Palm Springs, California Weather
Coastal fog thickens at dawn. Day 77 of spring. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Palm Springs weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJun 3Partly Cloudy——106°76°—
- ThursdayJun 4Clear——107°80°+1°
- FridayJun 5Clear——106°71°-1°
- SaturdayJun 6Overcast——103°81°-3°
- SundayJun 7Overcast——100°76°-3°
- MondayJun 8Clear——100°78°0°
- TuesdayJun 9Clear——101°79°+1°
Ozone at AQI 95 now. AQI up 52 in the last 6 hours — air quality is degrading. With UV 0.1 peaking around 1 PM under clear skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 23 by mid-afternoon.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 95 now. With UV 0.1 peaking around 1 PM under clear skies, surface ozone likely climbs to AQI 23 by mid-afternoon.
- Present
- AQI 95
- UV peak
- 0.1 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- clear
- Projected peak
- AQI 23
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 8.6 µg/m³, PM10 at 24.0 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.36
- Wind
- calm
- 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).
A summer fog for fair, a winter fog for rain.
- Moonrise
- 5:59 AM
- Moonset
- 4:10 PM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Coastal fog thickens at dawn
Palm Springs at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 16°F above the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: March 10 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jun 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest spring lettuce before it bolts. Sow heat-tolerant greens.
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of June 4, 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.
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
Palm Springs's warmest month is August (~93°F mean) and its coldest is December (~57°F). Rainfall peaks in January (1.4 inches) and bottoms out in June (0.0 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59° | 1.4″ | 2 |
| February | 61° | 1.1″ | 2 |
| March | 67° | 0.6″ | 1 |
| April | 73° | 0.1″ | 0 |
| May | 80° | 0.0″ | 0 |
| June | 88° | 0.0″ | 0 |
| July | 93° | 0.3″ | 1 |
| August | 93° | 0.2″ | 1 |
| September | 88° | 0.2″ | 1 |
| October | 78° | 0.2″ | 1 |
| November | 66° | 0.3″ | 0 |
| December | 57° | 0.8″ | 2 |
Regional context
Palm Springs's baseline climate, derived from NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals at the nearest reporting station, swings from a January mean of 59°F to a July mean of 93°F — a 34°F seasonal arc typical of the mid-latitude bands. Annual precipitation runs about 5.1 inches spread across roughly 10 days with measurable rain or snow each year.
Precipitation peaks in the cool season: January averages 1.4 inches across 2.4 days with measurable rain, mostly from frontal systems and winter storms, while June bottoms out at 0.0 inches across just 0.0 rainy days during the drier warm-season stretch. That winter-storm-driven distribution puts Palm Springs alongside places like Cathedral City, CA, Rancho Mirage, CA and Garnet, CA, all of which run drier through the summer months and rely on cool-season frontal activity for the year's precipitation.
Hard freezes are uncommon here: the coldest month averages 57°F, well above the freezing threshold, so the growing window stretches across most of the year. Cool-season crops can be planted in late fall through early spring, and warm-season transplants tolerate the local winter unless an unusual frontal passage drops temperatures below the 30-year normal. The hottest stretch arrives in July at a mean of 93°F, which limits cool-season vegetables to the shoulder months on either side of the summer peak. The figures above are 30-year normals; outlier years can deliver brief cold spells the averages don't show. Inside Palm Springs, low-lying parcels and inland positions typically lose 3-5°F of overnight low temperature versus coastal or elevated lots, which expands the practical cold-risk window by a few days.
Similar climates: Cathedral City, CA, Rancho Mirage, CA, Garnet, CA, Desert Edge, CA, Thousand Palms, CA.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Palm Springs?
- Palm Springs's last spring frost typically falls around mid-March, and the first fall frost arrives around mid-December.
- What is the rainy season in Palm Springs?
- January is the wettest month with about 1.4 inches of rain on average; the city receives roughly 5 inches annually.
- What is the warmest month in Palm Springs?
- August is typically warmest, averaging about 93°F.
- What is the coldest month in Palm Springs?
- December is typically coldest, averaging about 57°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Palm Springs?
- Cool-season crops (peas, lettuce) can be sown around the last spring frost (mid-March); warm-season crops (tomatoes, peppers) wait until 1–2 weeks after.
- How many rainy days does Palm Springs get?
- Palm Springs averages about 10 rainy days per year.
- What hardiness zone is Palm Springs?
- Palm Springs's USDA hardiness zone is determined by its lowest average winter temperature; check the USDA's online lookup with the city ZIP for the current zone designation.
Climate
Palm Springs, California sits in a hot-summer Mediterranean climate zone. January means hover near 59°F while July averages 93°F — a 34°F seasonal swing.
Across the year, Palm Springs receives about 5 inches of precipitation spread over roughly 10 rainy days.
The rhythm of the year is set by latitude (33.8°N), proximity to large water bodies, and elevation — all of which shape what grows here, when frost is likely, and what the weather story looks like day to day.