Scorcher! Palm Springs sets heat record Thursday. Here's how hot it got across desert
National Weather Service meteorologist Adam Roser told The Desert Sun Thursday afternoon that while official temperature readings for the day had yet to be finalized, he could say confidently that Palm Springs International Airport had broken the Aug. 7 record of 116 degrees, which was set in 1980. Unofficial readings showed the temperature reached 118 degrees multiple times Thursday afternoon.
The Coachella Valley's other official weather measuring site in Thermal had so far reached 116 degrees, just shy of the previous Aug. 7 record of 117 degrees.
Whatever the highs for the day end up being, they will come in well above the average Aug. 7 high for Palm Springs of 107 degrees. But Palm Springs will also be a few degrees shy of matching it's all time high temperature for the entire month of August: 122 degrees set on Aug. 4, 2021. That high was just two degrees shy of the all-time of 124 degrees set on July 5, 2024.
Roser explains that the sweltering temperatures are the result of a large area of high pressure that's settled over the southwestern US over the past week, growing stronger and bigger and making for increasingly hot weather.
He said the hot temperatures were expected to peak in Southern California with the high then expected to gradually decline over the next week and be around to the seasonal average by next Thursday.
Weather forecast for Palm Springs area Friday
An extreme heat warning issued by the National Weather Service for both the Coachella Valley and desert areas of San Diego County earlier Thursday will remain in effect through 8 p.m. Friday. The current forecasted high for Palm Springs Friday is 113 degrees.
Smog alert issued through Saturday
Adding to the discomfort for valley residents is smog that has at times been present in the valley.
South Coast AQMD issued an ozone alert Thursday afternoon that encompasses the full Coachella Valley and extends west through the Inland Empire through much of the San Fernando Valley. Ozone alerts are often referred to as smog alerts.
The agency wrote that the ongoing multiday smog event is the result of both the heatwave and the presence of smoke produced by several wildfires currently burning in Southern California.
As of around 4:30 p.m., the air quality was rated either 'moderate' or 'good' across the Coachella Valley, according to South Coast AQMD's hourly air quality map. But in large swaths of the Inland Empire and the San Fernando Valley, it was rated either 'unhealthy for sensitive groups' or just 'unhealthy.'
The alert is set to expire at 8 p.m. Saturday, with smog levels expected to generally follow a pattern where they start increasing after sunrise, peak in the midafternoon and then decrease again. However, the agency said areas close to wildfires could see high smog levels throughout the day.
Paul Albani-Burgio covers growth, development and business in the Coachella Valley. Email him at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Springs area-breaks Aug. 7 heat record. How hot was it?
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