Slight Relief Before the Heat Rebuilds

Happy Friday, Coachella Valley! A subtle cooldown is in place today and Saturday as the ridge of high pressure shifts slightly southwest. While still toasty, highs will hover around 110–115°F through the desert, with just enough of a dip to notice—especially compared to the peak of the recent heatwave.

Did it feel a little muggy out there today? Our dewpoints have been running a little higher, making those evaporative coolers less effective, but also preventing temps from climbing as high as we expected.

Worth noting -- the USGS reporting a 4.3 quake on the south side of the Sultan Sea around 3am this morning. Following two smaller quakes yesterday near Borrego Springs and Indio. You can check the latest earthquakes here.

Saturday looks toasty, but not brutally hot.

This evening remains very warm, with temperatures gradually dipping into the mid 80s overnight.
This ridge isn't going anywhere quite yet. By Sunday and Monday, it'll strengthen again and nudge temps back up a few degrees—fairly similar conditions to what we're feeling today--except a few degrees warmer.

Looking ahead to mid-next week, temperatures gradually cooler, returning to near seasonal average (109 degrees) as a more complicated pattern takes shape near the Four Corners region with this upper level ridge. There’s a very slight chance we could see some monsoonal moisture work into the area, possibly sparking isolated storms in the mountains late next week--but at this point the track is still very uncertain and models have not been consistent. Stay tuned! I'll keep you posted on anything new that pops up.

Don't forget to stay safe and practice heat safety. Just because we're a few degrees cooler, doesn't mean much. We're still very hot. We're still above average. We're still looking at heat risks with extended time outdoors and in the sun.