Discover the best time of year, based on historical climate, temperature, and precipitation.
The best weather in Avalon is from July, August, September. — consistent weather climate
☀️Pleasant
| Score | 77 | 75 | 71 | 94 | 96 | 96 | 100 | 98 | 97 | 97 | 97 | 80 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate | Mild | Mild | Mild | Mild | Mild | Pleasant | Pleasant | Pleasant | Pleasant | Pleasant | Mild | Mild |
| Temperature | 11–17°C | 11–17°C | 12–16°C | 13–18°C | 14–19°C | 16–21°C | 18–23°C | 19–24°C | 19–24°C | 17–23°C | 14–20°C | 12–17°C |
| Feels like | 9–16°C | 9–15°C | 9–15°C | 11–18°C | 13–19°C | 16–22°C | 18–25°C | 20–26°C | 20–26°C | 17–23°C | 12–19°C | 10–16°C |
| Precipitation | 51mm 5 days | 50mm 6 days | 59mm 8 days | 14mm 3 days | 5mm 2 days | 4mm 3 days | 0mm 0 days | 11mm 1 days | 11mm 2 days | 10mm 2 days | 10mm 2 days | 41mm 5 days |
| Sunshine | 8.8h ☀︎ 86% | 9.3h ☀︎ 85% | 10.3h ☀︎ 86% | 10.9h ☀︎ 84% | 11.4h ☀︎ 82% | 12.0h ☀︎ 84% | 13.0h ☀︎ 92% | 12.0h ☀︎ 90% | 11.0h ☀︎ 89% | 10.1h ☀︎ 89% | 9.5h ☀︎ 91% | 8.1h ☀︎ 81% |
| Wind | NW · 20 km/h | NW · 21 km/h | W · 23 km/h | W · 21 km/h | W · 21 km/h | W · 20 km/h | W · 20 km/h | W · 20 km/h | W · 20 km/h | W · 19 km/h | NW · 19 km/h | NW · 18 km/h |
| Humidity (%) | 75% | 72% | 77% | 77% | 78% | 79% | 80% | 80% | 79% | 76% | 69% | 75% |
| Day length | 10.2h | 11.0h | 12.0h | 13.0h | 13.9h | 14.3h | 14.1h | 13.3h | 12.4h | 11.3h | 10.4h | 10.0h |
Every October, the historic Casino Ballroom in Avalon hosts weekends of smooth jazz performances by well-known internati…
Avalon is sold as a sun-drenched midsummer playground, but July's crushing crowds and packed docks overwhelm the harbor; December delivers the quiet, romantic Channel Island escape you actually envision, swapping swimming weather for calm streets and crystalline Pacific skies.
The high-speed ferry ride from the Southern California mainland crosses twenty-six miles of churning open ocean, depositing passengers into a deep-water amphitheater that feels more like the Mediterranean Riviera than Los Angeles County. Avalon climbs steeply out of Avalon Bay, its hillside packed with pastel cottages and winding staircases, watched over by the circular Art Deco monolith of the Catalina Casino. For millennia the homeland of the Tongva, the town was reimagined in 1919 by chewing-gum industrialist William Wrigley Jr., who transformed it into an island resort destination. Today, over a million travelers a year funnel through this compact pocket of land. Conventional travel advice dictates booking a trip when the summer sun is blazing and the bay is full of yachts. That advice misses the point entirely. Midsummer strips Avalon of its vintage coastal charm, turning the shoreline into a bottleneck of golf carts and day-trippers. The real magic arrives when the ferry decks empty out and the island breathes.
December is the island's best-kept secret. While standard guides dismiss anything outside the bathing season, December offers an extraordinary trade: you exchange swimming water for stillness. The crowds that choke Crescent Avenue evaporate. The air turns cool and sharp, sharpening views across the channel until the distant, snow-dusted San Gabriel Mountains seem to hover just beyond the mouth of Avalon Bay.
You do not come to Avalon in December to lie on the sand; you come to inhabit an early twentieth-century seaside haven without fighting for space. The walk past Green Pleasure Pier out toward the Catalina Casino becomes a solitary pleasure. You can linger along the harbor wall listening to the rigging chime against aluminum masts in the breeze, or hike up the canyon toward the Wrigley Memorial without breaking a sweat under punishing heat. Mornings start in brisk coastal air, warming comfortably by midday beneath bright, low-angled light. It is the one month where the resort feels genuinely like a refuge.
January brings an unexpected and sharp surge in foot traffic, as holiday travelers and weekenders flood the waterfront for a brief midwinter escape. The waterfront fills again, but the weather does not always cooperate. Across the opening months of the year, winter Pacific storms periodically push through the channel, bringing squalls that rattle harbor moorings and occasionally disrupt ferry service altogether.
By February and March, the visitors clear out again, leaving behind the wettest and muddiest stretch on Santa Catalina Island. Rainfall rarely persists for days on end, but when rain comes, it shuts down outdoor plans and slicks the steep tile steps in town. Between storm systems, the hillsides flush a vibrant emerald green that you will never see in summer. March remains cool and quiet, ideal for hikers seeking solitude along ridge trails, provided you pack layers for raw evening drafts blowing off the Pacific.
Spring shakes off the winter rain with immediate grace. April and May usher in some of the most reliable weather of the year, with rain dropping off to negligible sprinkles and daylight stretching out past the ridges. The hills retain their fresh green tint before the summer heat bleaches them golden brown, and Avalon settles into a relaxed, effortless rhythm.
Early mornings often begin with Southern California's classic marine layer—a cool, slate-gray blanket of coastal fog that rolls off the ocean and snags on the hills. By midday, that cloud deck burns away, revealing warm, comfortable sunshine that invites long strolls from Crescent Avenue out past the rocks of Descanso Beach. Crowd levels climb gradually through June as mainland schools release for vacation, but early spring remains a sweet spot of mild temperatures and breathable sidewalks.
July represents the statistical pinnacle of island weather: uninterrupted sunshine, warm sea temperatures, and virtually zero rain. It is also when Avalon is under absolute siege. Ferries arrive from Long Beach and Dana Point packed to capacity, cruise ships anchor off the point to tender thousands of passengers directly into the harbor, and buzzing golf carts crowd the narrow valley streets.
If you visit during July or August, prepare for a carnival atmosphere. Step Beach and the gravelly coves fill with towels and umbrellas by mid-morning. Apparent temperatures climb into the mid-twenties Celsius with high humidity lingering over the bay, making uphill climbs sweltering. September maintains almost identical warmth with slightly thinner family crowds, though late summer humidity and warm ocean swells keep the waterfront buzzing until dusk. It is lively and undeniably photogenic, but the historic calm of the island is entirely submerged by the throng.
October and November bring a golden, unhurried reprieve that rivals winter for pure comfort. The ocean retains its accumulated summer warmth well into October, yet the summer rush dissipates the moment autumn arrives. The light softens, taking on a rich, amber slant that illuminates the tilework and white walls of the downtown waterfront.
October also brings the Catalina JazzTrax Festival, when the historic Casino Ballroom—perched high above Avalon Bay inside the landmark 1929 rotunda—hosts weekends of smooth jazz performances. Catching live music in that soaring Art Deco space, with harbor lights glowing below, captures the glamour of the Wrigley era at its finest. November continues the tranquil trend, preserving warm afternoons and clear, dry skies, making it an exceptional late-season window before winter takes hold.
California Republic · United States of America
California Republic · United States of America
California Republic · United States of America