July 4 Forecast for Palm Desert: Cooler Temps Expected

Though hot weather continues to blanket Palm Desert and the Inland Empire, weather forecasters say some relief may be in sight come the holiday weekend.

A National Weather Service heat advisory for Riverside County, other than mountain areas higher than 6,000 feet, is set to expire Wednesday at 8 p.m.

In the forecast for Wednesday were highs of 99 to 104 degrees in the valleys around Riverside, 94 to 103 degrees in the mountains, 109 to 114 degrees along the San Gorgonio Pass near Banning and 112 to 117 degrees in the Coachella Valley.

"One more very hot day is on tap away from the coast today, then gradually becoming cooler into the weekend, with a slowly building marine layer," according to the weather service. "Drier air will reduce thunderstorm activity to only over the higher mountains of San Bernardino County, then with no further activity expected for the remainder of the week."

Forecasters said temperatures are expected to lower into the weekend. Saturday and Sunday will likely the coolest days with temperatures generally closer to normal.

Here's the full forecast for Palm Desert through the July 4 holiday, as provided by the National Weather Service:

This Afternoon
Sunny and hot, with a high near 111. Southeast wind around 10 mph.

Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 82. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Thursday
Sunny, with a high near 108. Light and variable wind becoming southeast 10 to 15 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.

Thursday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 80. East wind 5 to 10 mph.

Friday
Sunny, with a high near 105. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Friday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 78.

Saturday
Sunny, with a high near 105.

Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 76.

Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 107.

Sunday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 77.

Independence Day
Sunny, with a high near 109.

Monday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 79.

For area residents headed to the beach to seek some cooler weather, the NWS is warning of strong rip current conditions through Friday evening.

— City News Service contributed to this report.