Los Angeles is starting the week with mostly sunny skies and a high near 86°F today, Monday, July 20 — comfortable enough for the beach, the trails, or nine holes before a more serious heatwave takes hold by midweek. The National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard office says this is the calm before the climb, so get outside today while conditions are still reasonable.
Today’s Setup
After an overnight low near 66°F under mostly cloudy skies, Monday’s high near 86°F comes with light south-southwest wind at 0 to 10 mph and only a 3% chance of rain. Forecasters note an upper-level high building near the Oklahoma panhandle is pushing atmospheric heights 1 to 2 dam above normal, which is squeezing the marine layer down under 1,000 feet — good news for sunshine, but it means the coastal cloud cover won’t reach far inland today.
Best Window To Be Outside
Morning through early afternoon is the sweet spot before it warms up. Light winds make it a solid golf morning, and it’s a good fishing window too if you’re heading to the water this week — worth checking the Strike King crankbait deal at Bass Pro Shops before you go. Early risers at Griffith Park or Runyon Canyon will beat both the heat and the crowds.
Heat Trend To Watch
This is the real story of the week. NWS forecasters expect 2 to 4 degrees of warming today, another 1 to 2 degrees Tuesday, and 2 to 4 more degrees Wednesday. By Wednesday, inland valleys could sizzle into the 90s to low 100s while coastal areas away from the beaches stay in the 80s — classic LA microclimate split. Heat advisories are possible by midweek in some areas. Good news: there’s no severe weather or excessive rainfall risk in the forecast for the LA basin this week.
What To Wear Or Bring
Sunscreen, water, and light layers for now — evenings still cool down nicely into the mid-60s. If you’re setting up the backyard for the week ahead, an outdoor string lights setup or patio furniture set makes evening hangs more comfortable once the heat kicks in, and a Yeti hopper soft cooler keeps drinks cold on the trail or at the game.
Gameday & Events This Week
The Los Angeles Angels host the St. Louis Cardinals at Angel Stadium Tuesday, July 21 and again Wednesday, July 22 — warm evening baseball weather both nights, good for tailgating before first pitch. Gear up with a Los Angeles Angels jersey or Los Angeles Angels fitted cap, and grab Get tickets on SeatGeek before they’re gone. Thursday, July 23 is a doubleheader of soccer with LA Galaxy hosting St. Louis CITY SC at Dignity Health Sports Park and LAFC hosting Real Salt Lake at BMO Stadium — both outdoors, right as the heatwave peaks.
Dinner Tonight
With sunny, dry conditions and light wind, tonight is perfect grilling weather — burgers, steaks, or grilled chicken with corn on the cob. An instant-read meat thermometer and a grill brush and scraper set make cleanup and doneness a breeze. Need ingredients? You can order groceries on Amazon and have everything for tonight’s dinner delivered to your door.
Next Few Days
Tuesday stays sunny near 88°F, then Wednesday turns notably hotter, especially inland, as the building heatwave settles in. Keep an eye on NWS updates as forecasters track how long this warm stretch lasts into next week.
