Through November 30, 2006

The following climate summaries and discussions are based on weather data now being collected at my home in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Westchester, just north of LAX, the international airport. The tables below summarize each year's temperature and precipitation data. For monthly summaries and commentary, click on the corresponding year's name.  All temperatures are reported in degrees Fahrenheit.

Temperature (°F)

Year

Average Temperature (avg. low - avg. high)

Departure from LAX "Normal"

Hottest Day

Coldest Day

# of days above 90°

# of days below 32°

2003

61.7 (57 - 68)

- 1.5

Jan 31 (93)

Dec 28 (36)

3

0

2004

61.8 (57 - 69)

- 1.4

Sept 5 (99)

Dec 1 (38)

9

0

2005

62.6 (58 - 68)

- 0.6

Sept 29 (102)

Dec 5 (36)

11

0

2006

64.5 (53 - 76)

+ 0.8

Nov 7 (99)

Nov 30 (33)

17

0

The following are "normal" and record temperatures based on the historic figures recorded at nearby Los Angeles International Airport (KLAX) between 1914 and 2005.

  • Annual average temperature: 63.2°F
  • Average daily high temperature: 71.2°F
  • Average daily low temperature: 55.2°F
  • Warmest average month: August at 70.8°F (63-78)
  • Coolest average month: January at 56.5°F (48-65)
  • Hottest day on record: 110°F on September 26, 1963 (every month has exceed 90°F at least once)
  • Coldest day on record: 27°F on January 4, 1949 (January is the only month to ever dip below 32°F)
  • Warmest year on record: 66.5°F in 1931
  • Coolest year on record: 60.4°F in 1949
  • Average number of days above 90°F per year: 7.3
  • Average number of days below 32°F per year: 0.1

Precipitation (inches of rain)

Year

Precipitation Total

Departure from LAX "Normal"

Wettest Month

# of days with at least .10 inch

# of days with at least one inch

2003-04

7.36

- 6.11

February (3.95)

13

2

2004-05

19.75

+ 6.28

January (5.26)

28

6

2005-06

9.18

- 4.29

March (2.11)

23

1

2006-07

0.15

-1.50

Nov (0.14)

1

0

The official National Weather Service statistical precipitation year begins July 1. The California Department of Water Resources, however, uses an annual start date of October 1, which makes more sense to me and is thus how I've chosen to report the data. The winter rainy season typically lasts from mid-October to mid-April, with the December-March period accounting for 77% of the average annual total. Below is a summary of average and record rainfall totals for the LAX/Westchester area:

  • Average annual precipitation: 13.47 inches
  • Average number of days with at least 0.10 inch: 22
  • Average number of days with at least 1.00 inch: 4
  • Wettest calendar year on record: 31.28 inches during 1941
  • Wettest month on record: 13.79 inches during February 1998
  • Wettest day on record: 5.88 inches on March 2, 1938
  • Driest calendar year on record: 4.13 inches during 1947
  • Driest month on record: 0.00 inches (all 12 months have been rainless at least once)