Snow at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, La Cañada Flintridge, January 1949. Photo courtesy of NASA/JPL Archive.
Snow in the Los Angeles basin (where elevation ranges from sea level to about 1,200 feet and most of the population lives) is quite rare. Average low temperatures in the basin typically do not drop below the 40s and, less commonly, into the high 30s. For measurable snow to occur, temperatures at ground level must be at or below 32 degrees fahrenheit. Nevertheless, on January 17, 2007, an extremely rare light dusting of snow fell in the Malibu area and in West Los Angeles. Most weather stations around Los Angeles County have, on rare occasions, reported at least a few trace amounts of snow.
1974. In Valencia, just 30 miles north of Downtown Los Angeles, people help push a stalled truck off Magic Mountain Parkway during a snow storm.
Photo by John Malmin, LA Times Photographic Collection at UCLA Library.
The National Weather Service highlights area weather data in Downtown Los Angeles, at the Los Angeles International Airport, and in Long Beach. These locations, for reasons outlined above, rarely experience snow. However, snow does fall annually in the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County and even, occasionally, in the foothills. The unincorporated community of Altadena, for example, lies about 1,300 feet above sea level and experiences trace amounts of snow about once a decade and measurable amounts about once every two decades. Mountains in Los Angeles County may see snow down to 7,000 feet, as early as late October and, by early December, down to 3,000 feet. By mid-April, snow is rarely found in the mountains of Los Angeles County below 7,000 feet, but may still remain on some of the highest peaks into the mid-summer.
San Gabriel Mountains layered with snow in December 2019. Los Angeles Almanac Photo.
| In a 24-Hour Period | In 1 month |
|---|---|
| 2.0 inches January 15, 1932 |
2.0 inches January 1932 |
Also see: Snowfall Records at Other Los Angeles County locations.
| Year | Month & Amount of Snowfall |
|---|---|
| 1879 | December 27 (trace) |
| 1882 | January 12 (trace) |
| 1884 | February 14 (trace) |
| 1902 | January 29 (trace) |
| 1906 | December 31 (trace) |
| 1913 | February 19 (trace) |
| 1915 | December 30 (trace) |
| 1916 | December 26 (trace) |
| 1918 | November 27 (trace) |
| 1919 | February 1 (trace), November 27 (trace) |
| 1922 | January 30 (trace), March 11 (trace) |
| 1932 | January 15 (2.0 inches) |
| 1935 | December 4 (trace) |
| 1939 | February 8 (trace) |
| 1942 | January 1 (trace), February 21 (trace) |
| 1947 | December 5 (trace) |
| 1949 | January 9 (trace), January 10 (trace), January 11 (0.3 inches) |
| 1950 | April 9 (0.2 inches) |
| 1951 | February 27 (trace), March 1 (trace) |
| 1952 | January 13 (trace), March 13 (trace), March 16 (trace), December 20 (trace) |
| 1954 | January 12 (0.3 inches), February 14 (trace) |
| 1957 | January 27 (trace) |
| 1962 | January 21 (trace), January 22 (trace) |
Source: National Weather Service
