From The Desert Sun today:
The Coachella Valley is in store for a dry Valentine's Day on Friday — a far cry from last year when a devastating rainstorm pounded the desert, which still hasn't fully recovered.
On Feb. 14, 2019, Southern California caught the tail end of a West Coast storm that dropped 3.7 inches of rain on Palm Springs in one day. That accounted for about 41% of the city's 9.1 inches of rain in 2019.
It capped off a wet period that has — so far — gone unmatched in 2020.
At this same time last year, Palm Springs had recorded 5.53 inches of rain by Feb. 14. But this year, the city has only recorded 0.04 inches of precipitation and Friday is on tap to have clear skies with a high temperature of 73 degrees.
National Weather Service meteorologist Jimmy Taeger described the 2019 downpour as an atmospheric river storm and heavy moisture was the game-changing factor that intensified the conditions.
