleached skeletons of ancient trees. Rolling hills, worn smooth by millennia of wind and scant rain, cradle the basin, their crests catching the sun’s fierce gaze in the afternoon and softening into bruised purples and greys as dusk approaches. The infrequent streams that scar the landscape are more often dry washes, their beds a mosaic of polished stones, hinting at a more generous past. The character of Fort Bidwell is one of quiet resilience, a place that has learned to thrive in scarcity, where the vastness of the surroundings imbues life with a certain gravity and a profound sense of solitude. The history of Fort Bidwell is inextricably linked to its strategic position and the shifting tides of human endeavor in this rugged corner of the continent. Once a United States Army post established in the late 19th century to manage relations with the indigenous Modoc people and protect settlers, its purpose gradually shifted as the frontier receded. The economy of Fort Bidwell, like much of Modoc County, has historically relied on ranching and agriculture, endeavors that demand a deep understanding of the land’s rhythms and limitations. The distinctive character of Fort Bidwell today is shaped by this legacy, a blend of military past and agricultural present, where the echoes of cavalry boots can almost be heard on the wind that rustles through the sparse vegetation. The few remaining structures from the fort stand as stoic reminders of a bygone era, their weathered wood and stone a testament to the enduring spirit of those who have called this remote landscape home.
Live animated radar for Fort Bidwell and surroundings — RainViewer.
NOAA GOES-16 GEOCOLOR — live animated loop updated every 10 minutes. Shows cloud cover, storm systems and weather patterns across the continental US.
Source: NOAA/NESDIS GOES-East · Public domain · Auto-updates on page reload
| Location | Fort Bidwell, Modoc County, California |
| Coordinates | 41.860446°N, 120.151339°W |
| Timezone | Pacific Time (America/Los_Angeles) |
| ZIP Code(s) | 96112 |
| Area Code | 530 |
| Page generated | July 2026 |
| Weather data | Open-Meteo (open-source), NOAA National Weather Service |
About This Fort Bidwell, California Weather Page
This page provides live weather conditions and forecasts for Fort Bidwell, California, including current conditions, a 24-hour hourly forecast, 7-day outlook, NWS extended text forecast, real-time aviation weather (live METAR and TAF reports from the nearest reporting airport, with a modeled estimate shown when no station is in range), precipitation radar and NOAA GOES-16 satellite imagery. Additional sections may include tide predictions, wave height, wave direction and sea-surface temperature, a barometric pressure trend, and a solunar-based fishing forecast with a fishing-conditions rating for coastal localities, and soil temperature, crop weather and live USGS river gauge data for agricultural areas near a monitored waterway. All data updates automatically on every page visit.
Location data for Fort Bidwell includes coordinates 41.860446°N, 120.151339°W, situated in Modoc County. ZIP code 96112. Telephone area code: 530. Timezone: Pacific Time (America/Los_Angeles).
Weather data is sourced from the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) and the open-source Open-Meteo API. Aviation data is sourced from aviationweather.gov (NOAA), with a modeled estimate used where no nearby reporting station is available. River and stream data is sourced from the USGS National Water Information System. Tide predictions are sourced from NOAA CO-OPS; marine and solunar data are modeled from Open-Meteo and public sunrise/moon calculations and should be treated as a general guide alongside on-the-water conditions. Radar is provided by RainViewer. Satellite imagery is sourced from NOAA/NESDIS GOES-East and is public domain.
