Los Angeles has a Mediterranean climate or Dry-Summer subtropical zone (Köppen climate classification Csb on the coast, Csa inland). Los Angeles receives plenty of sunshine, with 325 sunny days and only 27 rainy days on average every year.

Summers are warm and dry with average high temperatures of 81 – 84°F (27 – 29°C) and lows of 63°F (16°C), however temperatures sometimes exceed 90°F (32°C) during the summer. Winters are mild and somewhat rainy with high temperatures of 68 – 70°F (20 – 21°C) and lows of 48 – 50°F (9 – 10°C). Spring and autumn bring mild days and cool evenings.

The Los Angeles area is also subject to the phenomenon typical of a microclimate. As such, the temperatures can vary as much as 18°F (10°C) between inland areas and the coast, with a temperature gradient of over one degree per mile from the coast inland.

Rainfall occurs mainly in the winter and spring months (February being the wettest month), with light rainfall, but sometimes as thunderstorms. Los Angeles averages 15 inches (385 mm) of precipitation per year, but is lower at the coast and higher at the mountains. Tornadoes are extraordinarily rare downtown, though waterspouts can be seen during severe storms at beaches. Snow is extraordinarily rare in the city basin, but the mountainous slopes within city limits typically receive snow every year. The greatest snowfall recorded in downtown Los Angeles was 2.0 inches (5 cm) on January 15, 1932.