Meaning
June Gloom is the Southern California name for recurring late-spring and early-summer periods of coastal low clouds, marine-layer stratus, fog or drizzle, and cooler gray mornings that may clear later in the day.
How it is used
National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard forecast discussions use ‘June Gloom’ for seasonal conditions involving widespread coastal low stratus, fog, a deep marine layer, and strong onshore flow. The phenomenon can begin before June or persist beyond it, so the calendar name is approximate.
Examples
- “June Gloom kept the beach gray until early afternoon.”
- “The marine layer is deep enough for another June Gloom morning.”
Pronunciation
/dʒuːn ɡluːm/ · JOON GLOOM
Tone and register
Usually descriptive and mildly humorous or resigned. It is not an official hazard category and does not mean every June day in Los Angeles is cloudy.
Visitor guidance
Treat June Gloom as regional weather shorthand, not a forecast guarantee. For actual cloud, fog, visibility, drizzle, heat, or beach conditions, use current National Weather Service information.
Cultural context
The phrase surprises visitors expecting uninterrupted Southern California sunshine. It captures the strong coast-to-inland microclimate contrast of the Los Angeles region, where marine clouds can dominate the morning near the coast while inland valleys warm much faster.
Places represented
Open the reviewed place guide for each regional sense carried by this canonical entry.