Flooding closes four Palm Springs roads. How much rain did we get?

Portions of North Gene Autry Trail, Indian Canyon Drive, East Vista Chino and Araby Drive will remain closed Thursday, Jan. 1, due to flooding.

South Araby Drive between Anza Trail and Stagecoach Road was closed due to flooding. North Indian Canyon Drive remains closed between Sunrise Parkway and Garnet Boulevard, and East Vista Chino remains closed between Clubhouse View Drive and Carmela Drive in Palm Springs. It was reported that four roads were closed between 21.30 on New Year’s Eve and 17.20 on New Year’s Day.

So how much rain have we had so far?

More: Road closed due to flooding in Desert Hot Springs on New Year’s Eve

Palm Springs rain totals

Philip Gonsalves, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego, urged drivers to use caution and avoid driving through low-water crossings during a conversation about rainfall totals.

He said Palm Springs recorded about 0.58 inches of rain in the last 12 hours. The city usually receives less than a tenth of an inch on any given day this time of year.

By comparison, the city recorded 0.34 inches of rain on New Year’s Eve and 0.58 inches since midnight Thursday; Additional rain is possible before the end of the day.

Meteorologists track rainfall across the region’s entire rainy season, from October 1st to September 30th. In total, since October, Palm Springs has received 2.34 inches of rain, exceeding the normal 1.11 inches for that period.

Winter storms often bring limited amounts of rain to desert areas because the surrounding mountains block most of the moisture; This is also a rain shadow effect. Gonsalves said the low-pressure system pulls in deep tropical moisture from further south, pushing the moisture up into the atmosphere and allowing rain to fall even in areas usually protected by mountains.

Rain forecast in Palm Springs

Showers are expected to taper off by mid-to-late Thursday afternoon as rain moves into northeast San Diego County. Light, isolated showers may continue overnight, but are expected to be short-lived and scattered.

However, added moisture comes with trade-offs.

“Everything has advantages and disadvantages, right? From one perspective, that’s a good thing, but it also comes with risks,” he said. “And in Southern California, one of the risks is flooding.”

As we kick off the new year with rain in the Coachella Valley, it’s the kind of start that invites some puddle jumping while it lasts.

“Well, isn’t that true of most things?” Gonsalves said:

(This story has been updated to add new information.)

Jennifer Cortez covers education in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.

This article first appeared in the Palm Springs Desert Sun: What to know about Palm Springs rain totals, forecast and road closures