Thunderstorms To Hit Palm Desert As Heat (Slightly) Fades

PALM DESERT, CA — A heat wave that began last week is expected to gradually break starting Monday and return high temperatures to under triple digits by Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

High temperatures for the metropolitan Riverside area are expected to remain in the low 100s until Wednesday with a slight chance of thunderstorms Tuesday and Wednesday, forecasters said. Monday's high in the Coachella Valley is forcast to be 105.

As for Palm Desert in particular, here's what you can expect this week:

Monday Afternoon
Partly sunny, with a high near 105. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Monday Night
Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 81. Light and variable wind becoming southeast 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tuesday
A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 102. Heat index values as high as 105. Light east wind becoming southeast 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tuesday Night
A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 81. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Wednesday
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 102. Light and variable wind becoming southeast 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Wednesday Night
A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 81. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Thursday
A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 104. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Thursday Night
A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 83.

Friday
A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 107.

Friday Night
A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 83.

RECORD-BREAKING HEAT

Riverside broke its record for warmest low temperature Saturday with 82 degrees, two degrees higher than the previous record set in 2007.

The highest low temperature Sunday in Riverside was 75 degrees, also a record for that date.

The NWS issued a heat advisory for the metropolitan Riverside area for the past three days, with the last warning ending at 9 p.m. Sunday.

Riverside also set record high temperatures Friday and Saturday with the mercury topping out at 113 over the weekend.

The heat wave resulted in various blackouts throughout Los Angeles, which crews are still working to restore.

Southern California Edison Monday reported that 327 customers in Riverside County were without power.

Increased moisture and clouds could result in a slight chance for thunderstorms Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Live Oak Canyon and Pinyon Pines each received more than .15 inches of rain as of 8 p.m. Sunday, according to the NWS.

High winds in Thermal and Palm Springs are expected to result in reduced visibility and poor air quality Monday morning.

— City News Service contributed to this report / Image via National Weather Service, San Diego