L.A.'s Long November Heat Ends After Veterans Day as Rain Arrives Friday and a Big Swell Hits Saturday

After one more day in the 80s, forecasters expect two rounds of rain Friday into early Saturday, more rain Monday and a very large west-northwest swell peaking Saturday on west-facing beaches.

By Herald Staff · Nov. 11, 2026, 8:30 AM ET

Illustration of the downtown Los Angeles skyline seen from a dry hillside lined with tall palm trees, the towers lit amber by late sun as a dark bank of rain clouds and distant rain shafts move in from the west. — Downtown Los Angeles gets one more warm, sunny day on Veterans Day before cooler air and two rounds of rain arrive Friday into early Saturday, forecasters say.

LOS ANGELES — Veterans Day is the last hot day of an unusually long November warm spell. Forecasters say a cooling trend starts Thursday, two rounds of rain arrive Friday into early Saturday, and a very large swell from the North Pacific peaks on Saturday at the region's west-facing beaches. That's the outlook from the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

"One more day of sunny, warm and dry weather," the weather service wrote in its forecast discussion early Wednesday. Weak offshore flow is keeping the marine layer away. Forecasters expect highs in the lower to mid 80s near the coast and the mid 80s to lower 90s in the valleys, which they said is about 12 degrees above normal for mid-November.

The zone forecast for the inland coastal plain, which includes downtown, Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Culver City, calls for sunshine and highs in the mid to upper 80s today.

A Long Streak, but Not a Record One

Forecasters took on a question many Angelenos have been asking: how unusual is this? "It's actually not that rare," they wrote. The current run of 80-degree-plus highs downtown is "just barely cracking the top 20" such stretches. The longest was 14 straight days in 1890, and the most recent long runs were seven days in 2008 and in 2016.

Cooler Thursday, Then Two Waves of Rain

A large trough moving toward the coast will bring back onshore flow on Thursday, cooling things off by about 6 degrees. The zone forecast calls for highs in the lower 80s downtown, and the weather service's point forecast for LAX shows a high of 79.

Forecasters said the rain will come in two parts. First, a cut-off low will slide toward Baja California Thursday night and Friday morning. The weather service said it "does not look to be much of a rainmaker." Areas south of Point Conception have the best chance of rain, with about a tenth to a quarter of an inch. That rain should end by late Friday morning or early afternoon.

The second round is a cold front tied to what forecasters called "a powerful storm off of the coast of British Columbia." It should sweep from northwest to southeast Friday evening and clear the area around noon Saturday. Forecasters expect a period of steady rain, with about a third to half an inch for most of the region and about half that inland. They said rainfall rates will be heavier than in the first system but "should not reach any critical thresholds." Snow levels should stay above 8,000 feet.

Downtown's chance of rain on Friday is 70%, mostly in the morning, according to the zone forecast. Highs should fall to the mid 70s on Friday and the lower 70s on Saturday. The weather service expects 4 to 8 degrees of cooling Friday and another 3 to 6 degrees Saturday, which would push temperatures below normal.

Not everyone expects a soaking. KTLA meteorologist Henry DiCarlo said much of the storms' energy would stay to the north. "These four days will look worse than they will play out," he told KTLA earlier this week.

A Big Swell Peaks Saturday

The bigger weekend story may be at the beach. The weather service said "a very large, long-period west to northwest swell" from a strong Aleutian low will reach the coast this weekend and peak on Saturday. Forecasters said significant beach erosion is likely, along with "shallow flooding of sea water over low-lying beach walkways, parking lots, and roads," especially during morning high tides. They also warned of dangerous rip currents, sneaker waves and heavy shore break. South-facing beaches should see smaller impacts.

For west-facing beaches in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, forecasters said surf could reach at least advisory levels. They could not rule out a High Surf Warning, especially along the Ventura coastline. A Beach Hazards Statement is in effect through Monday morning. Offshore, the weather service said models show seas of 15 to 20-plus feet in the outer waters, peaking Saturday afternoon into early Sunday, and warned of possible dangerous breaking waves at the Ventura and Morro Bay harbor entrances.

The swell comes right after a coastal flood advisory that ran through Tuesday on L.A. County beaches, when morning tides near 7 feet combined with 4- to 6-foot surf, the Los Angeles Times reported.

More Rain Monday

Sunday should be a dry break, though forecasters expect little warming, with highs in the mid 60s to lower 70s. A colder, faster system is expected sometime between early Monday and early Tuesday. It could bring 3 to 6 hours of rain and a tenth to a third of an inch, with locally heavier bursts under showers. Monday's highs are expected only in the 60s, and the zone forecast puts downtown's chance of rain that day at 70%.

Tuesday looks dry. Forecasters said more rain is possible next Wednesday or Thursday, but there is "considerable model confusion" on the timing. On the coast, they said hazards "are likely to continue well into next week as the northern Pacific remains very active." Updated forecasts and advisories are posted at weather.gov/lox.

Original reporting by The Los Angeles Herald, drawing on the National Weather Service's Los Angeles/Oxnard forecast discussion, zone and point forecasts, KTLA and the Los Angeles Times, as linked above.