Palm Springs in June?
 

Tell me what the weather is like in Palm Springs June 9-13? We have a chance to be there then. Would venture out to Joshua Tree Natl Park. Would we be miserable?

"The hottest day of 2013 was June 29, with a high temperature of 121°F. For reference, on that day the average high temperature is 105°F and the high temperature exceeds 112°F only one day in ten. "
http://weatherspark.com/history/3179...-United-States

I used to visit a friend there and I remember summer temps of 115 as usual. I don't know if you'd be miserable. Would you be? It's a dry heat.

It will most likely be miserable out. Dry heat or not (I live in AZ where we have a dry heat), hot is hot.

That was a joke. I lived in AZ for 25 years and we agree. Guess I may have to resign myself to smiley faces. No, never mind.

>>Tell me what the weather is like in Palm Springs June 9-13?<<

And the reason all the hotels are dirt cheap in June is . . . It is bloody <B><red>HOT >:-)

Meant to add >>Would venture out to Joshua Tree Natl Park. <<

Not such a good idea . . . Can be a bit cooler than Palm Springs but still well over 100F during the day

If you just want a vacation where you relax poolside and get spa treatments, it would be be fine, but venturing anywhere where you will be outdoors without access to a pool will be brutal.

As noted in a Las Vegas thread - many of the pools have misters so that helps. My in-laws lived in Palm Desert for years - and in the summer - they made sure to get all the errands done in the morning and then either spend some pool time or stay in the ac areas - movies, shopping malls, museums, etc.

You can even get in a early round of golf if you like - but I played once in 100 plus heat - and while keeping hydrated - about the 12th hole - we really decided to finish quickly - so we picked up after that if we weren't right in the fairway and dropped it on the green. :)

I agree...Joshua Tree is too hot that time of year. You would be miserable. That area is much better in early spring, late fall and even winter.

From about daybreak to noon it is usually quite pleasant. June usually does not get a lot of humidity (especially early June). Late June is starting to get in to monsoon season and starts to have a higher chance of dangerous heat index.

Ever year in the second week of June our club holds a golf tournament in the desert, it is actually a busy time since the rates for hotels and golf go down and locals from LA/OC head there. High temps have ranged from the mid 80's to the mid-hundreds, I think there was one weekend where it went into the 110s in the afternoon. That is the cutoff for "miserable" for me.

Joshua Tree is a bit higher in elevation and can get down to the 60s overnight in June, if there is no humidity.

Here is a good overview for June,

http://weatherspark.com/averages/317...-United-States

Here's the analysis for Twenty Nine Palms, which is similar to Joshua Tree

http://weatherspark.com/averages/310...-United-States

You have a slightly better chance than half of not even getting in to the "hot" band, in early June.

I was in Palm Desert over Memorial Day weekend several years ago, staying at no cost in my brother's place. Decided then that I'd never go again at that time of year, free or not.

Made a similar mistake in Vegas a few years before that. Temps were around 110, which made even lounging around a pool uncomfortable. Never again.....

I was in Palm Desert over Memorial Day weekend several years ago, staying at no cost in my brother's place. Decided then that I'd never go again at that time of year, free or not.

Made a similar mistake in Vegas a few years before that. Temps were around 110, which made even lounging around a pool uncomfortable. Never again.....

Double post for emphasis. 8-)

I agree, I just don't understand people who vacation in Arizona, parts of Nevada and the desert areas of Calif in the summer. It is so miserably hot.

Even if your hotel has a pool, it was our experience that the water in the pools are blistering hot. It's like being in a giant hot tub.

I think everything is relative. While living in Arizona for years I'd observe snowbirds walking around in short sleeves on days when I'd have a sweater and jacket. So too, for people who don't generally experience very hot weather, desert heat in summer may be a pleasure. I can't think of any other explanation. Maybe when you've come a long way with a lot of expense to have the experience, you're damned if temperatures of 110 or 115 are going to get in your way.

Mme - totally agree, it depends a lot on what you are used to- and for some - how old they are - and perhaps have forgotten how when they were younger - the warm temps didn't bother them as much.

BTW - I don't think the greater Coachella Valley - Palm Springs to Indio and beyond - ever had "monsoons". :)

I know that New Mexico and Colorado are affected by the North Ameican monsoon pattern in the summer. In fact, we look forward to it to lessen the forest fire danger.

Based on the map in this wikipedia entry, looks like interior California can be affected also. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Monsoon

Monsoon rains in S. AZ are something we looked forward to for weeks to break the heat. I don't believe Californians use the term but it's what the summer rains in the Sonora Desert have always been called. Which, on most maps, includes Palm Springs and environs.

Yes, the Californians in the Coachella Valley use the term "monsoon". Try tuning in to the local TV stations sometime in July/August when they have thunderstorms. Every year we have these discussions where people who are not really familiar with the Coachella Valley weight in on the weather. I owned a condo in Palm Desert for 5 years, and would go out during the summers. July and August are the worst. May=June and Sept-October is when you watch the weather forecasts and you may get lucky.

KESQ is one such.

In fact if someone has never heard of it, I'd suggest they are not really very familiar with weather patterns in the Coachella Valley.

Here is a local PBS station report on the phenomenon

http://www.kcet.org/news/the_back_fo...he-desert.html

>>BTW - I don't think the greater Coachella Valley - Palm Springs to Indio and beyond - ever had "monsoons"<<

Uh - yes they have . . .

Uh - "Monsoons" - not really. They average about 5 inches of rain annually in Palm Springs and lately - even less.

BTW - my in laws lived in Palm Desert for over 15 years and
"survived" the summers - but some residents to like to travel elsewhere in the late summer months.

Yes, there can be a rainstorm once in a while - with some desert flooding - but hardly a monsoon as they get in India/Asia

Those of you who use the term monsoon are as "loose" as the newscaster who tried to become noteworthy by incorrectly applying that term to the desert areas.

And Colorado gets summer rainstorms because the air over the lower/flat parts - eastern Colo - warms and rises and the wind blowing in from the west - which cooler air as it has to pass over the Rockies - condenses and yields what are usually very short thunderstorms - late afternoon most times - around 3:30 or so.

But yes, in 2013 - Colorado got hit hard with the summer rains - and the pristine little Boulder creek became a torrent.

And just for comparison's sake - the real Monsoon areas - in India for example - can receive almost 400 inches of rainfall annually.

Waaaaay more than the 5 inches - or less - that the Palm Springs area receives every year.

A National Weather Service document:

"...considerable research, which culminated in the Southwest Arizona Monsoon Project (SWAMP) in 1990 and 1993, established the fact that a bonafide monsoon, characterized by large-scale wind and rainfall shifts in the summer, develops over much of Mexico and the intermountain region of the U.S."

And "This monsoon ridge is almost as strong as the one which develops over Asia during the summer...A monsoon is a large scale weather pattern which causes our summer thunderstorms."

http://www.met.sjsu.edu/metr166/docs/monsoon_NA.pdf

Again, compare the rainfall amounts. One is a buzzword - the other real.

Are you creating your own definitions now, Tomsd?

A monsoon is a weather pattern as defined and studied by meteorologists. It's their definition, not my 'buzzword'. The Indian monsoon is the most famous and likely the only one you have heard of, but they actually happen all over the world. You might use this as an opportunity to learn something new, rather than trying to defend your error.

We even get the edges of monsoon conditions in the Los Angeles basin. One July I was having a walkway repaired and as the cement worker finished the final trowel, a hailstorm happened. Lucky he was still here. Had to go with the broom finish instead.

Here's another document from the National Weather service about the North American Monsoon

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/product...soon_aug04.pdf

I'm guessing you didn't study geography and meteorology in law school?

No I first heard about Monsoons in grade school - and some of the "modern" weather reporters probably should have too, and not confused (tried to dramatize really) monsoons with a summer thunderstorm. :)

But not to lose sight of the orignal question(s) in this thread - June is certainly "manageable" in Palm springs - at least IMO - and no - you won't get swept away by a monsoon flood -not when the average rainfall is only 5 inches.

mlgb: Give it up - tom likes to have the last word - even when that word is wrong (or totally unrelated to the topic)

Tomsd is a lawyer. When they are wrong, they like to parse definitions. What's the definition of "is", Tomsd?

Ask the families of the dead Arizona firefighters (Yarnell fire) if that was a "real" monsoon.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsoon

You don't need 400 inches of rain to have a monsoon. The first sentence of that link says it all.

'And no - you won't get swept away by a monsoon flood - not when the average rainfall is only 5 inches.'

Flash floods in desert regions can (and do) happen with far less rainfall than 5 inches. It's amazing how less than half an inch can wreak havoc.

And yes, people, roads, bridges and cars do/ eg, who remembers the big flash flood in Death Valley last July?

Sorry Tomsd, you are not winning your argument. This is why law firms hire expert witnesses.

Try changing the subject again.

So is the popular opinion on this page that the visitors to Palm Springs - in June - are horrors:

More likely to get swept away by a flash flood - or suffer a heatstroke?

Actually I commented that June IS manageable, way way up=thread, especially early June, as the monsoon season does not typically start until later in the summer. Then humidity starts to rise and you lose the cool overnight temps and early mornings.

Yes, I even looked at which dates the OP was asking about.

Although I only owned my condo for five years (bought low, sold high), I have been visiting the Palm Desert/Rancho Mirage area for about 25 years, often during the shoulder months of May-June and Sept-October. I don't particularly like to rub shoulders with all the snowbirds. Except the Canadians, of course.

All the hyperbole and bickering aside, June can be quite a nice month in the desert.

Days are hot, with physical activities like golf, tennis, or hikes best scheduled from sunup to 10 AM. Poolside lounging is very enjoyable. Nights are fabulous and comfortable in shorts and t-shirts.

Restaurants are easier to get into, with abundant off-season deals; hotel rates and packages, e.g. low room rates with spa or golf are typically good; also traffic is much lighter.

All in all, June can be a good month to come. If you doubt this, go check out the Ace Hotel, Omni Rancho Las Palmas, or Esmeralda on a June weekend...lots of people.