It may still — technically — be spring, but the milder temperatures that are typically associated with that season are long gone here in the Coachella Valley.
The National Weather Service reported on Saturday that the temperature had reached 111 degrees at Palm Springs’ airport just before 1 p.m., with the likelihood of climbing further. However, there was still some distance to match the 115-degree high that was recorded Friday, marking the hottest temperature in the city so far in 2024.
The sight of such temperatures combined with the dawning realization that the hottest portions of the year are still very likely ahead left us wondering what are the hottest days in Coachella Valley history. With the help of the National Weather Service in San Diego, they provided the following list of the days when the hottest temperatures were recorded across the valley at three reporting sites.
Turns out that while it’s been plenty hot in the desert this week, this recent hot spell isn’t even close to ranking among history’s hottest. As expected, most of the hottest days in recorded desert history have come in July or August (although June does sneak onto the list a few times, including one particularly scorching day in June 2021 that ranks as the hottest Palm Springs has ever seen).
Meteorologist Brandt Maxwell also ran the numbers and found that the temperature has now broken 110 degrees on four days in 2024 so far. Maxwell said that has typically happened on three days by this point, according to data going back 25 years, a data point suggesting that the number of extremely hot days experienced so far this spring, err do we mean summer, isn’t unusual.
The bad news? Those four days are just a fraction of the approximately 33 days above 110 degrees a year averaged at Palm Springs International Airport over that range. He also noted that some years are much worse than that. Remember that hot summer of 2020? It turns out that was a unique year in more ways than one as the temperature surpassed 110 degrees on a whopping 66 days, with six of those days having come by this point in June.
Given those numbers, it probably shouldn’t be too surprising that the year 2020 also features prominently on the lists of the hottest days in Coachella Valley history.
Do you remember any of these days?
Palm Springs
Data goes back to: March 1, 1922
Measuring site: Maxwell said most of the data going back to at least through the start of the 1990s can confidently be said to be from Palm Springs International Airport. He explained that data from prior to that was likely taken from various sites that have been deemed to be climatologically-similar enough to have temperatures representative of those seen in Palm Springs.
123 degrees
June 17, 2021
July 29, 1995
July 28, 1995
Aug. 1, 1993
122 degrees
Aug. 4, 2021
Sept. 5, 2020
July 31, 2020
July 7, 2017
June 25, 2017
June 24, 2017
June 20, 2017
June 20, 2016
June 29, 2013
Aug. 24, 1985
July 31, 1957
Indio
Data goes back to: March 1, 1984
Measuring site: The data is from the Indio fire station located at the intersection of Jackson Street and Dr. Carreon Boulevard.
123 degrees
June 26, 1970
122 degrees
July 15, 2006
Sept. 2, 1950
July 30, 1943
July 11, 1934
121 degrees
June 20, 2017
June 20, 2016
June 29, 2013
July 28, 1995
July 5, 1989
Aug. 11, 1933
June 24, 1929
May 30, 1910
Thermal
Data goes back to: May 13, 1950
Recording location: Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport.
126 degrees
July 28, 1995
123 degrees
June 20, 2017
July 27, 1998
Sept. 1, 1950
122 degrees
Aug. 4, 2021
Sept. 5, 2020
July 24, 2018
July 23, 2018
June 29, 2013
June 26, 1990
July 4, 1989
June 25, 1970
June 30, 1950
121 degrees
July 7, 2017
June 20, 2016
July 17, 2005
Aug. 5, 1997
Sept. 2, 1982
June 27, 1973
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Springs area’s hottest days in weather history; here’s a list
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