Desert Weather and Typical Climate

The desert has a very unique pattern of weather, which results in a typically very warm and dry climate.  Before looking at the weather of particular desert locations and their typical overall yearly climate, it is important to have an understanding of certain weather terminology used to describe the climate of the desert.  Below is an exploration of these terms and concepts, along with links to a sampling of various desert locations and their daily weather and yearly climate patterns.

Glossary of Terms

weather--condition of the atmosphere at any given moment in time

climate--the average of all weather conditions across a large area over a long period of time, such as an entire year

atmosphere--the layer of air that surrounds the Earth

water cycle--process by which water is transferred from the Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back again; the water cycle consists of three steps that are infinitely repeated:  evaporation, condensation, and precipitation

evaporation--process in which liquid water from the Earth's surface heats and rises into the atmosphere as water vapor

condensation--process in which water vapor cools and changes into liquid drops of water

cloud--cooled drops of liquid vapor that have condenses and gathered in a cluster

precipitation--condensed and cooled liquid drops of water that get heavy enough and cool enough to fall to the Earth as rain or frozen liquid drops as snow, sleet, or hail

rain--liquid drops of water that fall to the Earth as a form of precipitation

rain gauge--weather instrument that measures the amount of precipitation that falls to the Earth in inches

snow--liquid drops of water that freeze in the air before they fall to the Earth's surface as a form of precipitation

hail--liquid drops of water that freeze in clouds and fall to the Earth's surface as frozen precipitation

front--the border where two air masses meet; a front usually determines what kinds of temperatures will be occurring next in a particular area

air mass--a large body of air with the same general properties as the land over which  it forms

air pressure--the density of the air in the atmosphere in a certain area, at a certain time, and at a certain altitude; the higher in the atmosphere one goes, the lower the air pressure; air pressure is always greatest near the Earth's surface; high pressure areas usually have clear skies, while low pressure areas usually have cloudy skies and possibly storms

barometer--weather instrument that measures air pressure

dew point--the temperature at which the air becomes saturated with moisture and rain can begin to fall

heat index--is an estimate of how hot the relative humidity in the air makes a person feel; for example, when the temperature is 90 degrees Fahrenheit and the relative humidity is 70%, the heat index is 105 degrees Fahrenheit; thus a person feels as hot as when the temperature actually is 105 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity is less than 40%  Click here to see a heat index chart and what index numbers are in various degrees of harm.

wind chill--is an estimate of how cold the wind makes a person feel; for example, when the temperature is 20 degrees Fahrenheit and the wind is blowing at 10 miles per hour, the wind chill temperature is 3 degrees Fahrenheit; thus a person feels as cold as when the temperature actually is 3 degrees Fahrenheit and the wind is calm

wind--differences in air pressure over the Earth's surface caused by uneven heating of the Earth

anemometer--weather instrument that measures wind speed

wind vane--device that shows wind direction

humidity--the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere at any given time

hygrometer--weather instrument that measures percentage of humidity in the air

temperature--the degree of heat in the atmosphere at a particular time

thermometer--weather instrument that measures temperature in degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius

Links to Weather and Climate Information of Various Desert Locations

Borrego Springs (San Diego County)

Borrego Springs Vital Statistics

Elevation

  • 780 feet above sea level

Location

  • Borrego Springs is located 78 miles northeast of San Diego in the Borrego Valley of southeastern California
  • It is situated in the extreme western Sonoran Desert and is completely surrounded by the 600,000-acre Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

Population

  • 2,789 permanent
  • App. 10,000 in the winter season

Annual Temperatures and Precipitation

  • Borrego Springs is often listed as the hottest place in the U.S. on certain summer days.
  • All-time high monthly precipitation was 5.07 inches in September 1983 due to Hurricane Kathleen.
  • 6.86 inches (1962-1994 average).
  • The highest temperature recorded at Borrego Springs was 121 degrees in June, 1996.

     
  • Average Temperatures
  •  Anza-Borrego Desert State Park - Monthly climate normals
      Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
     High  87 69  73  77 84  93 102 107 105
    100
    		  90 78 69
     Low  58 43  46  49 53  60 68  75 74  69  60 50 43
     Avg  73 56  60  63 68  76 85  91 90  84  75 64 56
     Rain 6.51 1.0 1.0  .81 .23 .09 .02 .35 .67  .44  .31 .69 .86

     

El Centro (Imperial County)

Palm Springs and Blythe (Riverside County)

Barstow and Hesperia (San Bernardino County High Desert)

Baker and Needles (San Bernardino County near Nevada border)

Bishop (Inyo County/Mojave Desert)

Las Vegas (major city in Nevada)

Laughlin (small resort town in Southern Nevada on the Colorado River)

Tonopah (town in central Nevada closest to the Amargosa Desert)

Elko (high desert town in Northeastern Nevada)

Yuma (Arizona border on Colorado River)

Phoenix and Tucson (major Arizona cities)

Sedona and Winslow (Northern Arizona high desert)

Albuquerque (New Mexico high desert)

Las Cruces (Southern New Mexico near Mexico border)

Salt Lake City (major city in Utah)

El Paso (major city in Southwestern Texas near Mexico border)

Burns (closest small town to the Alvord Desert in Southeastern Oregon)

 

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