Sure, it gets hot in the desert. But even people in Palm Springs know it's just been way too hot for way too long.  


What You Need To Know

  • Palm Springs residents started feeling triple-digit heat in April

  • Previous record of 100-degree days in a given year was 135 days in 1958 

  • Record is now up to 141 days, as of October 6

  • Palm Springs' average high in October ranges from the mid 80s to mid 90s

If you're exhausted from all this heat, you'll be glad to hear it'll feel like fall in the desert in a few days. 

Take a look at the temperature trend this week.  Keep in mind, it hasn't been in in the 80s since May.

The cooldown will come courtesy of our first fall storm moving across the state beginning Thursday.  It'll push in some cooler air across the mountains and deserts.

It'll be the first time temperatures will drop below average in about a month for all SoCal microclimates - coast, valleys, Inland Empire, mountains, and deserts. 

Record-Breaking Summer Heat

For 2020, Palm Springs has felt triple-digit temperatures for a total of 141 days, as of October 6th.  That breaks the old record of 135 days set in 1958.

The weather generally starts to really heat up in Palm Springs in June. 

On June 8th, records show the average daytime high climbs to 100 degrees. On an average year, the heat peaks at 107 degrees during the first two weeks of August.  And then on September 19th, the average high dips back down to 99 degrees. 

This year, it started to get hot in April - the last eight days hit 100-105 degrees, a time when the averages are in the upper 80s.     

It also got extra hot in May, when average highs are in the 90s. 

Instead, it reached 100 to 111 degrees on 16 days out of the month.  Only one day reached 100 in May of last year.

Then, the summer heat really set in. 

June had 22 triple-digit days and another 8 days in the 90s.   

July, August, and all but two days in September were in the 100s.  And not just 100-107.  There were multiple days between 115 to 122 degrees, tying a lot of old records.  

Earliest 100-Degree Days

Weather records have been kept at the Palm Springs Airport since 1999.  In every one of those years, temperatures hit the triple-digit mark before the end of May. 

How early?   

2007: March 16 - 100 degrees

2004: March 21 - 102 degrees

2015: March 28 - 100 degrees

2011: March 31 - 101 degrees

"It seems to suggest that it's fairly commonplace for Palm Springs to hit 100 before the end of May," said National Weather Service meteorologist Phil Gonsalves.  "So far, knock on wood, we've yet to see Palm Springs hit 100 before mid-March."

Is Fall Weather Here To Stay?

Perhaps this coming storm will finally break the streaks of triple-digit heat for the desert for the rest of the year. Or, perhaps not.  

Records from the last 11 years shows it's not unusual to get 100 degree days in mid-to-late October.  Plus, the Climate Prediction Center is forecasting a 50-60 percent chance of above-average temperatures in October.  

What records do show is that in the last 11 years, there were no triple-digit temps in November. 

As many SoCal natives know, it's the perfect time to take a road trip to the desert.