Blistering heat returns to desert for Power Trip weekend. How hot will it get?
While Power Trippers likely will get to hear Guns N’ Roses sing of “the cold November rain” at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on Friday, their own festival experience will be defined by blistering October heat.
A National Weather Service meteorologist said highs at or near 100 degrees are expected in the Coachella Valley for the festival weekend (featuring a three-day lineup of Guns N' Roses, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Metallica and Tool) with temperatures expected to dip down only into the mid-90s by the time bands are taking the stage and the low 80s by time the last sets are finishing up.
The warmup was already underway Thursday morning with the temperature in Indio expected to reach about 97 degrees in the afternoon, NWS Meteorologist Elizabeth Adams said.The high is expected to climb to 99 degrees on Friday in Indio before breaking into the triple-digits over the weekend, with high temperatures of 101 degrees forecast for both Saturday and Sunday.
With the gates of the festival opening at 4 p.m., any early arrivers could find themselves scooping out a good spot at the front of the GA section in some of the hottest heat of the day as temperatures typically peak around that time.
The forecasted highs are about 5 to 8 degrees above the normal high temperatures for early October, she added.
Adams also said it is expected to drop into the low- to mid-70s overnight for all three days of the festival, but those temperatures likely won’t occur until long after the show has concluded for the night at around 4 or 5 a.m.
On the bright side, Adams said attendees likely will not have to contend with the kinds of winds that have turned past Coachella and Stagecoach festivals into clouds of dust.
“It’s not going to be overly windy,” she said. “Potentially just wind gusts of 15 to 20 mph in the late afternoon and evening.”
But given the heat and predicted lack of cloud cover, it will be important for those heading to the festival to stay hydrated and try to take breaks in the shade if they can. She also said people should check on their friends and watch those around them for signs of illness that could be heat-related.
“The sun is going to be pretty hot and people are going to feel the effects of that,” she said.
A map of the festival grounds includes several areas that are labeled as providing shade; however, a majority of those areas are in food and drink-related spaces away from the stage.
During the 2023 Stagecoach music festival, temperatures also surpassed 100 degrees. However, several staff members wandered through the festival grounds spraying people with water. Goldenvoice, which puts on Power Trip and Stagecoach, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about if it was again taking such steps to help festgoers stay cool this weekend.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Power Trip weather forecast: Triple-digit heat coming to desert
