Tuesday’s storms across Southern California brought hail, strong winds and flooded roads to parts of the high desert, with Twentynine Palms seeing nearly an inch of rainfall.
In the Coachella Valley, the rainy weather was expected to give way to sunny skies and sweltering temperatures over the next few days, with highs approaching 110 degrees in the weekend forecast.
How much rain fell in Palm Springs, Twentynine Palms, Idyllwild?
Rainfall totals from the storms Tuesday varied widely across Southern California. The Palm Springs International Airport reported 0.11 inches of rain, while Thousand Palms had 0.23 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
In the nearby mountains around Idyllwild, Pine Cove Rocky Point recorded 0.17 inches of precipitation, while the Big Bear dam in San Bernardino County had 0.20 inches.
The high desert around Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms, as well as farther north in the Mojave National Preserve, saw more severe storms, with several reports of “pea-sized” hail in the area, according to Jenn Soulat, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Las Vegas office.
While rain is common in the Twentynine Palms area, it’s unusual for such heavy rainfall to occur in June, which is typically the dry season before monsoons arrive, Soulat said.
Main road still closed in Twentynine Palms on Wednesday
The 0.79-inch recording in Twentynine Palms was at a station near Adobe Road, a main road leading to the city’s Marines training base that was badly flooded. In an update Wednesday morning, the city said public works crews are clearing debris from several roads that are now passable.
“Adobe Road from Raymond Way to Amboy is closed,” the city said on social media. “There is between two feet to two and a half feet of standing water in the ‘Adobe Punchbowl.’”
A slight chance of precipitation remained in the forecast for Twentynine Palms on Wednesday, but the rain was expected to subside the rest of the week. In Palm Springs, temperatures are expected to climb starting Friday and continuing into early next week, with highs approaching 110 degrees on Sunday and Monday.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: SoCal weather: How much rain fell in Palm Springs, Joshua Tree area? Is more coming?
Reporting by Tom Coulter, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
