Frequently Asked Question: When is the best time to visit Los Angeles?

One of the most frequently asked questions I get from out-of-towners is: When is the best time to visit Los Angeles?

I find myself avoiding travel to certain cities during winter and spring. These places with weather a little too temperamental for leisurely walks and carry-on-only packing. How many of you avoid Chicago and New York in March and November? In Los Angeles, you do not need to worry about blizzards or negative temperatures, but do you need to worry about a bad time to visit?

Should we talk about the weather?

Weather with caveats

A lot of people relate the best time to be in a city by its weather. In looking at the average temperatures for the best time to visit Los Angeles, I found myself shaking my head a lot. The average temperature in August seems really low, as does October. Maybe this accounts for the three temperatures you must remember when navigating this city. You might think that last statement sounds odd. 

There are three temperatures in Los Angeles: Los Angeles, the beaches, and the valley. These can range 10 degrees from each other. It is possible to have lunch in the sunshine at the Grand Central Market, but you need a coat for dinner in Santa Monica. Not that I recommend you do both in a day anyway. See this post.

Average temperatures for Los Angeles

Month	High	Low
January	68F/20C	49F/10C
February	69F/21C	51F/10C
March	70F/21C	52F/11C
April	73F/23C	55F/13C
May	74F/24C	58F/15C
June	79F/26C	62F/17C
July	83F/29C	65F/18C
August	85F/29C	66F/19C
September	83F/29C	85F/18C
October	79F/26C	60F/16C
November	73F/23C	53F/12C
December	68F/20C	49F/9C

The breakdown of Los Angeles’ seasons

Southern California doesn’t really have seasons. I take that back, it does, but they are not as drastic weather-wise. It is more related to which plants are blooming and how heavy or light the traffic is. There is no bad time to visit L.A., but keep the following in mind so that you don’t come here and feel disappointed.

February and March

Or the “it might rain” months. It rained more than usual during February and March of 2023, as it should because that is our “winter,” but the split in the last 14 years for rain vs. no rain is 3 to 11. If you are expecting fabulous sunny March spring break weather with beaches and swaying palm trees, this might not be the time to come. February and March are our cooler months. On the bright side, if it does rain, you will be dazzled by Southern California, which explodes into fields of wildflowers in April.

2022/23 winter was one of the rainiest and coldest winters I have ever experienced in Los Angeles. This wasn’t typical.

May Gray and June Gloom

Although Los Angeles is overwhelmingly sunny, our spring is pretty gloomy. Our mornings start out gray and slightly humid. If you weren’t from here, you would definitely think that it was going to rain. Keep that umbrella at home because you won’t need it. The sun burns off all of that gloom around 2:00 p.m. leaving the rest of the day for you to enjoy.

That one random day in July when it rains

If you look at the weather forecast in July, there is a 0% chance of rain for all thirty-one of its days. There is a day, however, when it does rain in July. You won’t see this on the news’ weather segment or any of the apps. I feel like I am the only person that can predict it–which I realize may make me sound a little crazy. Over the last thirteen years, I have observed that it rains sometime between July 18th and 24th. This ranges from a slight sprinkle to a downpour. It happens every year. In 2019 it was July 23rd.

September and October

As much of the rest of the U.S. is lamenting the end of summer, the season is just getting started in Los Angeles. September and October can be the hottest months in this city. Enjoy the beach and museums when they are less crowded because everyone is back to work or school. Make sure you do find some indoor activities because although there are some shady places in Los Angeles, this is a city filled with concrete and blacktop, making that sun extra hot.

This four-ish out of twelve months are only slightly less than perfect. The months not mentioned above are sunny with a hint of an ocean breeze.

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Fire season

Since writing this post, I realized that we have, unfortunately, a new season to add–Fire Season. This destructive period of heat and wind has become as common as autumn or winter. This season coincides with the Santa Ana Winds and is pretty unpredictable. It can happen quickly and decimate canyons and mountain neighborhoods, sending ash into the air that covers the city.

I don’t have a lot of suggestions to avoid this season. 

My favorite time to be in Los Angeles

I will let you in on a little secret. There are a few times of year that I feel are better than others to visit the greater Los Angeles area. These times are when a large number of the population migrates out of town. Seriously, it is like a dream. You can visit museums without the crowds, able to get from Santa Monica to the San Gabriel Valley in 20 minutes for dim sum, and, my personal favorite, get reservations at impossible to get into restaurants.

These weekends are

• Coachella weekends 1 & 2 (April)
• Burning Man (The last weekend in August to the beginning of September)
• Thanksgiving weekend (Third Thursday of November to the following Sunday)
• Winter holiday: December 20 to December 28
• Memorial weekend: the weekend around the last Monday in May

In turn, there are some times of year that you should keep in mind when Los Angeles is more crowded than usual, which may or may not inspire you to make the trip out.

The times when being in Los Angeles can be a minor annoyance

Every weekend during award Season, aka September-October & February -March

Los Angeles is home to many award shows. So. Many. Award. Shows. I had no idea how many music, film, and television award shows there were until I moved here. This is a great time to see celebrities, but if you want to make that trek to Hollywood & Highland, one of the most visited intersections in this city, you may want to keep in mind that it is closed to the public for a few days around the Oscars while they set up and breakdown the red carpet.

In conclusion (TL;DR)

If you want a summer-like vacation, come during August-October, and be mindful of May Gray and June Gloom. If you want to experience a less crowded Los Angeles, come during desert festivals and holidays, and do not come during award season. Coincidentally award season is also the rainy season.

I hope this post helps you plan your trip at a time when you get the most out of your stay.

Do you have any tips on the best or worst time to visit Los Angeles? Share them in the comments.

NEXT UP….people are over-exaggerating about traffic, right?