Indian Canyon, Gene Autry, Vista Chino closed for flooding, snarling traffic elsewhere

The aftermath of a storm kept several major routes through Palm Springs closed much of the day Wednesday, snarling traffic on the roads drivers took to get around the closures.

Police closed three key roads through washes because of flooding after a storm soaked the area Tuesday night.

What closed, what stayed open

The closures impacted several of the main roads connecting Interstate 10 and Desert Hot Springs to Palm Springs:

• Indian Canyon Drive was closed between Palm Springs Station Road, which is just south of the interstate, and Sunrise Parkway.

• Gene Autry Trail was closed from East Via Escuela to Salvia Road.

• Vista Chino was closed from Clubhouse Drive to the Cathedral City limits.

Those closures left Highway 111 to the west and Date Palm Drive to the east as the best options for drivers going between the interstate and central Palm Springs. To get to the freeway, or between Palm Springs and mid-valley, many people took Ramon Road or Dinah Shore Drive, creating major slowdowns on those arteries.

Indian Canyon Drive, which frequently closes because of both flooding and blowing sand, has been closed on and off for both reasons in recent days.

Araby Drive in south Palm Springs also was closed at Anza Trail, leaving Rim Road as the sole way to access the Araby Cove neighborhood.

How much rain did we get?

The storm had dumped about 0.24 inches of rain on Desert Hot Springs and Cathedral City and 0.16 inches at Palm Springs International Airport, according to the National Weather Service. Those totals covered a two-day period ending on Wednesday at 12:18 p.m.

The mountains around the Coachella Valley, which send moisture into the washes, received much more precipitation. The Snowcreek area on the north side of Mount San Jacinto saw 3.74 inches, while totals ranging from 3 to 3.7 inches were recorded around Pine Cove. Areas west and north of Palm Springs also saw more rain, with 1.03 inches recorded at Whitewater and 0.71 inches at Morongo Valley.

However, rain totals were much lower on the east side of the valley, with just 0.04 inches recorded in Palm Desert and 0.01 in Thermal over the 48-hour period.

Sunny skies ahead — for now

There was only scattered rain Wednesday, and the next few days are expected to be warm and dry in the valley.

But there is a chance of more rain next Tuesday.

Paul Albani-Burgio covers breaking news and the City of Palm Springs. Follow him on Twitter at @albaniburgiop and via email at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Indian Canyon, Gene Autry, Vista Chino all closed after rain