A majority of the stereotypes about the state of California is that it never rains or its beautiful every day in Los Angeles. Well news flash; it fucking rains and when it rains, it fucking pours and when it pours, it’s fucking cold! I can assure you as well that no one here knows how to drive in the rain, including me. No one is an expert and anyone who says otherwise, is a big liar or they’re a transplant from the Pacific Northwest (please teach me). Yes, it is very uncommon here hence why our beautiful state tends to usually be in a drought, and we all grew up yelling at each other as faucets ran water saying, “Hey we’re in a drought!!!, Turn it off!”. From my experience, I have been around a plethora of native Californians who have been very mindful of the unfortunate circumstances behind our lack of water. According to California | Drought.gov, we’re no longer in drought due to the abnormally amounts of rain we had in 2023. Floods, mudslides, vehicle accidents ran amuck, and I’ve seen those that think are invincible hauling ass on the 110N, then hydroplane and cause accidents in front my eyes. While my little self, drenched in anxious sweat clutching the steering wheel, only going 55MPH in a 65 zone (everyone else was too). If you see below, is a screenshot pulled from the link above, this is cleanest drought map I have seen in about 10 years or so and I’m damn proud of it. So those that come to our beautiful state, please be mindful of our water situation (even though we stole water from farmers and natives, but that’s for another time).
You land in LAX (or Burbank) and find that, well, ITS NOT RAINING! YAY!. But, it is a bit chilly. Winter season, at least in Los Angeles isn’t really that cold compared to the East coast. I personally should not be complaining about it for that reason but I. CANNOT. STAND. THE. COLD. As of today, we’ll have a high of 66F (18C) and a low of 48F (8C), which if you ask me is not bad during the day. Umm, the night, maybe not so much for my standards. To be honest, if you come from a very cold climate, this is heaven and for those that come from warm climates, this can be a frozen hell for you. Usually, puffy jackets are fine, maybe buy some Uniqlo Heattech (please sponsor me Uniqlo) and you’re good to go.
Strangely enough, we’ll have a random warm day in the middle of Winter and that was just yesterday 1/2/2024, where DTLA reached a high of 75F (23C). It was beautiful walking outside for lunch and enjoy the warm sun, even if it was just for a day. Here is a current outlook according to 10-Day Weather Forecast for Los Angeles, CA – The Weather Channel | weather.com. Because of this type of weather, you can so many different activities in all of LA County alone, and not just the city itself. I would also recommend if time permits, visit Orange County for their wonderful aesthetics as well.
That being said, here are some tips & tricks for surviving Winter in Los Angeles:
- Don’t bring an umbrella, unless it’s absolutely necessary. If it does rain in the end, just buy a cheap umbrella from Daiso or a dollar store.
- Make sure to have layers because it can be in the upper 40s in the morning but by midday it will reach the high 60s. This gives you the option to take off that large jacket if necessary.
- Spend time outside in the sun! It’s a wonderful feeling when the sun is out during this time of year, so take advantage.
- If you can, purchase the Heattech from Uniqlo to help you stay warm throughout the day of exploring.
- Have a good ChapStick with you because it can get really dry here in LA during the Winter season.
- Always wear sunscreen! Just because it’s not hot or sunny doesn’t mean you shouldn’t protect your skin.
- Take the time to find indoor locations to hang out.
- Honestly, I’ve seen people say boots but in reality, if you’re going to be walking around a lot, it’s really not necessary. Any comfortable shoes with some thermal socks are more than enough to warm you up.