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Snow in the Los Angeles basin (where elevation ranges from sea level to about 1,200 feet
and where most of the population lives) is quite rare. Average low temperatures in the basin
typically do not dip below the 40s and less commonly into the high 30s.  For measurable snow
to occur, temperatures at ground level must be at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Nevertheless,
on January 17, 2007, an extremely rare light dusting of snow fell in the Malibu area and in
West Los Angeles.

The National Weather Service records area weather data in downtown Los Angeles,
at the Los Angeles International Airport, and in Long Beach.  These locations, for the reasons
outlined above, rarely experience snow.  Snow does fall annually in the San Gabriel Mountains
in Los Angeles County and even occasionally in the foothills  The unincorporated community
of Altadena, for example, lies about 1,300 feet above sea level and experiences trace amounts
of snow about once a decade and measurable amounts about once every two decades.
Mountains in Los Angeles County may get snow as early as late October down to 7,000 feet
and, by early December, down to 3,000 feet.  By mid-April, snow rarely be found in the
mountains below 7,000 foot, but may still remain on some peaks into the mid summer.