Photo: Visitor7 · CC BY-SA 3.0Palm Desert reaches 100° on about 118 days a year, more than all but 30 U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 107°, a January night drops to 45°, and snow is almost unheard of.
A year in Palm Desert at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Palm Desert’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Palm Desert’s place in California beside it.
What a year in Palm Desert feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 118 days a year reach 100°
And 184 days reach 90°. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Indio Fire Stn, CA, 9 miles from the city’s center point, 270 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Palm Desert’s center in zone 10a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 33°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 4 inches of rain a year
January is the wettest month and June the driest. Rain falls on about 11 days a year. Snow is rare: about 0.0" in a normal year at Indio Fire Stn, CA, so most winters see none.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Heating and cooling a home in Palm Desert
13% of the work is heating, so air conditioning is the bigger bill. No month averages under 55°.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Indio Fire Stn, CA.
Living with Palm Desert’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
Zone 10a. Frost comes about 1 winter in 3, so the growing year is set by heat, not cold: 118 days at 100° make midsummer the hard season for gardens.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: January, February, March, November and December. 55 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Palm Desert from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (69%). Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Palm Desert and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Palm Desert in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Palm Desert’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palm Desert, CA | 45° | 107° | 4" | 0.0" |
| Boulder City, NV | 41° | 106° | 4" | 0.0" |
| El Mirage, AZ | 42° | 106° | 8" | 0.0" |
| St. George, UT | 33° | 103° | 8" | 1.2" |
| Laredo, TX | 45° | 99° | 20" | 0.1" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Palm Desert averaged 1.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.6°).
A bigger shift than in 75% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Palm Desert compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Palm Desert’s place among California’s.
Palm Desert weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Palm Desert’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Indio Fire Stn, CA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 70° | 45° | 0.9" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 54° – 64° |
| February | 73° | 48° | 0.8" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 54° – 67° |
| March | 80° | 53° | 0.4" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 59° – 73° |
| April | 86° | 58° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 66° – 76° |
| May | 93° | 65° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 73° – 85° |
| June | 102° | 72° | 0.0" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 81° – 91° |
| July | 107° | 78° | 0.1" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 87° – 96° |
| August | 106° | 78° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 89° – 95° |
| September | 101° | 72° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 84° – 90° |
| October | 90° | 62° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 0 | 0 | 72° – 81° |
| November | 78° | 51° | 0.2" | 0.0" | 1 | 0 | 56° – 69° |
| December | 69° | 43° | 0.6" | 0.0" | 2 | 0 | 52° – 60° |
| Year | 88° | 60° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 59° to 73°. September is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Palm Desert’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Palm Desert’s center.
- Snow: Indio Fire Stn, CA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Indio Fire Stn, CA, 9 miles from the city’s center point, 270 ft lower; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Palm Desert’s climate
What is the weather like in Palm Desert?
A typical July afternoon reaches 107°, a January night drops to 45°, and snow is almost unheard of. Milder January nights than 94% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than all but 34 U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Palm Desert in winter?
December nights average 43°. About 1 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 52°.
How much snow does Palm Desert get?
About 0.0 inches in a normal winter at Indio Fire Stn, CA, so most winters see none.
How hot does it get in Palm Desert?
July, with a typical high of 107° and a low of 78°. About 184 days a year reach 90° and 118 reach 100° (Indio Fire Stn, CA).
When is the first and last frost in Palm Desert?
Most years have no frost at all: a 32° night comes in about 30% of winters at Indio Fire Stn, CA, usually in December or January.
What growing zone is Palm Desert in?
Zone 10a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 33°.
What is the best time of year to visit Palm Desert?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), January, February, March, November and December. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Palm Desert getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 75% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Palm Desert.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.