Gusty & Cooler for the Coachella Valley; Passes Seeing Stronger Santa Ana Winds Late Today & Tuesday

Mild temperatures and gusty winds across the Coachella Valley with a shift to cooler weather midweek before another slight warm up again by the weekend.

This afternoon is sunny and mild, with locally breezy to gusty winds. A nice evening is in store, but if you're headed outside, watch for breezes.

A weak trough is currently moving southward across Nevada, Utah, and Colorado, bringing dry desert air and strong winds to the region. These winds, especially in east-to-west mountain passes, will be at their strongest late Monday night through Tuesday afternoon, with wind gusts reaching up to 35-55 MPH in the Banning/San Gorgonio Pass. While the mountains and western valleys will experience the strongest winds, the general Coachella Valley will see moderate winds, which will contribute to critical fire weather conditions due to the combination of low humidity and gusty winds. Because of this, a Red Flag Warning is currently in effect for a large portion of Southern California, including parts of the Coachella Valley.

By midweek, a ridge of high pressure will settle over the area, which will help to reduce wind speeds and slightly warm temperatures.

A weak trough will move through Southern California on Thursday evening, but the Coachella Valley should remain dry.

Later in the week, the area will experience slightly above-average temperatures as high pressure strengthens across the Southwest, bringing dry conditions and easing winds.

Overall, while the winds will be most intense in the mountain passes, the Coachella Valley can expect gusty conditions and cooler temperatures early in the week, followed by calmer, warmer weather by the weekend.