More rain closes Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and various roads across the Coachella Valley
It's officially spring in the Coachella Valley, but it didn't feel much like it Tuesday.
Instead, an already rainy month got even wetter as yet another "atmospheric river" continues to move through Southern California.
The river, which is a term for a concentrated corridor of moisture moving through the atmosphere, brought more rain and wind to the valley and surrounding areas, leading to flooding, road closures and windy conditions.
Portions of three major roads that go through the wash had already closed in Palm Springs: Indian Canyon Drive, North Gene Autry Trail and East Vista Chino.
How much rain will we get?
The area saw rain on and off throughout the day Tuesday. But National Weather Service Meteorologist Philip Gonsalves said the "rain shadow" effect, which refers to the valley being surrounded by mountains, keeps out much of the rain storms bring.
By Tuesday afternoon, 0.41 inches of rain had fallen at Palm Springs International Airport in the previous 24 hours. That pales in comparison with the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains, which were expected to see the most rain of anywhere in the region, anywhere from two to six inches.
What the valley will see a lot of from the storm is wind, with speeds of 25 to 35 mph and gusts of up to 65 mph. The weather service has issued a wind advisory from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday and said tree limbs could be blown down.
Major arteries closed in Palm Springs
Rain shadow notwithstanding, the storm was already wreaking havoc on local roads Tuesday. Indian Canyon Drive, North Gene Autry Trail and East Vista Chino were all closed through the Whitewater Wash because of flooding.
Those roadways, which close frequently because of both flooding and blowing sand, are three of the main options for traveling between Interstate 10 and central Palm Springs. Their closure leaves Highway 111 to the west and Ramon Road to the south as the closest options. In recent days, the closure of the three roadways has created major traffic around those other arteries.
And it could get worse: Gonsalves said the storm was expected to create significant flows in the Whitewater River on Wednesday.
Is this much rain unusual?
In short, yes.
Gonsalves said at least three atmospheric rivers have hit Southern California in the past month. While such rivers are common in the fall, it is unusual to see so many this far south in the spring. Meteorologists are not sure why that has happened this year and will likely need to wait until the rainy season ends to do the kind of analysis that will allow them to develop a theory.Even before Tuesday's storm, Gonsalves said, Palm Springs airport had seen about twice as much rain through March 20 as it typically does (0.88 inches vs. 0.43).
But despite the wet March, less rain than normal has actually been recorded at the airport so far over the course of the region’s entire rainy season, which Gonsalves said is considered to start on Oct. 1. He said 3.02 inches had been recorded in the valley since that day, while the average is 3.7 inches. Thermal, meanwhile, has recorded 1.9 inches, while the average is 2.22 inches.
Things look much different to the west, however. In Riverside, 10.73 inches of rain have been recorded for that period. The average is 8.02.
Gonsalves said the rain shadow effect is likely the reason why.
When will the storms end?
Most rain was expected to fall in the valley Tuesday, although there is a possibility of some rain Wednesday morning.
The next several days are expected to be clear and sunny, with highs around 70. But Gonsalves said it's not time to put away your raincoat just yet: There will be another storm event earlier next week, although it will likely produce less rain than the one that hit the valley on Tuesday.
Another storm upstream of that one also looks like it could bring moisture, although that one is more uncertain, he added.
Weather-related cancellations and closings
The Palm Springs Tramway announced Tuesday morning that the attraction was closed due to inclement weather conditions.
In a statement, tramway General Manager Nancy Nichols said: “Due to severe weather conditions at the Mountain Station, we have decided to close for the safety of our guests. We apologize for the inconvenience to our visitors who were looking forward to riding the Tram today.”
The Tramway was expected to reopen on Wednesday, but the latest conditions will be at PStramway.com.
The Palm Springs Cultural Center also announced Tuesday that the free Movies in the Park screening of "How to Marry a Millionaire" at 7 p.m. Wednesday has been moved indoors to the Historic Camelot Theatre due to the forecast.
Paul Albani-Burgio covers breaking news and the City of Palm Springs. Follow him on Twitter at @albaniburgiop or email paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: More rain, flooding closes roads and Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
