What is the hottest day ever recorded in Los Angeles?

Los Angeles's hottest day on record reached 118°F, set on September 6, 2020. That is the single most extreme high in the nearest long-term weather station's full daily record — about 39°F hotter than a typical year's average high of 79°F, which is why a day like it stands out as genuinely rare rather than just a hot afternoon.

What is the record high temperature in Los Angeles?

The all-time record high in Los Angeles is 118°F, recorded on September 6, 2020. Records are drawn from the nearest long-term weather station's full daily history, so this is the hottest single day the station has ever logged — not a typical summer peak.

What is the coldest day ever recorded in Los Angeles?

Los Angeles's coldest day on record bottomed out at 22°F, set on January 12, 1949. Like the record high, it comes from the station's full daily record, so it captures the most extreme cold the area has recorded rather than an average winter low.

What is the record low temperature in Los Angeles?

The all-time record low in Los Angeles is 22°F, recorded on January 12, 1949. The gap between that and the 118°F record high — a span of 96°F — is the full range of temperatures Los Angeles has experienced across its long-term daily record.

Is it normal to be this hot in Los Angeles?

It depends on how far above Los Angeles's normal a given day runs. A typical year here averages a daily high near 79°F; the all-time record of 118°F (set 2020) sits about 39°F above that. When a live reading is available, the live readout just below the record high and low compares it with the temperature typical for that hour this month (estimated from the month's normal high and low), so you can see how unusual the day is rather than guessing.

When did Los Angeles set its temperature records?

Los Angeles's record high of 118°F was set in 2020 (September 6, 2020), and its record low of 22°F in 1949 (January 12, 1949). Both are pulled from the station's full daily record going back to 1949, so they reflect the true extremes rather than a recent or partial sample.

Has Los Angeles been getting hotter?

There isn't enough station data to say: the latest stretch of complete years with no gap over 10 years is 1999–2025, only 26 years (a trend needs at least 30). The all-time records above still use every valid day in the record.

Los Angeles, California Weather Records

The hottest and coldest days Los Angeles has ever recorded — and how today compares to normal

Los Angeles’s all-time temperature records

Hottest day on record: 118°Fset September 6, 2020
Coldest day on record: 22°Fset January 12, 1949

That is a 96°F span between the hottest and coldest days Los Angeles has ever recorded — the full range of what its weather has done across the station’s record back to 1949.

Los Angeles, CA · Today vs. normal

2°F below typical for 4:00 AM on Sep 21

At 4:00 AM PDT on Sep 21 it was 61°F in Los Angeles — 2° below the 63°F typical for that hour (estimated from the Sep 21 normal high of 89°F and low of 61°F, interpolated from the monthly normals).

How extreme Los Angeles’s weather gets

Los Angeles’s weather is usually mild by its own standards — a typical year averages a daily high near 79°F, and the normal high for September runs about 90°F. The records sit well outside that everyday range. The hottest day on record reached 118°F in 2020 — roughly 39°F above a typical year’s average high, the kind of gap that turns an ordinary summer into a genuine heat event.

At the other end, Los Angeles has bottomed out at 22°F (1949). Those edges are why the today-versus-normal readout above is worth a glance: it shows where today falls between the normal and the record, so a hot afternoon can be judged against the real history rather than a hunch. A reading a few degrees over the September normal is ordinary; one pushing toward the 118°F record is the rare event the record marks.

Frequently asked

What is the hottest day ever recorded in Los Angeles?: Los Angeles's hottest day on record reached 118°F, set on September 6, 2020. That is the single most extreme high in the nearest long-term weather station's full daily record — about 39°F hotter than a typical year's average high of 79°F, which is why a day like it stands out as genuinely rare rather than just a hot afternoon.
What is the record high temperature in Los Angeles?: The all-time record high in Los Angeles is 118°F, recorded on September 6, 2020. Records are drawn from the nearest long-term weather station's full daily history, so this is the hottest single day the station has ever logged — not a typical summer peak.
What is the coldest day ever recorded in Los Angeles?: Los Angeles's coldest day on record bottomed out at 22°F, set on January 12, 1949. Like the record high, it comes from the station's full daily record, so it captures the most extreme cold the area has recorded rather than an average winter low.
What is the record low temperature in Los Angeles?: The all-time record low in Los Angeles is 22°F, recorded on January 12, 1949. The gap between that and the 118°F record high — a span of 96°F — is the full range of temperatures Los Angeles has experienced across its long-term daily record.
Is it normal to be this hot in Los Angeles?: It depends on how far above Los Angeles's normal a given day runs. A typical year here averages a daily high near 79°F; the all-time record of 118°F (set 2020) sits about 39°F above that. When a live reading is available, the live readout just below the record high and low compares it with the temperature typical for that hour this month (estimated from the month's normal high and low), so you can see how unusual the day is rather than guessing.
When did Los Angeles set its temperature records?: Los Angeles's record high of 118°F was set in 2020 (September 6, 2020), and its record low of 22°F in 1949 (January 12, 1949). Both are pulled from the station's full daily record going back to 1949, so they reflect the true extremes rather than a recent or partial sample.
Has Los Angeles been getting hotter?: There isn't enough station data to say: the latest stretch of complete years with no gap over 10 years is 1999–2025, only 26 years (a trend needs at least 30). The all-time records above still use every valid day in the record.