Author: KESQ

Patrick Evans

The Extreme Heat Warning continues into tomorrow. Temps will be running 5-8 degrees above seasonal norms and the mountains remain under a Heat Advisory.

A First Alert Weather Alert has been extended until tomorrow evening for the extreme temperatures as we start the work week.

Highs today will be well into the one-teens, and that’s true into tomorrow as well.

In addition, humidity is up a bit, so dew points are higher. That means your evaporative coolers may struggle through the afternoon.

We should see some slightly drier conditions moving into the middle of the week. Highs will also gradually decrease. By the weekend, temps will be at or slightly below seasonal averages (109).

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Athena Jreij

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Three people were injured after a car crashed into an Indio restaurant on Avenue 48 and Indio Blvd Sunday evening.

Police said it all started when a Dodge Charger collided with a Chevy Tahoe. The Charger crashed into a vacant restaurant, which then caught fire.

Three people were transported to a nearby hospital with injuries ranging from minor to moderate. The building had moderate to major damage.

The cause of the crash is unknown and remains under investigation. Police said D.U.I. was excluded from being a factor in this traffic collision.

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Shay Lawson

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ)  – Desert Regional Medical Center has launched its first Internal Medicine Residency Program.

Dr. Joel F. Trambley, MD, PhD, program director, said it’s important to train more physicians in the area.

“The Coachella Valley or Inland Empire are actually some of the lowest per capita physician rates in the state of California,” Dr. Trambley said.

A 2023 report commissioned by the Desert Healthcare District and Foundation found that the physician workforce in the Coachella Valley struggles to keep up with population growth. Huron Consulting Group researchers found a shortage of 236 physicians, mostly in primary care.

“It’s always hard to get people into more distant and rural areas,” Dr. Trambley said. “Almost all the training programs, or the large ones, are in big cities and they sort of get into the big cities and just stay there.”

He said one of the program’s goals is to encourage residents to commit to primary care in the Coachella Valley.

“One of the things we’ve done is set up a system where two out of every six weeks the residents are doing outpatient rotations,” Dr. Trambley said. “They’re doing their continuity clinic where they see patients regularly at DAP Health, and then they’re going to be doing some other experiences.”

Rayan Harb, resident physician, said joining the inaugural class is a special opportunity.

“When I have my name attached to something, I hold a lot of pride in that thing,” Harb said. “I want to make sure that we uphold a level of excellence in our practice.”

The program’s first residents arrived on July 1.

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Gavin Nguyen

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – It’s been a hot & humid Sunday! The moisture hasn’t dried out as much as we expected this afternoon … our dew points have stubbornly been in the 60s practically all day long. This is helping keep our high temperatures capped today.

Despite the added moisture and lower air temperatures, much of the valley remains under widespread Moderate to Major HeatRisk. An Extreme Heat Warning remains in place for the Coachella Valley through Tuesday at 8:00 p.m.

We’ve had some slight chances for thunderstorms in our local Santa Rosa Mountains. Plenty of puffy cumulus clouds have returned this afternoon, though these rain chances diminish once we pass 7:00 p.m.

As of 3:30 PM, we’ve had a couple of spots around the valley see some rainfall thanks to these pop-up thunderstorms.

It looks like a very similar setup for tomorrow. Expect very humid conditions to start the day, but our FutureTrack data again tells us we should dry out into the afternoon hours. If not, though, we could see our air temperatures capped like we did on Saturday and today.

10AM Monday

4PM Monday

Temperatures near 115° are expected for Monday and Tuesday as the Extreme Heat Warning remains in effect (again, depending on how much moisture we see tomorrow afternoon). Highs gradually cool off as we look ahead towards the later part of the work week. The weekend is the light at the end of the tunnel: relief in the form of seasonal temperatures!

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Haley Meberg

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ)– The Palm Springs Unified School District receives funding from taxpayers, but when it comes to inspiring students, one local non-profit, The Foundation, sets the goal. 

The Foundation is made up of a group of several local philanthropists wanting to make sure the future of our valley is not just educated but fulfilled. From funding after school arts programs to new shoe drives PSUSD’s The Foundation seems to cover it all.

Lisa Todd, the PSUSD Director of Student Services says, “There’s a lot of things that the foundation is able to do that is filling in the gaps for things that are not necessarily , automatically thought of, or part of our budgeting process. So that includes things like providing shoes for our kids and musical instruments and being able to support mentoring programs.” 

Todd explained that without the resources provided by The Foundation many loved experiences would otherwise not be available for students in the district.

Ellen Goodman, The Foundation Director says,  “All the extra stuff is really what people love to do in school. I mean, they want to fly drones and they want to be in musical theater, and they want to participate in mentor programs and the wellness centers.” 

PSUSD officials say that acts of support like the new shoe drives help children find their sense of belonging.

“It is a significant difference when students walk out of here with the confidence of being able to show up on the first day with brand new shoes. and, that first day experience makes a huge difference for day 2 and day 20 and day 100,” Todd expressed.

The local non-profit supports students K-12 in the district providing additional funding for arts programs, college readiness programs, school supplies, and most things beyond the basics. 

Goodman says this organization is not just about giving– it’s about listening to the community and building programs that match what students want and need. 

“I really believe that our students, as a result of the foundation funding, have an opportunity to participate in things on a regular basis that increase their interests, their enthusiasm, and their academic prowess in the classroom,” Goodman says.

With back-to-school underway, The Foundation’s support means students can start the school year prepared, inspired and ready to learn both in and beyond the classroom. 

To help the Foundation reach its goals of providing support for local students visit https://www.psusdfoundation.net/scholarships

Stay with News Channel 3 for more Back to School updates.

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Spencer Blum

Good morning! It is not only warm this morning, but also very humid! Thanks to a push of moisture from the south, dew points across the valley are quite high (in the 60s and 70s). These high dew points will help to hold back our high temperatures and keep them below 115°F. Make sure to still always be practicing heat safety when out and about, especially if you’re partying in Palm Springs at Splash House.

An Extreme Heat Warning remains in place through Tuesday at 8 PM. There is some relief in store, however! Our temperature forecast shows our high temperatures are more likely to be at or below average about 6-10 days from now.

The First Alert Weather Alert remains in place through Tuesday evening as we continue to track high heat. Temperatures will thankfully cool down a bit heading into next weekend.

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Timothy Foster

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – A terrifying robbery unfolded Saturday afternoon at The Shops at Palm Desert, leaving shoppers rattled and store owners reeling after masked suspects stormed a jewelry store and made off with thousands of dollars in merchandise.

The incident happened around 2:20 p.m. when multiple suspects entered the businesses wearing masks and carrying hammers. Authorities said the suspects smashed display cases, stole merchandise, and fled the scene in a vehicle.

No injuries were reported, but the chaos left many shaken.

One witness said they heard a loud noise and immediately grabbed a family member and began running. As the suspects carried out the brazen daylight theft, nearby stores quickly closed their doors, and panicked shoppers tried to escape the area. The sound of shattering glass and frightened screams echoed through the mall.

Another shopper described the mall as being crowded at the time. People were running and screaming, with one woman struggling to gather her children who had been riding on mall attractions. In the panic, she collided with other fleeing shoppers. One elderly woman reportedly fell and injured her knee and hip.

Though no one was seriously hurt, the emotional impact on witnesses and business owners is clear. Don Roberto Jewelers declined to speak on camera but shared that they are frightened and still assessing the extent of the loss.

The suspects remain at large. As of now, no arrests have been made, and the Palm Desert Police Department continues to investigate.

The Shops at Palm Desert issued a statement calling the incident isolated and confirmed that it is under active investigation.

Store owners and shoppers alike expressed gratitude that no one was injured and hope that the suspects will be caught. One shopper said they were thankful everyone was safe and hoped the store would recover quickly.

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Kendall Flynn

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The Palm Springs Psychedelic Society is looking to decriminalize natural psychedelic plants. Organizers and attendees say the plants can be used in medicinal and therapeutic ways.

Six California cities have decriminalized psychedelics since 2019, including hallucinogenic plants and mushrooms. The psychedelic society wants Palm Springs to be the seventh.

Saturday afternoon, 70 community members gathered to listen to Dr. Larry Norris, the event speaker and organizer. The discussion included conversations about the society’s mission, what steps community members can take and the benefits psychedelic plants can bring.

Norris tells News Channel 3 the society hopes to meet with the Palm Springs City Council and find a sponsor by the end of the year. He says process for decriminalization averages 18 months to reach approval.

Many residents shared how they’ve seen psychedelic plants be used for therapeutic or medicinal purposes in their lives or people they know. They say they hope with further education and research, they will be able to reach decriminalization status and reduce the stigmas around psychedelics.

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Gavin Nguyen

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ) – We remain under an Extreme Heat Warning as an extended stretch of very hot weather continues throughout the Coachella Valley.

We’re also tracking an Air Quality Alert in place through this evening thanks to extra ozone pollution in our air. The hot weather has created more ground-level ozone, leading to smog/haze – and dangerous air quality for those with respiratory issues.

Air temperatures are down today compared to the 119° we experienced on Thursday. Our dew points have stayed elevated, and our temps have been capped by the added moisture. Our water vapor satellite imagery shows less dry air (highlighted in orange) over our region.

Dew points tomorrow morning will be very muggy according to our FutureTrack data. Some portions of the valley could be in the 70s! We dry out a bit into the afternoon, but dew points are expected to remain above 50°. This isn’t great news if you’re using an evaporative cooler to keep cool amid this extreme heat.

10AM SUNDAY

2PM SUNDAY

The extra moisture is lending itself to 10-15% chances for some thunderstorms to pop up over our local mountains and desert slopes both Saturday and Sunday. We’ve certainly seen some very puffy cumulus clouds around the valley today!

While today hasn’t been quite as hot thanks to elevated moisture, our heat indices have still been high. The National Weather Service’s HeatRisk map shows that most of the low desert will see widespread “Moderate” HeatRisk on Sunday, with some pockets of “Major” HeatRisk.

By Monday, widespread “Major” HeatRisk is expected for the valley floor, as temps are expected to climb past 115° once again.

Highs tomorrow could be affected by the extra moisture we’re seeing. Right now, we’re forecasting 114° for Sunday’s high, but our temps could be capped depending on how much we do (or don’t) dry out. Our First Alert Weather Alert stays in place through Tuesday, matching the Extreme Heat Warning still in place for the desert. Highs keep climbing to 115° or beyond Monday and Tuesday, but some relief is on the way: a trough settling along the West Coast by next weekend should drop our highs near seasonal normals.

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Tori King

THOUSAND PALMS, Calif. (KESQ)– The temperatures will remain in the triple digits this weekend and local residents are finding different ways to stay out of the heat.

News Channel 3’s Tori King will be speaking with residents about their plans to cool off this summer.

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