I’m sure you have heard it: “It never rains in Sunny California!” Right? Well, it sometimes feels that way, especially in recent years that plunged us into severe drought. And our rainy season is generally shorter and lighter than many other states. That being said, I am here to tell you that it does indeed rain in SoCal, and we have had some epic snowstorms in the past. And as it turns out, the 2023-2024 winter predictions indicate quite a cold, wet, and snowy season for the Golden State.
After several dry years that left Southern California in drastic need of water, the 2022-2023 winter season brought an epic downpour of water, and so-called “atmospheric rivers” kept the rain and snow coming for months.
While all of this water was theoretically quite welcome, it did cause a lot of problems in the way of flooding and landslides in dry and fire-wrought areas.
We had so much snowpack in our mountains this past year that the ski season, which usually ends around March, ran into surf season. The season was extended in all of our mountain communities, some staying open as late as June 2023 and making possible the “California Double” - skiing the slopes and surfing the waves in the same day.
And now, guess what? According to Farmers’ Almanac predictions, Southern California is once again in for a wet and snowy season, a bit colder than this past year, with the real bulk of winter weather hitting after the first of the year and continuing into mid-March.
The second week of January 2024 is expected to be stormy, with lots of rain and snow here on the Pacific Coast. If winter predictions for Southern California are correct, the Mountains here on the West Coast will be covered by heavy snowfall during the first part of February.
We hear a lot about La Niña and El Niño here, which are used to identify the warmer and colder surface temperatures of the Pacific Ocean. Generally, La Niña (which we have had for at least the last three years) means a warmer, dryer winter here in the Southland. It seems we are now being affected by El Niño conditions, which bring colder temps and direct more precipitation toward California.
Whether you live here or plan to visit, get your umbrellas, coats, and boots ready for a non-typical California winter - and very likely a nice, long ski season this coming year.
Enjoy the sunny, warm end of summer and beginning of fall, Southern Californians, because it seems we are about to get a *real* winter this year! We are curious to hear from you – do you like it when we get a lot of rain and snow in SoCal? What do you think of the 2023-2024 winter predictions? Do you travel in the winter? If you do, make sure you check out our Ultimate Winter Packing List and don’t let the cold stop you from having an amazing time!
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