Coachella Valley sees first lightning, thunder in months Wednesday night
The Coachella Valley got its first rainstorm in months early Wednesday evening, and the storm also brought a loud thunder and lightning show after small amounts of rain started in the afternoon.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Elizabeth Adams said the amount of thunder and lightning seen Wednesday was unusually high for the Coachella Valley, but the only measurements the NWS uses include all of western and central Riverside County. That region, which includes part of the Coachella Valley, saw 58 cloud to ground lightning strikes and 113 total flashes (including in-cloud and cloud-to-ground strikes).
As for precipitation, the highest rainfall total in the desert was 0.51 inches found at Wide Canyon Dam near Desert Hot Springs. Other rainfall totals were as follows:
Palm Springs International Airport: 0.37 inches
Cathedral Canyon: 0.33 inches
Thousand Palms: 0.227 inches
Thermal Airport: 0.14 inches
Mount San Jacinto: 0.98 inches
"Activity is really tapering off right now," Adams said. "We're only expecting isolated showers over the next few hours, with probably just trace amounts of rain."
Adams added that although the rain is tapering off now, the highest chances of its return are Friday night into Saturday morning.
Earlier in the day, National Weather Service Meteorologist Adam Roser said an area of low pressure was expected to be parked off the California coast for the next couple of days, bringing a chance of rain again on Saturday.
On Wednesday, the chance of rain was 60% across the Coachella Valley. However, less than a tenth of an inch of rain is expected, Roser said. Areas outside the valley, however, could see more rain. Between a quarter- and half-inch are forecast Wednesday afternoon and evening in Idyllwild, while Banning is expected to see between a tenth- and a quarter-inch.
While rain is often accompanied by high wind in the Coachella Valley, Roser said that is not expected to be the case Wednesday with only light winds expected throughout the valley, even near often-gusty San Gorgornio Pass.
Most of the Coachella Valley in the early evening there was a big thunder and lightning show" after small amounts of rain in afternoon.
Most showers are expected to end by 10 a.m. Thursday with the valley then drying out but remaining relatively cool with highs in the upper 70s through Friday.
A second round of showers are expected to start Friday afternoon or evening and continue through Saturday evening in areas, with the chance for rain hovering around 40% to 50% around the valley. But once again, Roser said the Coachella Valley should only expect about a tenth of an inch of rain from those storms.
The San Gorgonio Pass and nearby areas, however, likely will see more wind Saturday with 30 to 40 mph gusts likely Friday night and Saturday.
Paul Albani-Burgio covers breaking news and the city of Palm Springs. Follow him on Twitter at @albaniburgiop and email him at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella Valley gets lightning, thunder but less than an inch of rain
