The climate of Los Angeles is mild to hot year-round, and mostly dry. It is classified as borderline Mediterranean and semi-arid. The city is characterized by seasonal changes in rainfall—with a dry summer and a winter rainy season. Under the Köppen climate classification, the coastal areas are classified as BSh and Csb, while the inland areas are classified as BSh and Csa.
The Los Angeles area contains microclimates, where daytime temperatures can vary as much as 36 °F (20 °C) between inland areas such as the San Fernando Valley or San Gabriel Valley, and the coastal Los Angeles Basin. The two northernmost cities in Los Angeles County, Palmdale and Lancaster, rarely (although more often than the other cities in the county) receive snow in the winter due to their altitude of approximately 2,500 feet (760 m), while their summers are hotter than the rest of the county.