Tropical Storm Hilary gives Palm Springs one of wettest days on record

Matt Solinsky, Palm Springs Desert Sun
Updated ·2 min read
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Sunday’s wild weather from Tropical Storm Hilary brought heavy rain, significant flooding and strong winds to the Coachella Valley, leaving dozens of cars trapped in floodwaters and closing Interstate 10 for about 20 miles.

It also put Aug. 20, 2023 into the weather record books for Palm Springs International Airport.

Palm Springs received 3.18 inches of rain, making it the fifth-wettest day in the city’s history. Weather records date back to 1893.

An area more accustomed to scorching August temperatures over 110 degrees instead witnessed a tropical storm march through the heart of the California desert.

Palm Springs, which averages 4.61 inches for an entire year, received nearly 20 percent of that total during a one-hour period Sunday when 0.90 fell.

People check out the waters from Tropical Storm Hilary on Sunday as they flow through the Whitewater River at Dune Palms Road near La Quinta High School. The road is currently under construction and a new bridge is being built.
People check out the waters from Tropical Storm Hilary on Sunday as they flow through the Whitewater River at Dune Palms Road near La Quinta High School. The road is currently under construction and a new bridge is being built.

UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain posted on social media Sunday afternoon that Palm Springs "recorded its heaviest hourly rainfall on record, and intense tropical downpours could continue for hours in the Coachella Valley."

Across the valley, 48-hour rainfall totals as of 7 a.m. Monday from the National Weather Service included:

  • Mt. San Jacinto 11.74

  • Morongo Valley 5.75

  • Palm Desert 3.82

  • Thousand Palms 3.56

  • Desert Hot Springs 3.35

  • La Quinta 3.24

  • Palm Springs Airport 3.23

  • Thermal 3.07

In addition to the rain, strong winds were a factor valley-wide.

Palm Springs recorded a top wind gust of 48 mph at 6:27 p.m. The highest wind gusts around the Coachella Valley occurred in Palm Desert (57 mph at 4:55 p.m.) and at the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway (57 mph at 5 p.m.).

Jeff Larsen, left, and Robbie Jones watch cars drive on flooded streets during Tropical Storm Hilary in Palm Springs, Calif., on Sunday, August 20, 2023.
Jeff Larsen, left, and Robbie Jones watch cars drive on flooded streets during Tropical Storm Hilary in Palm Springs, Calif., on Sunday, August 20, 2023.

The clouds and heavy rain did keep Palm Springs unusually cool for an August day. The city recorded a high temperature of 79 degrees, well below the normal high of 108. It was the coolest high temperature in Palm Springs for Aug. 20, breaking the old record of 90 degrees set in 1984.

What a soaker

Sunday’s rainfall equaled the fifth-greatest single-day rain event in Palm Springs weather history since records started in 1893. Here’s a look at the biggest one-day rainfalls:

  • 4.57 inches: Jan. 23, 1943

  • 3.80 inches: Dec. 10, 1943

  • 3.69 inches: Feb. 14, 2019

  • 3.22 inches: Dec. 9, 1926

  • 3.18 inches: Aug. 20, 2023

  • 2.80 inches: July 23, 1948

  • 2.80 inches: June 23, 1948

SOURCE: National Weather Service

Top wind gusts

Top wind gusts around Coachella Valley reported Sunday:

  • 57 mph: Palm Desert at 4:55 p.m.

  • 57 mph: Palm Springs Tram at 5 p.m.

  • 56 mph: Cathedral Canyon at 5:52 p.m.

  • 56 mph: Mecca at 4:56 p.m.

  • 55 mph: Thousand Palms at 9 p.m.

  • 48 mph: Palm Springs Airport at 6:27 p.m.

  • 44 mph: I-10 West of Date Palm Dr. at 4:45 p.m.

  • 41 mph: Indio at 6:15 p.m.

SOURCE: National Weather Service

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Tropical Storm Hilary gives Palm Springs one of wettest days on record