This reanalysis combines a variety of wide-area measurements in a state-of-the-art global meteorological model to reconstruct the hourly history of weather throughout the world on a 50-kilometer grid. Please note that each source's contribution is adjusted for elevation and the relative change present in the MERRA-2 data.Īll data relating to the Sun's position (e.g., sunrise and sunset) are computed using astronomical formulas from the book, Astronomical Algorithms 2nd Edition, by Jean Meeus.Īll other weather data, including cloud cover, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and solar flux, come from NASA's MERRA-2 Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis. To get a sense of how much these sources agree with each other, you can view a comparison of Palm Desert and the stations that contribute to our estimates of its temperature history and climate. Ramona Airport (KRNM, 4.5%, 57 mi, southwest, 1,175 ft elevation change).Thermal Airport (KTRM, 35%, 14 mi, southeast, -335 ft elevation change).Palm Springs International Airport (KPSP, 61%, 10 mi, northwest, 190 ft elevation change).The stations contributing to this reconstruction are: The estimated value at Palm Desert is computed as the weighted average of the individual contributions from each station, with weights proportional to the inverse of the distance between Palm Desert and a given station. There are 3 weather stations near enough to contribute to our estimation of the temperature and dew point in Palm Desert.įor each station, the records are corrected for the elevation difference between that station and Palm Desert according to the International Standard Atmosphere, and by the relative change present in the MERRA-2 satellite-era reanalysis between the two locations. This report illustrates the typical weather in Palm Desert, based on a statistical analysis of historical hourly weather reports and model reconstructions from Januto December 31, 2016.