The autumn season is a favorite time of the year for many folks. The leaves change color, the days are shorter, the sun is more forgiving and much less intense. The change to cooler weather after a long and scorching summer is quite welcome to most. However, many people from outside Southern California seem to think we never have any change of seasons here. Yes, the seasonal change is subtle in the more populated coastal areas; however, one of the most interesting things about the Antelope Valley is that it has a four-season climate. This is largely due to its location further inland and its higher elevation, ranging from just above 2,000 feet to over 3,000 feet. There is a distinct drop in average temperatures from September to October when the average high drops 12 degrees to a delightful 79, and the average low temperature is a very fall-like and crisp 46 (Source: US Climate Data). This makes for an easier shift in thinking from summer activities to the excitement of preparing for the autumn festivities of Halloween and the Thanksgiving holiday.
And winter is more distinct the Antelope Valley as well. The valley receives on average 2 inches of snow per year. Although it doesn’t snow every winter, some years can produce a bounty of snow, especially in the higher elevations, which transforms the high desert into winter wonderland, sometimes right around Christmas. Winter temperatures have dropped as low as 2 degrees, recorded in the winter of 1984. Precipitation historically averages just over 7 inches per year . As most people know, Southern California rainfall is quite variable; in fact, California has the most variable annual precipitation of anywhere in the United States. (Source: Climate of California-Western Regional Climate Center)
If there is generous rain during the wet season between November and March, as occurred in the 2016/2017 winter season, the native California poppies at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Preserve and the other native wildflowers, such as the owl’s clover, lupine, goldfields, cream cups and coreopsis, bloom in the Poppy Preserve and elsewhere on the Antelope Valley floor and in the hills in Southern California and put on a display of beautiful color in the spring. People from around the country and the world come to the Antelope Valley to visit the Antelope Valley California Poppy Preserve, operated by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, and wonder at the glory of nature through eight miles of paths on the nearly 1,800-acre state park. The poppies and other native wildflowers usually bloom from mid-March through April, but can vary widely each year, from mid-February to May, depending on the weather conditions. The public can check the Antelope Valley California Poppy Preserve website for the latest wildflower conditions.
The Antelope Valley, with its varied and unique topography, flora and fauna spreads out across 2,200 square miles, and after living in Los Angeles County for 40 years, it is my pleasure to experience the four seasons, finally get to fully know the hidden treasures, communities, diversity, and the traditions of the people who call it home. During our team’s working meetings with the various Town Councils and community groups for the AVCSDs project over the past several months, the consistent theme from the folks we have met with has been the love of the rural life in the Antelope Valley. The clear star-filled skies at night, the wildlife, the open vistas, the peacefulness and quiet, and the tight-knit neighborliness of these rural communities, in the most populous county in the United States, is very much treasured.
