No matter what you got up to this weekend, everyone was probably talking about the weather at some point. Our Californian neighbors to the north of us may roll their eyes when they read this, but Saturday morning and evening was downright “chilly” for the hi-desert, dropping into the low 70’s with a breeze that kept things cool all night.
The slight dip in temperatures this weekend is in stark contrast to last year. That’s when Hurricane Hilary made landfall on August 20th as a tropical storm and then moved its way up the Baja California Peninsula into Mexico, causing millions of dollars of damage before consuming Southern California. With plenty of warning the Morongo Basin braced for the storm’s impact, and after the hurricane dissipated some areas of San Bernardino County had received 6 times their annual rainfall in August.
Compare that to some areas of the Morongo Basin this year, which hasn’t seen any precipitation in months.
During the hurricane, the hi-desert received its shared of flooding, washed out streets and road closures. There was reported flood damage to homes and buildings – such as the MVCSD admin offices – and the low desert to Palm Springs saw extensive damage to connecting roads that lasted well into this year.
The Big Morongo Canyon Preserve is still recovering from damage from the storm – and just received funding from the county for the rest of the cleanup.
Joshua Tree National Park received about 2 inches of rainfall in a short time which washed out roads, trails and campgrounds – but most facilities were reopened by the end of August.
Death Valley National Park received some of its most-measured rainfall of all time during the hurricane, with a staggering 2.2 inches in one of the hottest places on Earth – the appropriately named Furnace Creek. Along with all that rain it received road damage and washouts that are still being worked on today.
As we enjoy a mild Sunday without a hurricane looming over us, it’s a good reminder that seasonal fluctuations are probably here to stay.
It’s smart to be prepared for any unexpected weather changes – be it a hurricane or just an exceptionally nice summer weekend here in the beautiful and unique Mojave Desert.
Resources and Links:
24 Hour California Precipitation Maps at NOAA.GOV
Famed Weather Palm victim of Hurricane Hilary
