It wasn't just hot, it was historically hot in the Coachella Valley on Wednesday. Palm Springs tied a record for the hottest Aug. 26 ever at 118 degrees, while Thermal also hit 118, breaking the old record of 117.
The National Weather Service's records go back to 1893. The Palm Springs high tied a record set in 2020, and the Thermal temperature broke a record also set in 2020.
David Munyan, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said Wednesday was also the hottest day of 2026 so far. Temperatures are unlikely to go above that in what's left of the year, he added.
An extreme heat warning was set to be in effect until Friday, Aug. 28 at 8 p.m. The forecast said Thursday, Aug. 27 could get up to around 114 degrees.
The weather should gradually cool
down during the weekend before reaching a high of 102 on Monday, 100 on Tuesday and 101 on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service's forecast.
"We are beginning the downward trend, which is the good news," Munyan said.
There's a low chance of rain on Tuesday and Wednesday, but Munyan said the forecast for next week is uncertain.
"There are some indications that some influence of tropical systems could send moisture up our way and could in fact bring some precip into the desert," he said. "But I don't know if we want to tease people and get anyone's hopes up yet."
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Heat reaches record levels in Palm Springs, Thermal. See forecast
