Warm December Week for Coachella Valley with More Santa Ana Winds on the Way

Fair and warmer weather this week for the Coachella Valley, with temperatures peaking in the low 80s by Wednesday and Thursday. A weak to moderate Santa Ana wind event will develop starting Tuesday and continuing through Wednesday, bringing northeasterly winds of 35-50 mph to parts of the region, particularly from the Cajon Pass southward.

Winds will be driven by a pressure gradient between a high-pressure system over the West and a low-pressure trough moving across the northern Rockies. Despite these winds, humidity remains low, especially on Wednesday, when most of us dip to 10-20%.

Mid week the upper-level ridge shifts east, allowing a trough to form over the NE Pacific. While this system will bring precipitation to areas north of the Coachella Valley, the Valley itself will remain dry.

Temperatures gradually start cooling again Friday through Sunday, as we transition into more of a typical winter pattern with cooler and less settled conditions. While a few of our forecast models suggest a slight chance of precipitation around Christmas--those chances remain farther north--while the Coachella Valley looks to remain dry through the end of the week.