The California desert’s infinite loop of dry air and chromatic sun has been one of the Coachella Valley’s iconic features, making Sunday night’s once-in-a-lifetime deluge there all the more stunning.
Tropical Storm Hilary put dark clouds over the region, producing 3.18 inches of rain in Palm Springs on Sunday, the record for the most precipitation recorded there on a single day.
Most of that rain fell between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday, according to National Weather Service data.
While the whole of Southern California’s more than 20 million people were put on notice, most live along a coastline that avoided the brunt of Hilary, leaving inland areas including Coachella Valley to absorb the brunt of the storm.
Coachella Valley first responders were ready.
Cathedral City Fire Chief Michael Contreras on Monday recounted rare overnight rescues, including moving six non-ambulatory people from a care facility in the bucket of an earth mover.
No storm-related injuries were reported, the chief said.