Early winter storm inundates Coachella Valley. Road closures, rain totals, forecast


An early winter storm that inundated coastal communities on Thursday made its way to the desert in the early morning hours Friday, threatening to flood and close streets as holiday travel concerns mount.

Check back here for the latest road closures and rainfall totals as the storm moves through the area.

Palm Springs area rainfall totals early Friday

National Weather Service meteorologist Philip Gonsalves said that while the entire Coachella Valley has recorded precipitation by Friday morning, totals varied greatly throughout the desert. The wettest spot so far appears to be Thousand Palms, where 0.71 inches of rain was recorded as of 7:30 a.m. On the other side of the spectrum was Thermal, which saw just 0.12 inches at one weather station. Here are rainfall totals for other locations throughout the Coachella Valley as of 7:30 a.m.

Palm Springs area weather forecast: It’s not over yet

Gonsalves said there is a good chance for more showers across the Coachella Valley this afternoon, possibly matching the volume recorded in the morning.

As of 7:30 a.m., he said the showers were moving northward after the Coachella Valley, which would create a period of time with little rain activity in the area. However, he said more showers are expected to move in later in the morning. He added that it is almost impossible to tell exactly where the showers are going to go in the valley, making it difficult to predict which areas might see the most rain.

Are roads closed in Palm Springs, across Coachella Valley?

No storm-related road closures have been reported as of 7:30 a.m. Friday.

December 21, 2023: A lifeguard observes a boat that was sent into the rocks on Deer Creek Beach after heavy winds during a storm on December 21, 2023 in Oxnard, California. Southern California saw heavy rain storms that caused flooding and led to evacuations in Ventura County.

Evacuations, flooded roads across Ventura County

Torrential rainfall damaged homes, flooded roads and prompted evacuations in Port Hueneme and Oxnard as a slow-moving storm drenched the area on Thursday, the Ventura County Star reports.

Rainfall rates, which typically can cause flooding at 1 inch per hour, reached over 3 inches per hour as a thunderstorm swept up the coast, according to the National Weather Service in Oxnard. The agency issued a tornado warning around 1:30 a.m. and a flash flood warning minutes later.

Widespread flooding was reported from Oxnard, Ventura and elsewhere in the county. But the brunt of the storm damage appeared to be in the beachside city of Port Hueneme. Roughly 60 homes in a senior community there were evacuated overnight, officials said.

“We had just a massive amount of rain very quickly, and it overwhelmed our drainage system,” Port Hueneme City Manager James Vega said. “We had some significant flooding in areas of the city, particularly the area known as Hueneme Bay.”

‒ Cheri Carlson and Brian J. Varela

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Live: Palm Springs area weather forecast, road closures, rain totals

Signup bonus from $125 to $3000 | Signup now Football & Online Casino

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

You Might Also Like: