(This story was updated with new information.)
It’s warming up again in the Coachella Valley, with triple-digit temperatures forecast for the rest of the week and into the next — far hotter than normal this time of year.
The valley had a brisk and windy Monday, May 4 and Tuesday, May 5. It was still relatively temperate on Wednesday, May 6, with the National Weather Service recording a high of 89.1 degrees at Palm Springs International Airport. That’s a normal high for early May.
But Sam Zuber, a NWS meteorologist, said high pressure moving into the area is going to raise temperatures even more from there on.
“We’re looking to peak with the heat probably Sunday, Monday but it’s probably going to linger around into at least Tuesday,” she said.
It was predicted to be close to 100 on Thursday, May 7, 102 on Friday, 103 on Saturday and 105 on Sunday, according to the NWS forecast. Monday, May 11, could be even hotter, with a highs currently predicted at 108 and triple-digit highs persisting at least through Wednesday, May 13.
The peak of the heat wave is about 15 to 17 degrees above what’s normal this time of year, Zuber said. She added that it’ll also be hot in the nearby mountains, which are typically cooler than the desert. Light rainfall there played a hand in the valley’s cooler temperatures at the start of the week.
“So even if you’re trying to escape to the mountains to get away from the heat, it is also going to be very hot up that way as well,” Zuber said.
Even the nights won’t be all that cool in the valley: The lowest temperatures in the next seven days are forecast to be in the 70s.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Springs to see highs over 100 this week. See weather forecast
Reporting by Ani Gasparyan, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
