While you were sleeping (or while you were trying to sleep but couldn’t because of all the damn thunder), an unexpected thunderstorm brought rain and plenty of lightning to the Coachella Valley and High Desert.
Here’s what it looked like:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlXvxOpFfv6/?taken-at=219764203
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlX56MYFlJQ/?tagged=coachellavalley
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlYH0gCleeT/?tagged=coachellavalley
And, yes, it was a lot of lightning in both the Coachella Valley and the High Desert.
Hi Kelley! The High Desert had 19 cloud to ground strikes, and the Coachella Valley had 26 strikes. The bulk of the lightning strikes were just northeast of the Coachella Valley! ⚡️
— NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) July 18, 2018
As far as rainfall, not a ton overnight – but every bit helps:
Coachella Valley Rainfall Totals!
Those pre-dawn SoCal thunderstorms brought some precipitation to the High Desert from 0.01" (Yucca Valley) to 0.10" (Joshua Tree NP). Widely scattered amounts fell in the Coachella Valley.@KESQ pic.twitter.com/fu46hz8tXI— Jerry ‘The Steffler’ Steffen (@JerrySteffen) July 18, 2018
The forecast is calling for a chance of thunderstorms throughout the day on Wednesday through Saturday and, as we have seen, you never know what’s in store when it comes ot weather this time of year in the desert – so make sure those windshield wipers and tires are in good shape, just in case.
I was awakened at 3:45 by the heavy rain. I jumped out of bed to be sure I had brought my computer inside. (I had!) I knew I couldn’t go back to sleep, so I sat outside and watched the lightning show and listened to the thunder. It only lasted for 30 – 45 minutes, but then it started again about an hour later. Isn’t this unusual at this time of year? Oh, and isn’t the humidity horrible? It reminds me of intolerable humidity when I lived in Hawaii for 14 years, except the temperatures are way higher.