Winter in LA is? (San Gabriel, Nice: school, stations, tree)

[Bruin5]

Winter in LA is the best time to go to the beach. No problems with parking but you will probably switch from trunks to a 3/2. I live in an old apartment building with zero heat and can definitely feel the winter at night.

[Fontucky]

Originally Posted by californio sur

Good point. When the orange blossoms flower the aroma is heavenly on a winter night.

Orange blossoms in Winter? That's an Easter time occurrence. Maybe you're smelling Meyer lemon trees, as they set blossoms all year round.

[jc76]

Originally Posted by californio sur

It's hard to discern seasons in SoCal but there are subtle reminders that winter is coming. I think that some of the signals of season change are actually funny:

You know it is winter in Los Angeles when:

1] You wear socks with your flip-flops.

2] You dig out of the closet your sweaters & wind-breakers

3] You close the windows at night

4] There's less daylight

Any others?

Not to be a prick, but that's nothing. Try being up to your waist in snow for 5 months....negative temps making your snot freeze to your brain, your fingers and feet are numb, your sliding in the wrong lane towards an out of control semi as your windshield fluid hazes your window because with the wind chill it's -30, bulldowzers can not even break the dirt it's so hard and frozen, all of awhile popping pills to deal with the depression sided of it. I'll be in L.A. wearing a tank top and shorts in january.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by jc76

Not to be a prick, but that's nothing. Try being up to your waist in snow for 5 months....negative temps making your snot freeze to your brain, your fingers and feet are numb, your sliding in the wrong lane towards an out of control semi as your windshield fluid hazes your window because with the wind chill it's -30, bulldowzers can not even break the dirt it's so hard and frozen, all of awhile popping pills to deal with the depression sided of it. I'll be in L.A. wearing a tank top and shorts in january.

Calm down. Did those pills take your sense of humor?

[AliveandWell]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Calm down. Did those pills take your sense of humor?

I second that. The above poster sounds like a really grumpy person who can't see the positive sides of a real winter season. Its not all bad. People have to wake up and realize that L.A. weather sometimes is not what its cracked up to be. When you have to wear a sweater in the morning because its 50F and then take it off during the day because it might be 70-75F and then put it on again because it cools off, after that, I KNOW there is something unusual about that. I said unusual in order to not sound negative. If the weather depresses someone, they should go out and and at least try to exercise. That one thing alone solves a lot of problems. But to get back on topic, L.A. does not really have a winter season because one day it could be 68F, the next day it could be 77-80F in the middle of December.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

Orange blossoms in Winter? That's an Easter time occurrence. Maybe you're smelling Meyer lemon trees, as they set blossoms all year round.

Yeah, not too many blossoms now except for the Meyers. Whereas, the Valencias and Mandarins that bloomed awhile ago are laden.

[mrsltd]

Originally Posted by AliveandWell

I second that. The above poster sounds like a really grumpy person who can't see the positive sides of a real winter season. Its not all bad. People have to wake up and realize that L.A. weather sometimes is not what its cracked up to be. When you have to wear a sweater in the morning because its 50F and then take it off during the day because it might be 70-75F and then put it on again because it cools off, after that, I KNOW there is something unusual about that. I said unusual in order to not sound negative. If the weather depresses someone, they should go out and and at least try to exercise. That one thing alone solves a lot of problems. But to get back on topic, L.A. does not really have a winter season because one day it could be 68F, the next day it could be 77-80F in the middle of December.

Actually and technically winter, as are all of the other seasons, is judged by the position of the sun and stars in the sky.

I think it is more accurate to say LA has no real "winter WEATHER", as experienced by most of the rest of the United States.

The West Coast in general is unique with regards to the rest of the country in that our dry season is in the summer, while our rainy season is in the winter. Much of the country can expect percipitation pretty much any time of the year, and in fact depends on it for agriculture and water supply.

Southern California, including LA, is even more unique in that we have a Mediterranean climate, with mild winters, due to the ocean and the mountains. The ocean helps moderate warm temperatures, while the Tranverse Ranges (San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains) keep arctic air out of the area the vast majority of the time.

[mrsltd]

Originally Posted by Bruin5

Winter in LA is the best time to go to the beach. No problems with parking but you will probably switch from trunks to a 3/2. I live in an old apartment building with zero heat and can definitely feel the winter at night.

What is really funny to me is that many people do not realize that LA is NOT Hawaii, as far as air and water temps go.

Several years ago there was a talk-show host on at night on one of the local stations (originally from Chicago) that was holding forth during one of our particularly wet winters. He was ranting and raving to no end about how he felt cheated because "it doesn't rain in LA", and yet he was in the middle of it.

For all this man's intelligence on other issues, one would think that he would have chucked that stereotype about LA long before moving here.

[osuzana]

The only state where the weather stations call a drizzle "Storm Watch"!!!

[californio sur]

Originally Posted by osuzana

The only state where the weather stations call a drizzle "Storm Watch"!!!

It kind of gets embarrassing when the "major" storms die before they even get here. I get bummed out waiting for rain [esp when you consider that LA averages less than 20 rainy days a year]. Sunny skies do get old but I know we are spoiled to complain.

If you are a major sports person then it is perfect here. When was the last time a baseball game was rained out in LA & Anaheim?