Coachella Valley residents will likely be spending much of this weekend the same way they did the last one: trying to avoid and deal with strong winds that could reach 60 to 70 mph in parts of the area.
As of Saturday morning, there were already strong winds reported in the northern and western parts of the valley, particularly around San Gorgonio Pass.
However, National Weather Service Meterologist Casey Oswant said those winds are expected to pick up and become more widespread Saturday afternoon and evening leading into what is forecast to be a very windy Sunday.
As is typical, those winds are expected to be strongest near the pass and on the north side of the valley but other areas, particularly those near the mountains, could also experience high winds at points.
“Through the San Gorgonio Pass we are looking at gusts of 45 to 60 mph, with maybe a few isolated gusts up to 70 mph near Whitewater during the peak,” she said. “For the rest of the Coachella Valley we are looking at a wider ranger of wind strengths. We could really see anywhere from 30 to 45 mph gusts.”
The winds will likely peak sometime Saturday night or Sunday morning before calming by Monday, she added.
The high winds are also likely to create the kind of dusty conditions and resulting air quality problems the Coachella Valley saw last weekend, although Oswant said the impacts are not expected to be as severe as they were last Friday when attendees at the Stagecoach Festival were subject to heavy dust.
On Friday, South Coast AQMD issued a windblown dust valley for both the valley and San Gorgonio Pass that warns that the winds could lift dust into the air. The advisory, which will be in effect from noon Saturday to 8 p.m. on Sunday, recommends that residents take precautions like limiting their exposure to the outdoors and not running fans or swamp coolers that bring in outside air.
Road closures
As is typical in the desert, the winds have brought road closures. In Palm Springs, Indian Canyon Drive closed Wednesday through the Whitewater Wash because of windy conditions that created blowing dust and seems likely to remain closed through Sunday. North Gene Autry Trail, another wash thoroughfare, was closed as of Saturday evening while Vista Chino still remained open.
Cooler temperatures expected
The expected windy weather, however, will have one advantage: the cooler temperatures it will bring with it. While the high on Saturday is expected to reach into the upper 80s – which Oswant said is about average for this time of year— on Sunday the temperatures are about to be about 10 degrees cooler with a high in the upper 70s.
The reprieve from the hotter temperatures is expected to prove short lived, however, with the highs expected to return to the 90s in most of the valley by Tuesday and remain there for much of the week. Even hotter weather could also be on the horizon.
Oswant said early forecasts and models show some potential for the temperature to reach into the upper 90s and possibly even break 100 degrees about a week from now, although that is too far out for the forecast to carry much certainty. If it does it won’t be the first time this year triple digits have been recorded in the valley: the National Weather Service climate site in Palm Springs did break 100 degrees on April 22.
“There’s a small chance for it to get into the 100s,” she said of next weekend. “It’s something we’re watching.”
Paul Albani-Burgio covers growth, development and business in the Coachella Valley. Follow him on Twitter at @albaniburgiop and email him at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com .
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Strong winds bring cooler weather, road closures to Coachella Valley
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