Excessive heat warning issued for Coachella Valley again; will it stay under 120 this time?

Coachella Valley residents are being warned that temperatures are about to take another jump this weekend and into early next week.

The National Weather Service has issued another excessive heat warning for the Coachella Valley, beginning at 11 a.m. Friday and continuing through at least 9 p.m. Sunday.

“Obviously, I don’t have to tell you it’s been a hot summer, and it’s going to continue to be hot for the foreseeable future,” said Brandt Maxwell, a meteorologist with the weather service in San Diego.

Thursday marked the 31st consecutive day with a high temperature reaching at least 100 degrees at Palm Springs International Airport. Palm Springs’ streak of 22 consecutive days of reaching at least 110 degrees ended last Saturday, when the high only touched 109. That streak was five days shy of tying the all-time record of 27 days in a row.

So far, July has averaged 7.4 degrees above normal after a June that averaged 5.2 degrees above normal.

While the upcoming heat wave is not expected to include temperatures reaching the 120s, let alone the all-time high of 124 set in Palm Springs on July 5 , it’s still going to be another very hot weekend.

“Right now, it looks like the highest temperature will be Saturday around 117 degrees in Palm Springs with temperatures between 114 to 117 in the rest of the Coachella Valley,” Maxwell said. “It’s still not exactly the kind of weather I’d want to go running in.”

Maxwell cautioned what will make this weekend uncomfortable again will also be overnight low temperatures that may struggle to drop into the 80s.

“The low temperature may not dip below 89 in Palm Springs on Friday night, but fall to the lower 80s in Thermal and closer to the Salton Sea where the cooler air drains down,” he said. “It’s going to be hot enough in the day that you are starting from a higher point during the day, so it’s harder at night to cool off.”

Monsoonal moisture and high humidity should decrease across the Coachella Valley on Friday and into the weekend, especially compared to last weekend when thunderstorms and flooding hit parts of the area. No storms are expected this weekend. Maxwell said it’s possible the excessive heat warning could be extended past Sunday.

“We might get some slight cooling early next week, but not refreshingly cool obviously,” he said. “Mostly highs around 113 or 114, which is close to the criteria for our excessive heat warning.”

The weather service advises residents to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room and stay out of the sun if possible.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Excessive heat warning issued for Coachella Valley again; will it stay under 120 this time?