Kern River Water Temperature

How cold is the Kern River?

The Upper Kern River is a free-flowing, snowmelt-based river originating from Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States. The Upper Kern River water tends to be cold, but its temperature changes based on water flow and month. This is vastly different than the Lower Kern River, which originates in Lake Isabella. This is a shallow reservoir that captures quite a bit of sun during the summertime, allowing the river temperature to rise on the Lower Kern, which is the lakes outflow.

While there is a lot of temperature data for the Upper Kern, the Lower Kern is lacking and has been measured manually and inconsistently. Regardless, both data sets are below. This information was compiled by Kern River Outfitters.

Upper Kern River Water Temperature (Monthly Average)

• January: 39 degrees
• February: 42 degrees
• March: 46 degrees
• April: 50 degrees
• May: 54 degrees
• June: 59 degrees
• July: 64 degrees
• August: 69 degrees
• September: 63 degrees
• October: 54 degrees
• November: 45 degrees
• December: 40 degrees

Lower Kern River Water Temperature

The Lower Kern water temperature varies significantly based on month, and how much water is in the lake. During peak summer months, water temps in the high 70s are not unheard of, and during the winter, as low as 45 degrees has been observed.

Average highs and lows at Kernville, CA

Taken at Kernville, CA the average monthly highs and lows for air temperature are below.

• January: 60° / 31°
• February: 63° / 33°
• March: 67° / 37°
• April: 72° / 42°
• May: 81° / 49°
• June: 90° / 56°
• July: 98° / 62°
• August: 97° / 62°
• September: 91° / 55°
• October: 80° / 46°
• November: 68° / 36°
• December: 60° / 31°