June gloom: What causes the overcast conditions and how long will it linger over SoCal?
June gloom has arrived in Southern California, bringing overcast skies, cooler temperatures and even rain - and experts say the dreary weather is here to stay for a while.
The cloudy and cool weather is a continuation of the May gray that blanketed the region last month, though it has sparked polarizing opinions among those who enjoy it and those longing for sunny and warm skies. Either way, many are wondering what's causing it.
May gray and June gloom happen when the air near the ocean's surface is cooler than the air above it, creating an inversion that traps the cooler air and forms marine layer clouds.
The weather in Southern California has been below average for most of the year - and cloudy, too!
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), average June temperatures for the region reached 70 degrees 12 times between 1973 and 1997. In the following 25 years, 1998-2022, Los Angeles County reached an average June temperature of at least 70 degrees 18 times.
The National Weather Service says Southern Californians should expect the June gloom to continue.
"Well, we can see quite a ways into June and it looks like we're going to continue to be in this similar pattern, so we're not going to expect a whole big change... we're going to continue to see clouds like this," said Warning Coordination Meteorologist Eric Boldt.
Despite these overcast conditions, experts say the region can expect hotter than average temperatures during the summer months.
"Just because we're starting out on the cooler side from this cloud cover that we call 'May Gray' and we had a lot of rain over the winter time, it doesn't mean we're not going to have heat events this summer," Boldt said last month. "That's expected and that's in the forecast."
