Windblown Dust Hits Coachella; Weather Advisory Issued

INDIO, CA — A windblown dust advisory has been issued for the Coachella Valley through Friday, where tens of thousands are expected to gather for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

The advisory was issued at 11 a.m. and is expected to expire at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, the South Coast Air Quality Management District announced.

Weather officials say the windblown dust could make air quality "very unhealthy" in the Coachella Valley. Winds from the west and northwest could blow up to 50 mph and kick up dust and soil into the air, elevating PM10 levels.

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But the air quality will vary by hour and by location in the desert region.

In the area around Indio, where campers have already started to gather en masse, crowds may experience "unhealthy" air on Thursday that will gradually improve on Friday, when the majority of festivalgoers will arrive.

Over in Palm Springs, the air will be much clearer and will see good to moderate AQI levels, officials said.

Here's a breakdown of what the Coachella Valley could experience through Friday:

While the festival's opening weekend was hampered by a blistering heat wave, the second weekend could shape up to be a windy one, with significantly lower temperatures, according to the National Weather Service.

On Friday, concertgoers can expect a high of 78 degrees and sunny skies with northwest winds of 10 to 15 mph and gusts as high as 20 mph. On Saturday, the high could climb to 85 degrees with similar wind conditions to the previous day. On Sunday, temps could reach 89 degrees with less wind.

The low on all three evenings will hover between 56 to 62 degrees.