Palm Desert, California Weather
Summer heat deepens across the valleys. Day 15 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Palm Desert weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJul 5Clear——109°79°—
- MondayJul 6Clear——109°74°0°
- TuesdayJul 7Clear——111°77°+2°
- WednesdayJul 8Clear——112°85°+1°
- ThursdayJul 9Clear——113°85°+1°
- FridayJul 10Partly Cloudy——110°81°-3°
- SaturdayJul 11Overcast——111°83°+1°
AQI 60 (Moderate), driven by PM2.5. AQI down 6 over the last 6 hours (gradual decline). PM2.5 at 7.9 µg/m³, PM10 at 34.2 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 7.9 µg/m³, PM10 at 34.2 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.23
- Wind
- light
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- background
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
If the first of July be rainy weather, 'twill rain more or less for four weeks together.
- Moonrise
- 11:01 PM
- Moonset
- 11:04 AM
- In sign
- ♓︎ Pisces
Summer heat deepens across the valleys
Palm Desert at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 23°F above the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: March 9 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jul 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest early potatoes. Begin drying onions on the surface.
ZIP codes: 92211, 92260
16-Day Forecast — Palm Desert
- Sun109°79°0%
- Mon109°74°1%
- Tue111°77°0%
- Wed112°85°0%
- Thu113°85°1%
- Fri110°81°1%
- Sat111°83°2%
- Sun111°83°5%
- Mon114°88°14%
- Tue104°87°16%
- Wed105°88°15%
- Thu106°90°8%
- Fri117°94°6%
- Sat120°100°6%
- Sun117°96°6%
- Mon117°92°10%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Palm Desert
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of July 5, the growing season is at its peak — frost is months away. Continue succession-planting beans and summer squash. Start fall brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) from seed indoors for transplanting in late summer.
Microseason · July 1–5
Summer heat deepens across the valleys
Inland temperatures exceed 95°F regularly; fire danger reaches moderate to high across most of the region.
Day 186 of 365 · Wedge 37 of 72
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | — |
| February | — | — |
| March | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | — |
| May | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| July | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| August | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| September | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| October | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | winter squash, tomatoes (last) |
| November | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | — |
| December | — | — |
A year in weather
The year in Palm Desert tops out in July (~94°F) and dips lowest in December (~57°F), with January wettest at 0.7 inches and June driest at 0.0 inches.
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59° | 0.7″ | 2 |
| February | 62° | 0.6″ | 1 |
| March | 69° | 0.3″ | 1 |
| April | 75° | 0.1″ | 0 |
| May | 81° | 0.0″ | 0 |
| June | 89° | 0.0″ | 0 |
| July | 94° | 0.1″ | 0 |
| August | 94° | 0.3″ | 0 |
| September | 89° | 0.1″ | 0 |
| October | 78° | 0.1″ | 0 |
| November | 66° | 0.2″ | 0 |
| December | 57° | 0.5″ | 1 |
Regional context
Drawing on NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals, Palm Desert's January averages 59°F and July 94°F — 35°F apart — while precipitation totals roughly 2.9 inches over some 6 days.
Precipitation in Palm Desert peaks in the cool season: January averages 0.7 inches across 1.7 storm-fed days, while June bottoms out at 0.0 inches over just 0.0 rainy days. That cool-season-wet pattern aligns Palm Desert with places like Indian Wells, CA, Rancho Mirage, CA and Bermuda Dunes, CA.
Palm Desert rarely sees a hard freeze — its coldest month sits near 57°F — so planting spans most of the calendar. Heat peaks in July around 94°F, which confines cool-season crops to the shoulders of summer. Across Palm Desert, elevation and tree cover drive a 4-7°F spread in Palm Desert's overnight lows.
Similar climates: Indian Wells, CA, Rancho Mirage, CA, Bermuda Dunes, CA, Desert Palms, CA, Thousand Palms, CA.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Palm Desert?
- Palm Desert's last spring frost lands near mid-March, and in Palm Desert the first fall frost follows around mid-December.
- What is the rainy season in Palm Desert?
- January is the wettest month in Palm Desert, about 0.7 inches on average; the year totals roughly 3 inches.
- What is the warmest month in Palm Desert?
- On average July tops the year in Palm Desert at about 94°F.
- What is the coldest month in Palm Desert?
- The coldest stretch in Palm Desert falls in December, around 57°F on average.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Palm Desert?
- Hardy spring crops go in near mid-March in Palm Desert; tender peppers and squash wait 10–14 days.
- How many rainy days does Palm Desert get?
- Palm Desert averages about 6 days with measurable rain or snow each year.
- What hardiness zone is Palm Desert?
- Because Palm Desert bottoms near 57°F in December, that winter low sets Palm Desert's USDA zone — verify by ZIP.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Palm Desert?
- Palm Desert's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Palm Desert?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Palm Desert in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Palm Desert?
- Current conditions for Palm Desert and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Palm Desert forecast updated?
- The Palm Desert forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Palm Desert?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Palm Desert are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Palm Desert?
- The next few days in Palm Desert's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Climate
In Palm Desert, California, the hot-summer Mediterranean climate runs from about 59°F in January to 94°F in July, a 35°F seasonal range.
In a typical year Palm Desert records about 3 inches of precipitation on around 6 days.
Palm Desert's 35°F range, set by its 33.7°N position, drives frost timing and what thrives in Palm Desert.
ZIP codes in Palm Desert
- 92260
- 92211
- 92255