Your nature year
Los Angeles, Californiathrough the year
Also for Glendale, CA, Torrance, CA, Pasadena, CA, Downey, CA, El Monte, CA, Burbank, CA, Inglewood, CA, Carson, CA, Compton, CA, South Gate, CA, Santa Monica, CA, Hawthorne, CA, Alhambra, CA, Redondo Beach, CA, Lynwood, CA, Montebello, CA, Pico Rivera, CA, Gardena, CA, Monterey Park, CA, Arcadia, CA, Huntington Park, CA, Paramount, CA, Rosemead, CA, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, Culver City, CA, San Gabriel, CA, Bell Gardens, CA, Temple City, CA, West Hollywood, CA, Manhattan Beach, CA, Bell, CA, Beverly Hills, CA, Lawndale, CA, South Pasadena, CA: the same nearby places.
When do frost, green-up and fall color come to Los Angeles?
Frost usually lets go around Jan 2 and comes back around Dec 26, according to NOAA's Burbank Valley Pump Plt station, 12.1 miles away: roughly 358 days without it. Spring green-up reaches town around Jan 20, with first blooms around Feb 8.
Spring takes about 3 weeks to go from leaf to bloom. Within 150 miles we follow 7 places, out to Joshua Tree 148 miles to the east. For a day trip, Channel Islands is 51 miles off; its wildflowers is by late January through March, during a normal year of rainfall (usually). Carrizo Plain (102 mi) is the pick for desert superbloom, late March to early April (usually). Statewide, California's fall color is usually well under way by late October.
Updated Sep 29. Sources: US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) ↗ (opens in a new tab), US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Near Los Angeles right now
- Fall color is usually well under way by late October in CaliforniaStatewide · USA-NPN volunteer observations, 2020–2025 · not a forecast~4 weeks
- First fall frost usually around Dec 26 · last spring frost around Jan 2NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Burbank Valley Pump Plt (12.1 mi, 50% dates)~3 months
- San Diego Refuge · 124 mi · Local timing: common in the bird list's Fall (September through October) and Winter (November through February) seasonsWinter wildlife · in its window now
- Wildlife by season · Cabrillo · 115 miUsually: Mid-January is the peak time for migration, but whales are visible from mid- to late December through March~3 months
Your guide around Los Angeles
Nearby, season by season
Desert superbloom
- Carrizo Plain · 102 miUsually: late March to early April~6 months
- Joshua Tree · 148 miLocal timing: January to mid-April low down, early March to early May at 3,000 to 5,000 feet, April through June above 5,000 feet~3 months
Wildflowers
- Channel Islands · 51 miUsually: by late January through March, during a normal year of rainfall~4 months
- Cabrillo · 115 miUsually: typically between late March and early April~6 months
- Laguna Meadow · 138 miLocal timing: Wildflower viewing is best in May and June~7 months
Wildlife by season
- Cabrillo · 115 miUsually: Mid-January is the peak time for migration, but whales are visible from mid- to late December through March~3 months
Winter wildlife
- San Diego Refuge · 124 miLocal timing: common in the bird list's Fall (September through October) and Winter (November through February) seasons
- Kern Refuge · 137 miLocal timing: Birding is best on the refuge from October through March~1 day
Los Angeles's nature year
- Wildflowers · Channel IslandsJan–Mar
- Jan: Spring green-upJan
- Jan: Last spring frostJan
- Jan: Wildlife by season · CabrilloJan
- Desert superbloom · Carrizo PlainMar–Apr
- Winter wildlife · San Diego RefugeNowSep–Feb
- Oct: Fall color (CA)Oct
- Dec: First fall frostDec
Los Angeles's year at a glance
- Frost possible
- Frost-free, ~Jan 2 to ~Dec 26
- First leaf ~Jan 20
- First bloom ~Feb 8
- Fall color under way ~Oct 28 (CA)
- Today
Frost and green-up
Last spring frost
Jan 2
Average (50% date)
First fall frost
Dec 26
About 358 days without frost between
Spring green-up
Jan 20
First bloom around Feb 8
Frost: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals at Burbank Valley Pump Plt (12.1 mi from Los Angeles), the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not. Green-up: the USA-NPN Spring Index, 1991–2020 average at the town.
Questions people ask
When is the first frost in Los Angeles?
On average around Dec 26, and the last spring frost around Jan 2: about 358 days without frost between. These are NOAA's 1991–2020 normals at Burbank Valley Pump Plt, 12.1 miles away (the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not).
When does spring green-up reach Los Angeles?
The USA-NPN Spring Index puts first leaf around Jan 20 and first bloom around Feb 8, on average for 1991–2020 at the town.
Where can I see desert superbloom near Los Angeles?
Carrizo Plain, 102 miles (usually: late March to early April); Joshua Tree, 148 miles (local timing: January to mid-April low down, early March to early May at 3,000 to 5,000 feet, April through June above 5,000 feet). Distances are straight-line.
Where can I see wildflowers near Los Angeles?
Channel Islands, 51 miles (usually: by late January through March, during a normal year of rainfall); Cabrillo, 115 miles (usually: typically between late March and early April); Laguna Meadow, 138 miles (local timing: Wildflower viewing is best in May and June). Distances are straight-line.
How we know
US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · USA National Phenology Network, Spring Index 1991–2020 averages (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · USA National Phenology Network, colored leaves observations (opens in a new tab) (Sep 29)