Rainbows are just one of a wide variety of optical effects caused by the interactions between sunlight and various atmospheric conditions. Sunlight is actually a mix of every wavelength, or color, of the visible light portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Credit: https://hubblesite.org/contents/articles/the-electromagnetic-spectrum As sunlight enters a raindrop, it slows down since water is more dense
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An Air Quality Alert is in place for areas to our west. This alert is for fine smoke particles created from wildfires in Southern California. Air quality around the low desert Friday afternoon is ‘good’. The ridge of high pressure gradually building all week peaks this weekend. This setup will keep dry conditions in place, paired with
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Highs have been climbing about a degree per day this week, and that trend continues into the weekend. High pressure will keep us sunny and warm through the weekend before we return to normal conditions early next week. That dome of high pressure is also trapping smoke from area wildfires closer to the surface, so
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An Air Quality Alert is in place for areas to our west. This alert is for fine smoke particles created from wildfires around Southern California. Air quality around the low valley Thursday night is predominately ‘good’ with a pocket of ‘moderate’ being reported near Indio. We continue to have a ridge of high pressure leading
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Snow here on the valley floor is a pretty rare sight. Thankfully, we have a bunch of towering mountains in our backyard. Based on the average of the last 10 years, the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway sees its first inch (or more) of snow on November 23rd. The reason our mountains see more snow than
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Highs are on the uptick as we finish the week and start the weekend. Despite adding a couple of degrees, it promises to be a beautiful day, and a great evening for Palm Springs’ VillageFest tonight. Because of the fire burning near Temecula, an Air Quality Watch is in place for this morning. Smoke from
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October 2023 was a fairly comfortable month here in the Coachella Valley. Of the 31 days in the month, 16 came in as above average. 14 days were below average and one day’s high temperature was the same as the seasonal average. 11 of the above-average days saw a high temperature in the triple digits.
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It is noticeably warmer today than it was at the same time yesterday. Temperatures today are right around where they should be for this time of year. However, a warming trend is in place for the rest of the week. High pressure has become dominant over the desert southwest. This is the reason for the
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Today will be fairly mild with close to seasonal norms for daytime highs. High pressure will build in across the region, slowly warming us into the lower 90s. Highs will eventually reach the low 90s for the weekend, putting us a few degrees above normal. We will return to near-normal temps by Tuesday of next
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Twentynine years ago today, President Bill Clinton signed into law the California Desert Protection Act, establishing Joshua Tree National Park as we know it today. Prior to 1994, the land had been designated as a national monument all the way back in 1936. Credit: Spencer Blum Former United States Senator Barabra Boxer explained to me
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We are in for quite a treat tonight! Temperatures will be very comfortable for anyone who will be out trick or treating or going to a Halloween party. Temperatures will fall into the 60s around 9 PM before slipping into the 50s around 1 AM. A broad area of high pressure is anchoring over the
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To our west, a Wind Advisory remains in effect until 8 p.m. but winds here in the Valley are fairly light. Milder conditions are building in over the next few days so highs will gradually rise to slightly above average temps. Trick or treaters will enjoy mild evening conditions tonight, so beware of ghosts and
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The High Wind Warning is being replaced with a Wind Advisory at 10:00 p.m. through Tuesday evening for the areas highlighted in tan. The strongest gusts are in the past, but breezy offshore winds will still be felt through Tuesday morning, predominately through the San Gorgonio Pass and areas west of the desert. These winds
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The First Alert Weather Team issued a First Alert Weather Alert through this evening for strong Santa Ana winds over 30 MPH around the Coachella Valley. These winds will likely make travel difficult, especially through the San Gorgonio Pass, and may cause damage to trees and other objects. A High Wind Warning is in effect for local mountains and
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California is no stranger to fire. As of October 30, 2023, more than 312,000 acres have been burned by fires over the past year. CAL FIRE has battled more than 6,000 wildfires in the same time frame. There are a few main factors that are important for critical fire conditions. They are fast winds, low
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This week is Flood Preparedness Week in California. Did you know that within the last 20 years, every single county in California has been declared a federal flood disaster area at least once? The worst flood in California’s history was in 1862 and affected everywhere from Washington to Utah to Baja California. The floods killed
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Like last night, west winds will strengthen into the evening with gusts 20-25 MPH along the interstate, stronger through the San Gorgonio Pass. The winds we’re experiencing this week are just a small experience for what will arrive this weekend. Onshore flow will continue throughout the week, keeping afternoons and evenings breezy. The trough placement
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Just after midnight, local time, on October 25th, 2023, a historic, major category 5 hurricane slammed the Acapulco metropolitan area. The National Hurricane Center described the situation as ‘a nightmare scenario for southern Mexico’. The storm rapidly intensified from a tropical storm to a catastrophic category 5 hurricane in just 12 hours. Winds in the
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Wind speeds this morning reflected gusts along the freeway over 20 m.p.h. in some areas. The northwest winds will keep us cooler than normal throughout the day and the rest of the week. That cooler air will linger into the weekend, with highs dropping into 70s by Sunday. It will also be quite gusty around
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