Sprinkles in city, first snow at tram, but prolonged drought persists in Palm Springs, surrounding area

Palm Springs saw its first raindrops in months on Tuesday, but they were not enough to be measured. At the top of the Aerial Tramway, however, there was enough snow to declare the winners of an annual contest.

While residents reported seeing sprinkles in the morning, and President Joe Biden’s planned trip to the desert was cancelled due to weather, the National Weather Service (NWS) recorded no measurable precipitation at the official measuring station at Palm Springs International Airport.

If that seems like a familiar pattern, it is, as the city and the Coachella Valley, along with much of Southern California, is in the midst of a particularly dry stretch. An NWS meteorologist said Tuesday that the last significant rainfall in the city occurred in February 2024, totaling 1.33 inches.

That was followed by 0.42 inches reported in March and 0.10 inches in September, bringing the total for the 2024 calendar year to 2.7 inches – significantly lower than the yearly average of 4.6 inches. 

“Overall, it’s been a while since there’s been significant measurable rain,” said Casey Oswant, a meteorologist in the NWS San Diego office.

Last year’s rainfall totals are also considerably lower than in 2023, when Palm Springs recorded 7.11 inches, including more than three inches that fell during Tropical Storm Hilary in August 2023.

Palm Springs is currently in a moderate drought, according to Oswant.

“It’s a desert area, so the average rainfall is not going to be very much in general,” Oswant said. “It does look like the wettest months for you all are usually January and February, but overall, it’s just been a drier start to the winter for all of Southern California. So it’s just been a dry, dry year.”

At higher elevations, Mount San Jacinto State Park saw its first measurable snowfall on Tuesday, with the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway reporting 1.25 inches at 10 a.m. That snowfall concluded the annual Snow Guessing Contest a bit later than usual this year, with four winners, including one from Palm Springs.

Typically, the contest results in more correct submissions, which are narrowed down to 10 winners. Due to the late snowfall this year, there were only four lucky guesses out of 878 entries.

According to Madison Morgan, the Tram’s public relations manager, the latest snowfall recorded was in 2017, when the first measurable snow fell on Jan. 9.

“Other than 2017, this is the only other time we’ve had snowfall as late as January,” Morgan said.

Despite concerns about reduced tourism due to the lack of snow, Morgan reports that the holiday season was surprisingly strong, with some out-of-town guests preferring the absence of snow. While it is uncertain what the season will bring, they expect less snow in the coming months.

“By no means am I a meteorologist, but we anticipate a drier year than normal,” Morgan said. “The forecast for Southern California, in general, is anticipated to be drier this year. So, we don’t expect a lot of snow, but you never know.”

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