2004 Monthly Summary

Month
Average Temp.
LAX "Normal"
Avg. High (Max)
Avg. Low (Min)
Total Precip.
LAX "Normal"
Days with at least .1 in. of rain
January
54.8
56.5
61.1 (79)
48.8 (39)
0.39
2.90
1
February
54.2
57.4
56.3 (73)
51.7 (41)
3.95
3.15
6
March
60.0
58.5
70.5 (92)
53.5 (46)
0.58
2.08
1
April
61.1
60.5
75.1 (97)
55.6 (46)
0.04
0.91
0
May
65.2
63.0
76.7 (96)
61.8 (52)
0
0.21
0
June
65.6
66.2
67.7 (75)
63.1 (56)
0
0.06
0
July
68.0
69.8
72.7 (88)
64.9 (58)
0
0.01
0
August
67.8
70.8
70.0 (79)
66.3 (59)
0
0.06
0
September
70.4
69.7
79.9 (100)
63.6 (55)
0.01
0.22
0
October
62.4
66.4
66.4 (77)
57.7 (47)
3.16
0.43
5
November
57.3
62.2
62.0 (79)
48.8 (38)
0.20
1.22
0
December
55.3
57.6
65.4 (84)
49.0 (38)
5.08
2.21
4
TOTAL
61.8
63.2
68.6 (100)
57.1 (38)
13.41
13.47
17

Highest recorded wind gust: 43 mph on December 29

Discussion

On average it was another cooler-than-usual year. But the pattern was anything but consistent. February was especially cool  (and wet) in what was otherwise a pretty warm-and-dry winter. Warm and dry conditions frequently characterized the spring months, too, but July and August were on the mild side, never once getting over 88 degrees. September brought the usual Santa Ana conditions, which after a couple of dry rainy seasons yielded one of the region's worst fire seasons in years. As is so often the case, that opened the door to spectacular mudflows and landslides throughout the upcoming winter. Despite the fact there was no true El Nino to be found in the southern Pacific, the early arrival of heavy rains in October triggered the first earth movements, and then a very-wet December put us well on the way to be a record rainfall year throughout much of Southern California.