Cool and cloudy Christmas Eve

On Wednesday, Palm Springs reached a high temperature of 72°. Today, temperatures will be cooler with more cloud cover overhead. The average high temperature this time of year is 66°.

The general pattern shows a ridge of high pressure in control but there is a weak trough off the coast. This trough is filtering in cooler air and more overhead moisture. The cloud cover will stick around through the day and night. Higher elevations have a chance to see some light precipitation or flurries this afternoon.

A Red Flag Warning continues through noon for areas west of the Coachella Valley. Isolated gusts could reach near 65 mph. Dry conditions with gusty winds means if a fire starts it can very rapidly spread.

Peak gusts in Banning reached 55 mph over the last 24 hours with gusts in the 30s on the valley floor.

Temperatures will be slightly warmer by Christmas day with mostly sunny skies. We have a close eye on next week, specifically Monday, where there will be a chance for rain and mountain snow.