Today's weather for Los Angeles, USA21st Nov 2009 22:47

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Weather Overview for Los Angeles

Sitting on the west coast of the USA, in the sunshine state of California and in the heart of a region that basks in an enviable Mediterranean climate, you will find the glitz, the glamour and the fast lane of Los Angeles.

LA has long been called ‘the city of dreams’ where aspiring actors, dancers and singers flock in the hope of making it big. So it’s not surprisingly that greater Los Angeles plays host to 12.9 million people which speak 224 different languages. The heart of LA houses 3.8 million people, making it the biggest city in California and the second largest in the United States.

LA lies upon the Pacific Ocean, with a long coast line of white sandy beaches and affluent beach communities, such as Malibu and Santa Monica, and ‘boho chic’ alternative areas such as Venice Beach. Central LA lies in the forefront of a great mountain range, and spreads into the San Fernando Valley, making for some interesting, picturesque terrain.

The city’s coastal location upon the Pacific Ocean and its close proximity to mountains are both large moderating factors in its climate. The mountains act as a barrier to cooling winds that blow from the colder parts of North America, and they also act to keep in the warmer winds that blow north from Mexico. The Pacific Ocean provides cooling sea breezes which come as a welcome relief in the height of summer, and the ocean also moderates winter temperatures, keeping them a few degrees warmer than other locations that lie at similar latitudes.

Temperature

The mercury begins to rise in preparation for summer around May, and by June the average maximum for the day sits at 24°C, while the minimum falls to 14°C. By July the daily maximums reach, on average, 29°C and days in excess of 30°C are not uncommon at all. These warm temperatures hold up well into September, with October seeing an average high of 25 °C. Even November, just prior to winter sees average highs of a pleasant 22°C.

The summer temperatures are more extreme as you move inland; in fact the Pacific Ocean cools the temperatures on the coast so much that as you move further inland the daily temperatures can be up to 10°C higher. The record high temperature for greater LA was recorded at Woodland Hills which lies in the South West of San Fernando Valley - in July 2006 the barometer saw an astonishing 48.33°C! In Downtown LA, the hottest temperature ever recorded was on June 26 1990 when civilians suffered through a sweltering 44°C day.

Rainfall

Rainfall in LA comes mainly in winter and spring and is generally nonexistent in the height of summer. The rain follows a pattern fairly typical of Mediterranean climate where winters are wet and mild, and summers are hot and dry. February is the wettest month on average, and throughout winter each month records about 60-77mm of precipitation. Snow in LA is extremely rare; the highest snowfall on record was in January 1932 when 5cm of snow was measured.

LA lies in the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’ which is a region that is extremely prone to earth quakes. Lying upon numerous fault lines, the most destructive being the San Andreas fault, LA and its surrounding regions is subject to 10,000 earth quakes per year. Many are nothing more than tiny tremors and go unnoticed, others huge disastrous quakes, such as the 1994 Northridge Earthquake which hit downtown LA and killed 72 people, leaving 12,000 injured. The Northridge Earthquake caused $12.5 billion damage, making it one of the most costly natural disasters in Californian history.

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