Rancho Palos Verdes in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Rancho Palos Verdes sees average daytime highs around 61°F and overnight lows near 53°F, with 7.4 in of rain over about 16 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 61°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Rancho Palos Verdes's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Rancho Palos Verdes's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 61°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 53°F
- Rainfall
- 7.4 in
- 16 wet days
- Avg wind
- 7 mph
- Travel score
- 5.8
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Rancho Palos Verdes in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 61°F.
A typical winter day in Rancho Palos Verdes reaches about 61°F and drops to 53°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest January.
Rancho Palos Verdes weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 61° / 53° | 2.7 | 5.5 | 10 | 5.8 |
| Feb | 61° / 53° | 2.9 | 5.8 | 10.7 | 5.6 |
| Mar | 61° / 54° | 1.7 | 4.3 | 11.7 | 6.0 |
| Apr | 62° / 56° | 0.6 | 2.2 | 12.8 | 6.9 |
| May | 64° / 58° | 0.2 | 1.1 | 13.7 | 7.6 |
| Jun | 67° / 61° | 0.0 | 0.2 | 14.2 | 8.2 |
| Jul | 70° / 64° | 0.1 | 0.3 | 14 | 8.7 |
| Aug | 71° / 65° | 0.0 | 0.1 | 13.3 | 9.1 |
| Sep | 71° / 64° | 0.1 | 0.4 | 12.2 | 8.9 |
| Oct | 69° / 62° | 0.5 | 1.6 | 11.2 | 8.4 |
| Nov | 65° / 57° | 0.7 | 2.6 | 10.2 | 7.6 |
| Dec | 61° / 53° | 1.9 | 4.6 | 9.8 | 6.1 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 51% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Rancho Palos Verdes gets around 7.4 in of rain over 16 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 7 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 54 min in early December to 11 h 12 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.4 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Rancho Palos Verdes?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Rancho Palos Verdes for sightseeing.
What to pack for Rancho Palos Verdes in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Rancho Palos Verdes sees daytime highs around 61°F and nights near 53°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 16 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Rancho Palos Verdes in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 59°F across winter — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea at the nearest coast (about 8 mi away) is warmest in August at about 69°F and coldest in February near 59°F.
It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 25 to Sep 24 — about 2 months when the water holds above 68°F.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°F) | 59 | 59 | 59 | 60 | 62 | 65 | 68 | 69 | 69 | 67 | 64 | 60 |
| Comfort | Cool | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool | Cool | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°F) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59 | Cool |
| Feb | 59 | Bracing |
| Mar | 59 | Cool |
| Apr | 60 | Cool |
| May | 62 | Cool |
| Jun | 65 | Cool |
| Jul | 68 | Cool |
| Aug | 69 | Refreshing |
| Sep | 69 | Refreshing |
| Oct | 67 | Cool |
| Nov | 64 | Cool |
| Dec | 60 | Cool |
UV index in Rancho Palos Verdes in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Rancho Palos Verdes peaks around June 23 at about 10 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 16 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 5 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5 | Moderate |
| Apr | 7 | Very high |
| May | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 10 | Extreme |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 5 | High |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Rancho Palos Verdes in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Rancho Palos Verdes is worst in November — around 37 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 2.7× the cleanest month (May, 14 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 26 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 14 | 16 | 24 | 20 | 32 | 24 | 37 | 27 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Poor | Moderate |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | Moderate |
| Feb | 24 | Moderate |
| Mar | 22 | Moderate |
| Apr | 20 | Moderate |
| May | 14 | Moderate |
| Jun | 16 | Moderate |
| Jul | 24 | Moderate |
| Aug | 20 | Moderate |
| Sep | 32 | Moderate |
| Oct | 24 | Moderate |
| Nov | 37 | Poor |
| Dec | 27 | Moderate |
Where is Rancho Palos Verdes?
Rancho Palos Verdes sits at 33.7°N, 118.4°W, 220 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Lomita, 5.6 mi away.
Topography around Rancho Palos Verdes
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Rancho Palos Verdes.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Rancho Palos Verdes has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,319 ft around an average of 387 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,499 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 7,992 ft.
The land around Rancho Palos Verdes is covered by water (42%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 2 miles, water (69%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 10 miles, and water (55%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 50 miles.
United States travel facts
- Power plugs
- Type A / B
- 120 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 100% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $90,027
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.8 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 98%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 5.8
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 12.7
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Rancho Palos Verdes (33.7445°, -118.387°, elevation 220 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.