Valley braces for winter storm; flash flooding possible

There was no significant rain to speak of Tuesday evening as the valley braces for the first winter storm of 2021, packing high winds, mountain snow, and potential flash flooding on the desert floor.

Families and friend groups at Cabazon Dinosaurs Tuesday were caught off guard by the breezy conditions.

"It's very, very windy and my friend is very cold," said Genevieve Jae, who was shooting photos with her friend Kassy Mahea.

"We looked at the rain forecast, just not the wind," Mahea said. "Lesson learned!"

"We came out here to celebrate my niece's 5th birthday," said Veronica Ramirez. "We're trying to keep our hats on."

"It's crazy right now; we tried to keep the cars doors from getting ripped off just from opening them," said Francisco Hernandez. "Can't even keep your eyes open, it's so windy."

Power was cut as a result of the weather at a vaccination clinic at San Gorgonio Middle School in Banning.

The "Operation RivCo Shield Team" reconfigured their layout, according to Riverside University Health System, and continued vaccinating hundreds of people without electricity.

With this storm system and the rainfall that's expected, the First Alert weather team warns there is the opportunity for flash flooding, especially in low-lying areas like roadways that pass through the wash.

The Cathedral Canyon wash in Cathedral City has been under construction since the record-breaking storm in Feb. 2019 that wiped out the road.

Look out for areas that typically flood and avoid them until the rain has had a chance to dry out.

On average, by this point in January alone we'd expect about 3/4 an inch of rain. So far this year, Palm Springs has recorded 0.0 inches.