LA's First Sunset Of 2020 Was Beautiful, And Here Are The Photos To Prove It

If the first sunset of 2020 is any indication of how the year and/or decade will go, then good things are in store for Los Angeles.

On Jan. 1, a day of sunshine and blue skies gave way to a spectacular red-orange-pink-purple sunset Angelenos won't soon forget.

Lisa Phillips, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Los Angeles/Oxnard office, attributed the New Year's Day display to a perfect mixture of mid-level clouds that weren't too thick, allowing light to pass through, disperse and fill the sky with color.

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"Generally we get really pretty sunsets when we have some clouds in the sky because the light gets filtered through that," Phillips said. "The more the light gets scattered, the more reddish hues we see in the sunset."

Air quality levels in Los Angeles yesterday were "moderate," which might have also contributed.

"With more particulate matter in the air, more of those bluer tones get scattered away, that's when you see orangey and reddish colors," Phillips said. (You probably hear more about particulate matter during wildfire season, but it can be found in the air year-round.)

Across the city, social media lit up with views of the sky. Even this article's author couldn't resist.

Our colleagues also couldn't resist snapping a few photos.

Here's what the New Year's Day sunset looked like in Sherman Oaks. (Photo: Paul Glickman/LAist)

Repeat after me: wow!!! (Photo: Fiona Ng/LAist)

And yet another breathtaking view, this time from Eagle Rock. (Photo: Adriene Hill/LAist)

Here's to a 2020 as beautiful and breathtaking as the January 1 sunset.

A general view of the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day 2020 as the sun sets. (Photo: Michael Heiman/2020 Getty Images)