In speaking with a client about Big Bear lakefronts the other day, I was asked when the lake's water levels usually hit their annual peak and how much water levels drop throughout a typical year. My best guess was that since the lake is filled by snow melt and watershed from the surrounding peaks, that mid-May was when lake levels usually peaked, and that due to evaporation and mandated water release from the dam, it would be typical to see Big Bear Lake's water levels drop 2 to 3 feet over the course of a typical year.
Again, this was a guess. Luckily, the Big Bear Municipal Water District keeps weekly records of lake levels making verification of my assumption easy to do. So I looked it up and here's what I found.
Here are the calendar dates of Big Bear lake's high points over the past few years:
2012 - April 30th
2011 - May 31st
2010 - June 7th
2009 - May 11th
2008 - April 28th
2007 - January 2nd
2006 - May 22nd
2005 - May 31st
Six of the eight years saw Big Bear Lake's water levels peak in April or May. So I would say mid-May wasn't too bad of a guess.
Here are the drops in the lake's water levels. I took the high point of each calendar year and subtracted the low point from that year to determine the total annual drop.
2012 - (Not determinable yet)
2011 - 2 feet 1 inch
2010 - 2 feet 6 inches
2009 - 2 feet 7 inches
2008 - 3 feet 1 inch
2007 - 3 feet 10 inches
2006 - 2 feet 10 inches
2005 - 2 feet 3 inches
Five of the seven years had between 2 and 3 foot drops in lake level. Again, another lucky guess!
It is important to keep in mind that although there is consistency here, mother nature is really the one in charge. There have been years where these patterns change - sometimes for the drier and sometimes for the wetter. But these numbers will give you an idea of what to expect in a typical year in the life of Big Bear's lake levels.
Knowing about lake levels is important when looking at Big Bear lakefront homes for sale. Depending on how deep the water may be at the particular lakefront you're looking at, it is wise to determine what the property might look like at when water levels are lower - not just on an historical basis, but also from the perspective of how a lakefront home might be affected by the annual 2 - 3 foot drop. In shallower locations, it might require moving one's dock several times a summer. In others, you may not be affected at all.
The bottom line: the more information you have, the better the decision you'll make when choosing a Big Bear lakefront home that suits your needs.