Coachella festivalgoers experience record heat during the first weekend
Friday and Saturday performances, including Lady Gaga and Missy Elliott, will be held in triple-digit heat. The forecast high on Friday is 103 degrees, a potential daily record for the Coachella Valley.
Record-breaking heat sweeps West, bringing first 100-degree temps for many
The FOX Forecast Center is tracking a major temperature warmup across the western US. Here is what we can expect as temperatures will increase into Friday, with numerous record-high temperatures still possible through Saturday.
INDIO, Ca. – Attendees at the Coachella Valley Music and Art Festival faced record heat for the music event during its first weekend.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, high temperatures will be about 10 to 25 degrees above average across the western U.S. by Friday from the Mexican border to the Canadian border. Cities including Phoenix and Las Vegas are expecting record highs this weekend, with the first 100-degree days of 2025.
(FOX Weather)
This western heat unfolds as one of the biggest music and art festivals got underway Friday. The gates opened in Indio, California, for the first weekend of Coachella at 1 p.m. Friday, during the hottest part of the day.
Friday and Saturday performances, including Lady Gaga and Missy Elliott, will be held in triple-digit temperatures.
A nearby weather observation site reported reaching at least 102 degrees on Friday afternoon, beating the daily record on April 11.
Coachella, California forecast on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
(FOX Weather)
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According to the National Weather Service of San Diego, high pressure aloft is driving temperatures about 15 to 20 degrees above average with lower desert areas reaching the upper 90s to low 100s.
This high pressure will weaken Saturday, dropping temperatures by a few degrees. A high of 99 degrees is forecast Saturday in Indio.
FILE PHOTO: Marc Rebillet performs at the DoLaB at the 2024 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival at Empire Polo Club on April 21, 2024 in Indio, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Coachella)
(Getty Images)
Indio is under a Level 2 Heat Risk on Friday and Saturday, according to the NWS and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dashboard based on a four-point scale.
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After a toasty start, festival-goers will see cooler temperatures for the second weekend of Coachella from April 18-20 with highs in the low 90s.
By next week, the warmth will shift east across areas in New Mexico, Colorado and the Texas panhandle, seeing potential record temperatures next weekend.