Climate / Weather
Winter snow robes the nearby 11,500 high San Gorgonio Mountain in the San Bernardino Mountain range which hosts our local wonderful ski areas. This blanket of winter snow makes for a fantastic backdrop for the lush landscaping and palm trees of Sun City Palm Desert. In spite of these nearby snowcapped mountains, winters down here on the dessert floor are warm, with daytime highs according to the City of Palm Desert, typically between 73–84 °F (23–29 °C). Thus, the Palm Desert area is a favorite vacation and winter home destination offering a multitude of outdoor activities all winter long. With an average of about 350 days of sunshine a year, an average year-round high of about 87° F (30.5° C) and a low of about 64° F (17.8° C), an average annual rainfall of about 6 inches or less and typically low humidity which makes the warmer temperatures of the desert much more comfortable than the same temperature would be in places like Florida or Texas, the Palm Desert area continues to attract part time and full time residents and visitors from around the world.

Yes, it gets hot in the summer, but with our much lower humidity we have lots of ways to cope. Our cooled swimming pool, indoor track, indoor 75 foot long swimming pool, fitness centers and a constant offering of indoor activities are all part of the answer. The nearby casinos are all open during the summer including the local bowling alley. The nearby large shopping mall with two stories of over 150 shops & eateries as well as the many large “Big Box” stores also offer large air conditioned spaces to roam around. The several multi-screen theaters and an Imax movie theater, offer a large selection of first run movies, many with recliner lounge chairs. The nearby Tram offers an unlimited ride summer pass, and the summer temperature at the Top of The Tram, elevation 8,516 feet, is typically 25-35 degrees cooler than on the desert floor. Once at the top you have 54 miles of hiking trails and great overlooks. Big Bear Lake and Idyllwild are also nearby mountain communities offering summer recreation opportunities at cooler temperatures, both are an easy day trip.  
 

Climate data for Palm Desert, California – Boyd Deep Canyon Ctr (1981–2010)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Ave high °F  (°C)	69.6 (20.9)	72.0 (22.2)	77.5 (25.3)	84.6 (29.2)	92.5 (33.6)	100.8 (38.2)	104.4 (40.2)	104.0 (40.0)	99.1 (37.3)	88.7 (31.5)	77.0 (25.0)	68.5 (20.3)	86.6 (30.3)
Ave low °F  (°C)	51.1 (10.6)	53.1 (11.7)	56.1 (13.4)	60.6 (15.9)	66.2 (19.0)	73.0 (22.8)	78.6 (25.9)	79.5 (26.4)	75.9 (24.4)	68.0 (20.0)	57.9 (14.4)	50.2 (10.1)	64.2 (17.9)

 
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