More Rain On Tap For Palm Desert As Back-To-Back Storms Roll Through

PALM DESERT, CA — Lighter rains are forecast to move through Palm Desert on Wednesday, followed by “yet another” winter storm system later this week, weather officials said.

Forecasters from the National Weather Service say another round of scattered light showers are expected to develop on Thursday ahead of the next Pacific low-pressure system, which could bring another round of more widespread showers Thursday night and Friday, with decreasing chances for showers into the weekend.

"Yet another winter storm system will move closer to the region later on Thursday through at least Friday night, bringing another round of rainfall and higher elevation snow, according to the NWS. "Things look to dry out sometime early next week."

The news comes as a recent parade of storms broke daily or monthly rainfall records across Southern California.

In Riverside County, San Jacinto tied its record for lowest maximum temperature on Nov. 15, reaching just 59 degrees — matching the mark set in 2015 — while multiple nearby weather sites logged their wettest November day in years.

Here’s a snapshot of what the NWS forecasts look like in Palm Desert this week:

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 68. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Thursday: Showers likely after 4 p.m. Increasing clouds, with a high near 68. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch are possible.

Friday: Showers likely, mainly before 10 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 62. Northeast wind around 5 mph, becoming northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch are possible.

Saturday: A slight chance of showers before 10 a.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 69. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Over the weekend, at the height of the first storm that hit the region on Saturday, multiple roads flooded, including Temescal Canyon Road in Temescal Valley; 29 Palms Highway in Palm Springs; North Indian Canyon Road at the wash; E. Vista Chino at the wash; and North Gene Autry Trail at the wash in Palm Springs. North Indian Canyon Road, E. Vista Chino and North Gene Autry Trail were all temporarily closed. As of Sunday afternoon, only E. Vista Chino had reopened.

A mudslide was reported on Varner Road in Cathedral City, prompting the temporary closure of the road between Date Palm and Mountain View roads. A total of 30 vehicles were left immobilized by the mudslide and 32 people were rescued, according to the Cathedral Police Department. Varner Road remained closed as of Sunday afternoon with no estimated time of reopening.

Another mudslide was reported on Worsley Road and 20th Avenue in North Palm Springs, where rocks and debris were on the road and the edge of the roadway was compromised but remained passable, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Firefighters also rescued three people stranded on a sandbag along the Santa Ana River, and two people and a dog were rescued from floodwaters in Thousand Palms on Saturday. No major injuries were reported.

The rapid-fire storms may have surprised residents anticipating a drier winter, but a National Weather Service meteorologist told Patch a weak phase like La Niña can still deliver surprises.

Brian Lewis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Oxnard office, said forecasters rely heavily on guidance from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center when interpreting the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, or ENSO. The climate phenomenon can offer hints of how seasons may unfold, but it can’t tell a complete story.

Most Californians understand that El Niño equals a wet winter and La Niña equals a dry one, but Lewis said the rule of thumb doesn’t always hold.

The recent storms illustrate how other climate factors can override the typical influence of La Niña, especially when ocean temperatures elsewhere in the Pacific run unusually warm, he said.

“There’s even some interpretation that the warmer Pacific is kind of overriding some of those colder equator temperatures,” Lewis told Patch.

READ MORE: La Niña Usually Equals A Dry Winter. So Why Is CA Getting So Much Rain?