February will likely get off to a wet start in the Coachella Valley, with the area expected to see rain and cooler temperatures Thursday, just days after the temperature hit 80 degrees .
The National Weather Service is forecasting a storm that it says will arrive in the area around midday Thursday and drop between a quarter and a half an inch of rain by Friday morning, meteorologist Casey Oswant said.
The rain is the result of an “atmospheric river,” which Oswant said is a weather system consisting of a “river” of water vapor in the atmosphere. That system’s impacts are likely to be strongest on the coast, with San Diego, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara all expected to receive between one and two inches of rain.
Besides rain, the storm will also likely produce wind could also produce wind gusts of as 20 mph in central Palm Springs and Indio and 30 mph in the San Gorgonio Pass. Those winds are likely to be strongest late Thursday afternoon and evening, she said.
The rain should be finished by Friday morning, with the valley expected to see clear skies and highs of around 65 degrees.