Strong wind gusts expected in Coachella Valley through Friday: What to know, road closures

Paul Albani-Burgio, Palm Springs Desert Sun
·2 min read

Indian Canyon Drive is closed through the Whitewater Wash by Palm Springs Police Wednesday morning amid another spurt of windy weather that forecasts say will likely see gusts repeatedly surpass 50 mph near the pass over the next few days.

The wash section of the roadway stretching from Sunrise Parkway to Palm Springs Station Road was closed at 5 a.m. Wednesday, which was around the time that the National Weather Service recorded a gust of 50 mph near Whitewater after multiple days of windy conditions.

Whitewater is the main weather station for the National Weather Service on the west side of San Gorgonio Pass, which is typically much windier than central Palm Springs to the south.

Both Gene Autry Trail and Vista Chino remained open through the Whitewater Wash.

However, the forecast suggests it will likely only be a matter of time before those roads are closed too with windy conditions remaining in the forecast through Friday night for the northwest side of the Coachella Valley near the pass.

Strong wind gusts expected across Coachella Valley through Friday

For the rest of Wednesday, the National Weather Service is forecasting winds of 25 to 30 mph and gusts of up to 40 mph in north Palm Springs and Whitewater, although those wind speeds had already been surpassed in the morning. The winds are expected to grow stronger on Thursday and Friday with gusts of up to 55 mph expected there Thursday night.

While the strongest winds are expected around the pass, other parts of the valley are also forecast to see windy conditions. In Cathedral City, gusts of up to 40 mph are expected Tuesday and Wednesday night while Palm Desert is expected to see gusts of 25 mph. Further east, gusts are expected to reach 35 mph in Indio and Thermal both days.

Windy conditions are also expected in more central and southern parts of the valley, with Palm Springs International Airport expected to see winds of 25 mph on Wednesday and 30 mph on Thursday.

The winds won’t do much to keep down temperatures, which are expected to reach daily highs in the mid- to upper-90s across most of the Coachella Valley through Saturday.

Extended Palm Springs area weather forecast: Cooler temps coming

The winds are expected to calm by Saturday, although the National Weather Service continues to forecast breezy conditions at night through Monday.

The end of the weekend will also bring a drop in temperatures with the highs expected to dip down into the high 80s in the western part of the valley and the low 90s in the central and eastern sections on Monday.

Paul Albani-Burgio covers growth, development and business in the Coachella Valley. Follow him on Twitter at @albaniburgiop and email him at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Springs area weather forecast road closures