Rain brings localized flooding to portions of the Coachella Valley
Gavin Nguyen
DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Thunderstorms and rain brought some flooding to portions of the desert Tuesday morning.
Some residents in Desert Hot Springs told our newsroom they encountered some flooding while dropping off their kids at school.
Some pools and backyards were also flooded.
Tyshon Jones, a lifelong Desert Hot Springs resident, said he encountered some flooded roads on his morning walks. He enjoyed the rainfall, but was irked by some of the storms’ other impacts: “A good surprise. I think I was more surprised at that the power was out. I couldn’t use my cell phone… that was a little bothersome.”
Two power lines went down in Desert Hot Springs, affecting several thousand residents. Utility crews were spotted working to fix the lines. Fire crews were even called to one downed line after a power pole caught fire.
News Channel 3 crews found several intersections flooded throughout Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs early Tuesday.
And in Thousand Palms, strong winds from the storm knocked tree branches down. One resident, Ava Rachelle Wilkerson-Krehan, told News Channel 3 about her morning.f
“The winds were incredible today. I thought, ‘Are we having a hurricane?'” she recalled. “And then I’m like, I just need to go back to sleep. And then I heard the downpour. But then I looked outside.”
“I’m opening the curtains and I’m like, ‘Oh my G.’ There’s a tree out in the middle — our tree.”
Some students in Desert Hot Springs were also pulled out of school early by their parents thanks to the weather.
Khaylah Vasquez, a middle schooler who lives in the city, and her siblings were taken home by their mom. Vasquez said, “Yeah, it was really bad. And I feel like if there was flooding and power outages, it would make it worse for her driving, and lightning this morning makes her scared to drive.”
While this second round of rain has brought some relief from the desert heat, most valley residents aren’t yet ready to give up summer.
“More sunshine. I’m dressed for summer still!” Vasquez said with a smile.