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On this page
- 01LAX weather, month by month
- 02Flight categories at LAX
- 03Weather by time of day
- 04Fog
- 05Thunderstorms and precipitation
- 06Wind and runway crosswinds
- 07Temperature, humidity and daylight
- 08Check a date
- 09Year to year
- 10LAX, SAN, SFO compared
- 11Best and worst months by hazard
- 12Records and extremes
- 13Planning with LAX climate records
- 14Questions about LAX weather
- 15Sources and method
LAX reports VFR in 71.8% of hours and IFR or worse in 9.4%. The IFR-or-worse category means a ceiling below 1,000 feet or visibility below 3 statute miles.
June has the highest share of IFR-or-worse hours, at 13.6%. January has the lowest, at 6.5%.
This page uses 227,133 hourly reports from 2000 to 2025, covering 99.65% of hours in the period. Daily temperature and precipitation come from GHCN-Daily station USW00023174.
01
LAX weather, month by month
Pick a month to see the data.
January
6.5% of hours at IFR or worse.
January ranks 12 of 12 for the share of hours at IFR or worse, from highest to lowest: 6.5%. VFR accounts for 81.4%.
The highest IFR-or-worse share is 4 am to 5 am (11.1%); the lowest is 2 pm to 3 pm (3.2%). Times are local.
Average daily highs are 67°F and lows 49°F. Precipitation averages 2.3 in across 5.2 wet days.
Fog appears in 2.70% of hours; thunderstorms at the airport in 0.04%; wind or gusts of 25 kt or more in 1.0%.
- VFR hours
- 81.4%
- IFR or worse
- 6.5%
- High / low
- 67°F / 49°F
- Daylight
- 10.1 h
- Precipitation
- 2.3 in
- Fog hours
- 2.70%
- 25 kt+ wind
- 1.0%
February
6.6% of hours at IFR or worse.
February ranks 10 of 12 for the share of hours at IFR or worse, from highest to lowest: 6.6%. VFR accounts for 79.2%.
The highest IFR-or-worse share is 6 am to 7 am (12.3%); the lowest is 2 pm to 3 pm (2.6%). Times are local.
Average daily highs are 66°F and lows 50°F. Precipitation averages 2.7 in across 6.0 wet days.
Fog appears in 2.56% of hours; thunderstorms at the airport in 0.05%; wind or gusts of 25 kt or more in 1.0%.
- VFR hours
- 79.2%
- IFR or worse
- 6.6%
- High / low
- 66°F / 50°F
- Daylight
- 11.0 h
- Precipitation
- 2.7 in
- Fog hours
- 2.56%
- 25 kt+ wind
- 1.0%
March
9.1% of hours at IFR or worse.
March ranks 6 of 12 for the share of hours at IFR or worse, from highest to lowest: 9.1%. VFR accounts for 75.9%.
The highest IFR-or-worse share is 7 am to 8 am (15.1%); the lowest is 12 pm to 1 pm (2.9%). Times are local.
Average daily highs are 66°F and lows 52°F. Precipitation averages 1.6 in across 5.5 wet days.
Fog appears in 3.00% of hours; thunderstorms at the airport in 0.03%; wind or gusts of 25 kt or more in 1.6%.
- VFR hours
- 75.9%
- IFR or worse
- 9.1%
- High / low
- 66°F / 52°F
- Daylight
- 11.9 h
- Precipitation
- 1.6 in
- Fog hours
- 3.00%
- 25 kt+ wind
- 1.6%
April
6.6% of hours at IFR or worse.
April ranks 11 of 12 for the share of hours at IFR or worse, from highest to lowest: 6.6%. VFR accounts for 77.7%.
The highest IFR-or-worse share is 6 am to 7 am (10.9%); the lowest is 12 pm to 1 pm (2.1%). Times are local.
Average daily highs are 68°F and lows 54°F. Precipitation averages 0.5 in across 2.6 wet days.
Fog appears in 1.50% of hours; thunderstorms at the airport in 0.02%; wind or gusts of 25 kt or more in 1.6%.
- VFR hours
- 77.7%
- IFR or worse
- 6.6%
- High / low
- 68°F / 54°F
- Daylight
- 13.0 h
- Precipitation
- 0.5 in
- Fog hours
- 1.50%
- 25 kt+ wind
- 1.6%
May
8.5% of hours at IFR or worse.
May ranks 7 of 12 for the share of hours at IFR or worse, from highest to lowest: 8.5%. VFR accounts for 62.9%.
The highest IFR-or-worse share is 4 am to 5 am (14.4%); the lowest is 2 pm to 3 pm (2.1%). Times are local.
Average daily highs are 69°F and lows 58°F. Precipitation averages 0.2 in across 1.7 wet days.
Fog appears in 1.19% of hours; thunderstorms at the airport in 0.02%; wind or gusts of 25 kt or more in 0.6%.
- VFR hours
- 62.9%
- IFR or worse
- 8.5%
- High / low
- 69°F / 58°F
- Daylight
- 13.9 h
- Precipitation
- 0.2 in
- Fog hours
- 1.19%
- 25 kt+ wind
- 0.6%
June
13.6% of hours at IFR or worse.
June ranks 1 of 12 for the share of hours at IFR or worse, from highest to lowest: 13.6%. VFR accounts for 52.0%.
The highest IFR-or-worse share is 5 am to 6 am (25.0%); the lowest is 2 pm to 3 pm (2.6%). Times are local.
Average daily highs are 72°F and lows 61°F. Precipitation averages 0.0 in across 0.3 wet days.
Fog appears in 2.44% of hours; thunderstorms at the airport in 0.01%; wind or gusts of 25 kt or more in 0.1%.
- VFR hours
- 52.0%
- IFR or worse
- 13.6%
- High / low
- 72°F / 61°F
- Daylight
- 14.4 h
- Precipitation
- 0.0 in
- Fog hours
- 2.44%
- 25 kt+ wind
- 0.1%
July
12.8% of hours at IFR or worse.
July ranks 2 of 12 for the share of hours at IFR or worse, from highest to lowest: 12.8%. VFR accounts for 63.6%.
The highest IFR-or-worse share is 4 am to 5 am (24.0%); the lowest is 12 pm to 1 pm (2.1%). Times are local.
Average daily highs are 75°F and lows 64°F. Precipitation averages 0.0 in across 0.4 wet days.
Fog appears in 2.36% of hours; thunderstorms at the airport in 0.02%; wind or gusts of 25 kt or more in 0.0%.
- VFR hours
- 63.6%
- IFR or worse
- 12.8%
- High / low
- 75°F / 64°F
- Daylight
- 14.2 h
- Precipitation
- 0.0 in
- Fog hours
- 2.36%
- 25 kt+ wind
- 0.0%
August
10.8% of hours at IFR or worse.
August ranks 4 of 12 for the share of hours at IFR or worse, from highest to lowest: 10.8%. VFR accounts for 69.0%.
The highest IFR-or-worse share is 6 am to 7 am (19.5%); the lowest is 1 pm to 2 pm (2.5%). Times are local.
Average daily highs are 76°F and lows 65°F. Precipitation averages 0.1 in across 0.3 wet days.
Fog appears in 2.25% of hours; thunderstorms at the airport in 0.01%; wind or gusts of 25 kt or more in 0.0%.
- VFR hours
- 69.0%
- IFR or worse
- 10.8%
- High / low
- 76°F / 65°F
- Daylight
- 13.5 h
- Precipitation
- 0.1 in
- Fog hours
- 2.25%
- 25 kt+ wind
- 0.0%
September
11.4% of hours at IFR or worse.
September ranks 3 of 12 for the share of hours at IFR or worse, from highest to lowest: 11.4%. VFR accounts for 69.9%.
The highest IFR-or-worse share is 6 am to 7 am (20.5%); the lowest is 2 pm to 3 pm (4.4%). Times are local.
Average daily highs are 76°F and lows 64°F. Precipitation averages 0.1 in across 0.6 wet days.
Fog appears in 3.47% of hours; thunderstorms at the airport in 0.03%; wind or gusts of 25 kt or more in 0.1%.
- VFR hours
- 69.9%
- IFR or worse
- 11.4%
- High / low
- 76°F / 64°F
- Daylight
- 12.4 h
- Precipitation
- 0.1 in
- Fog hours
- 3.47%
- 25 kt+ wind
- 0.1%
October
10.3% of hours at IFR or worse.
October ranks 5 of 12 for the share of hours at IFR or worse, from highest to lowest: 10.3%. VFR accounts for 71.7%.
The highest IFR-or-worse share is 7 am to 8 am (17.6%); the lowest is 1 pm to 2 pm (4.5%). Times are local.
Average daily highs are 74°F and lows 60°F. Precipitation averages 0.5 in across 2.3 wet days.
Fog appears in 3.86% of hours; thunderstorms at the airport in 0.06%; wind or gusts of 25 kt or more in 0.2%.
- VFR hours
- 71.7%
- IFR or worse
- 10.3%
- High / low
- 74°F / 60°F
- Daylight
- 11.4 h
- Precipitation
- 0.5 in
- Fog hours
- 3.86%
- 25 kt+ wind
- 0.2%
November
8.4% of hours at IFR or worse.
November ranks 8 of 12 for the share of hours at IFR or worse, from highest to lowest: 8.4%. VFR accounts for 79.1%.
The highest IFR-or-worse share is 6 am to 7 am (15.6%); the lowest is 1 pm to 2 pm (2.8%). Times are local.
Average daily highs are 71°F and lows 54°F. Precipitation averages 0.9 in across 3.3 wet days.
Fog appears in 3.36% of hours; thunderstorms at the airport in 0.05%; wind or gusts of 25 kt or more in 0.6%.
- VFR hours
- 79.1%
- IFR or worse
- 8.4%
- High / low
- 71°F / 54°F
- Daylight
- 10.4 h
- Precipitation
- 0.9 in
- Fog hours
- 3.36%
- 25 kt+ wind
- 0.6%
December
7.8% of hours at IFR or worse.
December ranks 9 of 12 for the share of hours at IFR or worse, from highest to lowest: 7.8%. VFR accounts for 79.7%.
The highest IFR-or-worse share is 7 am to 8 am (12.2%); the lowest is 12 pm to 1 pm (4.7%). Times are local.
Average daily highs are 66°F and lows 50°F. Precipitation averages 2.5 in across 5.7 wet days.
Fog appears in 3.09% of hours; thunderstorms at the airport in 0.01%; wind or gusts of 25 kt or more in 0.8%.
- VFR hours
- 79.7%
- IFR or worse
- 7.8%
- High / low
- 66°F / 50°F
- Daylight
- 9.9 h
- Precipitation
- 2.5 in
- Fog hours
- 3.09%
- 25 kt+ wind
- 0.8%
02
Flight categories at LAX
Pilots sort every weather report into four flight categories using the lowest cloud ceiling and the visibility. The chart shows how many hours each month fall short of VFR, split by how far short.
June has the highest share of IFR-or-worse hours. For LIFR alone, the highest share is in October; for MVFR it is in June.
Share of hours below VFR, by month
Percent of all hourly reports in each month that fell short of VFR.
- LIFR
- IFR
- MVFR
View the numbers
| Month | VFR | MVFR | IFR | LIFR | IFR or worse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 81.4% | 12.1% | 4.5% | 2.0% | 6.5% |
| February | 79.2% | 14.3% | 4.7% | 1.9% | 6.6% |
| March | 75.9% | 15.0% | 6.4% | 2.7% | 9.1% |
| April | 77.7% | 15.7% | 5.1% | 1.5% | 6.6% |
| May | 62.9% | 28.7% | 7.3% | 1.2% | 8.5% |
| June | 52.0% | 34.4% | 11.8% | 1.8% | 13.6% |
| July | 63.6% | 23.6% | 11.0% | 1.8% | 12.8% |
| August | 69.0% | 20.1% | 9.0% | 1.8% | 10.8% |
| September | 69.9% | 18.6% | 8.4% | 3.0% | 11.4% |
| October | 71.7% | 18.1% | 7.1% | 3.2% | 10.3% |
| November | 79.1% | 12.5% | 5.4% | 3.0% | 8.4% |
| December | 79.7% | 12.5% | 5.1% | 2.7% | 7.8% |
The rest of each month is VFR. Hover or tap a bar for the full split.
- VFR
- Ceiling above 3,000 feet and visibility above 5 miles.
- MVFR
- Marginal VFR. Ceiling of 1,000 to 3,000 feet, or visibility of 3 to 5 miles.
- IFR
- Ceiling of 500 to under 1,000 feet, or visibility of 1 to under 3 miles.
- LIFR
- Ceiling under 500 feet, or visibility under 1 mile.
A ceiling counts only broken or overcast layers, or vertical visibility into fog or heavy precipitation. A few scattered clouds do not count.
Sky cover by month
Share of hours by the highest cloud cover reported.
- Clear or few
- Scattered
- Broken
- Overcast
View the numbers
| Month | Clear or few | Scattered | Broken | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42% | 20% | 26% | 13% |
| February | 39% | 21% | 24% | 16% |
| March | 37% | 22% | 24% | 17% |
| April | 43% | 20% | 21% | 16% |
| May | 35% | 18% | 19% | 27% |
| June | 34% | 16% | 18% | 32% |
| July | 38% | 23% | 20% | 20% |
| August | 46% | 21% | 16% | 17% |
| September | 48% | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| October | 48% | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| November | 48% | 20% | 22% | 11% |
| December | 42% | 20% | 24% | 15% |
03
Weather by time of day
Each square is one month and one hour of the day (local time) and shows the share of hours that hit the condition you pick. The stronger the colour, the more likely.
Within June, the highest IFR-or-worse rate occurs 5 am to 6 am. The lowest occurs 2 pm to 3 pm.
Condition by month and hour of day
Local time. Pick a condition to repaint the grid.
Ceiling under 1,000 feet or visibility under 3 miles. Peak square: June, 5 am, 25.0% of hours.
Each square is one month and one hour, averaged over all years.
04
Fog
2.65% of hours report fog, about 231 hours per year.
Fog has its highest monthly share in October and its lowest in May. Across all months, it is most frequent 6 am to 7 am.
The longest sequence of hourly fog reports lasts 24 hours. This counts routine reports, so short events between reports can be missed.
Share of hours with fog, by month
Fog reported by the station.
View the numbers
| Month | Value (%) |
|---|---|
| January | 2.70 |
| February | 2.56 |
| March | 3.00 |
| April | 1.50 |
| May | 1.19 |
| June | 2.44 |
| July | 2.36 |
| August | 2.25 |
| September | 3.47 |
| October | 3.86 |
| November | 3.36 |
| December | 3.09 |
Fog by hour of day
All months combined, local time.
View the numbers
| Hour | Fog |
|---|---|
| 12 am | 2.59% |
| 1 am | 3.30% |
| 2 am | 3.83% |
| 3 am | 4.64% |
| 4 am | 5.42% |
| 5 am | 7.28% |
| 6 am | 9.12% |
| 7 am | 5.95% |
| 8 am | 3.18% |
| 9 am | 1.80% |
| 10 am | 1.25% |
| 11 am | 1.22% |
| 12 pm | 1.17% |
| 1 pm | 1.07% |
| 2 pm | 0.82% |
| 3 pm | 0.80% |
| 4 pm | 0.75% |
| 5 pm | 0.92% |
| 6 pm | 0.98% |
| 7 pm | 1.06% |
| 8 pm | 1.20% |
| 9 pm | 1.26% |
| 10 pm | 1.62% |
| 11 pm | 2.32% |
05
Thunderstorms and precipitation
Present-weather codes count thunderstorms at the airport.
October has the highest monthly thunderstorm rate, at 0.06% of hours.
February has the highest average precipitation total; June has the lowest. The annual average is 11.5 in.
The largest daily precipitation total in the downloaded station record is 5.60 in, on November 21, 1967.
Share of hours with a thunderstorm at the airport
By month.
View the numbers
| Month | Value (%) |
|---|---|
| January | 0.04 |
| February | 0.05 |
| March | 0.03 |
| April | 0.02 |
| May | 0.02 |
| June | 0.01 |
| July | 0.02 |
| August | 0.01 |
| September | 0.03 |
| October | 0.06 |
| November | 0.05 |
| December | 0.01 |
Average precipitation by month
Inches of rain and melted snow.
View the numbers
| Month | Value ( in) |
|---|---|
| January | 2.3 |
| February | 2.7 |
| March | 1.6 |
| April | 0.5 |
| May | 0.2 |
| June | 0.0 |
| July | 0.0 |
| August | 0.1 |
| September | 0.1 |
| October | 0.5 |
| November | 0.9 |
| December | 2.5 |
06
Wind and runway crosswinds
Runway axes and true headings come from OurAirports.
The most frequent wind sector is W, among reports with sustained wind of at least 3 kt.
Using the better aligned runway axis, the crosswind component stays at or below 13 kt in 98.9% of hours with a wind-speed report.
The share with wind or gusts of at least 25 kt is highest in March and lowest in July. Crosswind above 15 kt on every available axis is most frequent in December.
The largest sustained wind or reported gust in these hourly observations is 57 kt.
Where the wind comes from
Share of hours by direction the wind blows from and speed. Lines mark the runway axes.
- 3 to 9 kt
- 10 to 17
- 18 to 24
- 25 or more
- Runway axes
Speed uses the stronger of sustained wind and gust. Calm hours (under 3 kt) are left out of the rose.
LAX runways and crosswind exposure
Drawn to scale, north up. A stronger colour means crosswind above 15 kt in more hours.
View the numbers
| Runway axis | Over 15 kt | Over 20 kt |
|---|---|---|
| 06/24 | 0.9% of hours | 0.3% of hours |
| 07/25 | 0.9% of hours | 0.3% of hours |
Runway positions from OurAirports. Terminals and taxiways are not shown.
Share of hours with wind or gusts of 25 kt or more
By month.
View the numbers
| Month | Value (%) |
|---|---|
| January | 1.0 |
| February | 1.0 |
| March | 1.6 |
| April | 1.6 |
| May | 0.6 |
| June | 0.1 |
| July | 0.0 |
| August | 0.0 |
| September | 0.1 |
| October | 0.2 |
| November | 0.6 |
| December | 0.8 |
Hours when even the best runway has over 15 kt of crosswind
Share of hours, by month.
View the numbers
| Month | Value (%) |
|---|---|
| January | 1.73 |
| February | 1.93 |
| March | 1.62 |
| April | 1.11 |
| May | 0.24 |
| June | 0.13 |
| July | 0.02 |
| August | 0.01 |
| September | 0.06 |
| October | 0.59 |
| November | 0.96 |
| December | 2.02 |
Which runway end the wind favours
Each hour is assigned to the numbered runway end with the largest headwind component. Parallel ends with the same heading are grouped. Ties go to the first sorted axis. This is not a record of runway use.
- 24
- 25
- 06
- 07
- calm
View the numbers
| Month | 24 | 25 | 06 | 07 | calm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37.2% | 0.0% | 37.4% | 0.0% | 25.4% |
| February | 45.5% | 0.0% | 34.1% | 0.0% | 20.4% |
| March | 55.3% | 0.0% | 26.4% | 0.0% | 18.3% |
| April | 64.5% | 0.0% | 19.2% | 0.0% | 16.3% |
| May | 69.5% | 0.0% | 15.5% | 0.0% | 15.0% |
| June | 71.8% | 0.0% | 13.3% | 0.0% | 14.9% |
| July | 77.3% | 0.0% | 8.4% | 0.0% | 14.3% |
| August | 73.8% | 0.0% | 8.8% | 0.0% | 17.5% |
| September | 65.7% | 0.0% | 14.6% | 0.0% | 19.7% |
| October | 54.6% | 0.0% | 22.7% | 0.0% | 22.7% |
| November | 42.4% | 0.0% | 33.3% | 0.0% | 24.3% |
| December | 37.4% | 0.0% | 37.8% | 0.0% | 24.8% |
07
Temperature, humidity and daylight
Daily temperature comes from GHCN-Daily.
September has the highest average daily high; February has the lowest.
Dew points of at least 70°F are most frequent in September.
Mid-month daylight is longest in June and shortest in December. Sunrise and sunset use the configured US daylight saving rule.
Average high and low by month
Lines are the average. Shaded bands cover the middle 80% of days.
- Daily high
- Daily low
View the numbers
| Month | Average high | Average low | Days 90F+ | Nights 32F or colder | Record high | Record low |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 67°F | 49°F | 0.0 | 0.0 | 91°F (2003) | 27°F (1949) |
| February | 66°F | 50°F | 0.0 | 0.0 | 92°F (1963) | 34°F (1948) |
| March | 66°F | 52°F | 0.0 | 0.0 | 95°F (1988) | 35°F (1945) |
| April | 68°F | 54°F | 0.3 | 0.0 | 102°F (1989) | 42°F (1945) |
| May | 69°F | 58°F | 0.2 | 0.0 | 97°F (1956) | 45°F (1964) |
| June | 72°F | 61°F | 0.2 | 0.0 | 104°F (1981) | 48°F (1950) |
| July | 75°F | 64°F | 0.1 | 0.0 | 97°F (1959) | 52°F (1947) |
| August | 76°F | 65°F | 0.2 | 0.0 | 98°F (1955) | 51°F (1948) |
| September | 76°F | 64°F | 1.0 | 0.0 | 110°F (1963) | 47°F (1948) |
| October | 74°F | 60°F | 1.3 | 0.0 | 106°F (1961) | 43°F (1946) |
| November | 71°F | 54°F | 0.5 | 0.0 | 101°F (1966) | 38°F (1947) |
| December | 66°F | 50°F | 0.0 | 0.0 | 94°F (1958) | 32°F (1968) |
Dashed line marks freezing.
Share of hours with a dew point of 70F or higher
By month.
View the numbers
| Month | Value (%) |
|---|---|
| January | 0.0 |
| February | 0.0 |
| March | 0.0 |
| April | 0.0 |
| May | 0.0 |
| June | 0.0 |
| July | 0.1 |
| August | 0.1 |
| September | 0.4 |
| October | 0.1 |
| November | 0.0 |
| December | 0.0 |
Sunrise and sunset
Local clock time. The shaded band is daylight; the small steps are the clocks changing.
View the numbers
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:59 am | 5:06 pm | 10.1 hours |
| February | 6:39 am | 5:36 pm | 11.0 hours |
| March | 7:06 am | 7:01 pm | 11.9 hours |
| April | 6:24 am | 7:24 pm | 13.0 hours |
| May | 5:53 am | 7:47 pm | 13.9 hours |
| June | 5:42 am | 8:06 pm | 14.4 hours |
| July | 5:53 am | 8:06 pm | 14.2 hours |
| August | 6:15 am | 7:42 pm | 13.5 hours |
| September | 6:36 am | 7:02 pm | 12.4 hours |
| October | 6:57 am | 6:21 pm | 11.4 hours |
| November | 6:26 am | 4:51 pm | 10.4 hours |
| December | 6:51 am | 4:46 pm | 9.9 hours |
08
Check a date
Use a seven-day window on each side of your date across 26 years.
October 15 at LAX
Chance of low cloud or poor visibility (IFR or worse)
- Overnight12 am to 6 am14.8%
- Morning6 am to noon14.8%
- Afternoonnoon to 6 pm5.2%
- Evening6 pm to midnight10.7%
The day
- Typical high
- 74°F
- Typical low
- 60°F
- Sunrise
- 6:58 am
- Sunset
- 6:20 pm
- Measurable precipitation
- 7% of days
- Wind or gusts 25 kt+
- 0.1% of hours
These historical frequencies are not a forecast.
09
Year to year
Each bar summarizes one local calendar year.
IFR-or-worse hours by year
Local calendar years.
View the numbers
| Year | Share of hours |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 10.5% |
| 2001 | 14.8% |
| 2002 | 11.7% |
| 2003 | 12.4% |
| 2004 | 8.4% |
| 2005 | 12.2% |
| 2006 | 9.2% |
| 2007 | 7.6% |
| 2008 | 7.8% |
| 2009 | 9.1% |
| 2010 | 12.6% |
| 2011 | 9.7% |
| 2012 | 9.5% |
| 2013 | 9.0% |
| 2014 | 5.0% |
| 2015 | 5.9% |
| 2016 | 7.3% |
| 2017 | 9.1% |
| 2018 | 7.4% |
| 2019 | 6.5% |
| 2020 | 7.7% |
| 2021 | 9.5% |
| 2022 | 6.2% |
| 2023 | 10.8% |
| 2024 | 13.7% |
| 2025 | 10.4% |
Precipitation by year
Local calendar years.
View the numbers
| Year | Inches |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 11.0 in |
| 2001 | 17.0 in |
| 2002 | 5.0 in |
| 2003 | 9.5 in |
| 2004 | 16.3 in |
| 2005 | 18.8 in |
| 2006 | 9.2 in |
| 2007 | 4.9 in |
| 2008 | 11.0 in |
| 2009 | 7.5 in |
| 2010 | 20.1 in |
| 2011 | 9.9 in |
| 2012 | 8.9 in |
| 2013 | 3.7 in |
| 2014 | 8.3 in |
| 2015 | 6.0 in |
| 2016 | 10.3 in |
| 2017 | 12.3 in |
| 2018 | 7.8 in |
| 2019 | 18.7 in |
| 2020 | 9.0 in |
| 2021 | 12.1 in |
| 2022 | 6.4 in |
| 2023 | 25.4 in |
| 2024 | 15.9 in |
| 2025 | 13.2 in |
10
LAX, SAN, SFO compared
The same hourly method and period apply to each station.
LAX's VFR share is higher than SAN's: 71.8% versus 66.9%.
LAX's VFR share is lower than SFO's: 71.8% versus 79.3%.
IFR-or-worse hours by month and airport
Same method and period for each station.
- LAX
- SAN
- SFO
| Measure | LAX | SAN | SFO |
|---|---|---|---|
| VFR hours | 71.8% | 66.9% | 79.3% |
| IFR or worse hours | 9.4% | 6.3% | 5.4% |
| Fog hours | 2.65% | 0.56% | 0.31% |
| Fog hours per year | 231 | 49 | 27 |
| Thunderstorm hours per year | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Wind or gusts 25 kt+ | 0.6% | 0.2% | 5.3% |
| Crosswind coverage at 13 kt | 98.9% | 99.0% | 96.6% |
11
Best and worst months by hazard
Each row is a different weather problem. A stronger colour means a higher rate that month, and the three worst months for each hazard have the strongest colour.
Hazard calendar
The strongest-coloured cells are the three worst months for that row. A pale cell with a 0 means none at all.
View the numbers
| Hazard | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low cloud (IFR or worse) | 7 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Fog | 2.7 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 3.1 |
| Thunderstorm at the airport | <0.1 | 0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | <0.1 |
| Freezing rain or ice pellets | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Wind or gusts 25 kt+ | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | <1 | <1 | <1 | <1 | <1 | 1 | 1 |
| Crosswind over 15 kt (all runways) | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 2.0 |
| Heat (days of 90F or hotter) | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Frost (nights of 32F or colder) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Humid (dew point 70F+) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | <1 | <1 | <1 | <1 | 0 | 0 |
Weather-code, wind and humidity values are percentages of hourly reports. Heat and frost are days in an average year. A value shown as <0.1 or <1 is above zero but under that figure.
12
Records and extremes
- Hottest daily high110°FSeptember 26, 1963
- Coldest daily low27°FJanuary 4, 1949
- Largest daily precipitation5.6 inNovember 21, 1967
Daily records cover the downloaded station history, starting 1944-01-01; hourly summaries cover 2000 to 2025.
13
Planning with LAX climate records
For travelers
- January has the lowest historical IFR-or-worse rate. A monthly average does not predict weather on a particular trip.
For pilots
- Use the charts to compare historical conditions. Get current METARs, TAFs and an official briefing before flying.
This page is for general information and trip planning. It is not an aviation weather briefing and must not be used for flight planning. Always get current weather from an official source such as aviationweather.gov or 1-800-WX-BRIEF before flying.
14
Questions about LAX weather
Which month has the most IFR-or-worse hours at LAX?
June has the highest share, at 13.6%. January has the lowest, at 6.5%.
When is fog most frequent at LAX?
October has the highest monthly share of fog reports. The annual share is 2.65%.
When are thunderstorms most frequent at LAX?
October has the highest share of hours with thunderstorms reported at the airport.
Is this a forecast?
No. The hourly summaries cover 2000 to 2025. Use current reports and forecasts for KLAX from aviationweather.gov.
15
Sources and method
Sources
- Hourly weather
- Iowa Environmental Mesonet archive of US National Weather Service routine hourly observations, report type 3, requested in UTC and filtered to local years 2000 to 2025.
- Daily climate
- NOAA NCEI GHCN-Daily station USW00023174. Menne et al. (2012), Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, doi:10.7289/V5D21VHZ.
- Runways
- OurAirports public domain runway data: source repository. Headings are degrees true. The first listed runway represents each numbered axis in crosswind calculations.
- Time and daylight
- Standard UTC offset -8 hours; US daylight saving rule, including the earlier rule before its statutory change. Solar times use the airport coordinates and NOAA equations.
Definitions
- Sampling
- One routine report per local clock hour. The first report is retained when hours repeat, including the autumn clock change.
- Weather codes
- Fog and thunderstorms exclude vicinity codes.
- Wind
- The stronger of sustained wind and gust is used for crosswind. Calm and variable direction count as zero crosswind.
- Daily averages
- Monthly totals and day counts are divided by the number of years in the analysis period.
Limits
- Routine hourly sampling misses events between observations.
- Wind above 100 kt, temperature outside -30 to 115 F and dew point outside -40 to 90 F are discarded as sensor glitches.
- Wind-only runway preferences do not describe ATC assignments.
Weather data comes from the US National Weather Service and NOAA via IEM. PilotPassion is not affiliated with or endorsed by these agencies.
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