Excessive Heat — Coachella Valley, California

2021-09-04 to 2021-09-13 · Coachella Valley, California

Event narrative

Much of the Coachella Valley saw excessive heat Labor Day Weekend through the following weekend. The first peak occurred on Sunday, September 5th, when highs ranged from the upper-100s to the mid-110s. The heat persisted through the following weekend, when the highest temperatures of event occurred. Several locations saw their highest temperatures of the heat event on Monday, September 13, after all heat products had expired, including Ocotillo Wells (116/91), Thermal (111) and Indio (112/87).

Several sites saw very warm overnight low temperatures, exacerbating the heat risk through the event. Indio set a record for the highest minimum temperature on September 13, with the overnight low falling to 87, breaking the previous record of 86 set in 2015.

Wider weather episode

A prolonged heat event occurred from Labor Day Weekend through the following weekend across Southern California from September 4th through September 13th. The first peak of the heat occurred on Sunday, September 5th; this was the hottest stretch for some mountain locations, the High Desert and the Inland Empire. A second peak occurred on Monday, September 13, when some of the highest temperatures occurred across some mountain locations and the lower deserts. At six locations, the highest temperatures of the event occurred on September 13, when all heat products had expired.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 984166. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.