Palm Desert weather in February

In February, Palm Desert sees average daytime highs of 62°F and overnight lows near 42°F, with 1.8 in of precipitation across 5.1 wet days and about 10.7 hours of daylight. It is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 62°F through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time in February, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 18 min at the start of February to 11 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, February is Palm Desert's 12th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Palm Desert's year-round climate.

Daytime high
62°
10th warmest
Overnight low
42°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
1.8 in
5.1 wet days
Daylight
10 h 48 min
6:38 AM – 5:23 PM
Cloud cover
44%
12th clearest
Wind
4 mph
7th windiest
Solar energy
4.32 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Palm Desert is city in Riverside County, California, United States.

Density
741/km²
people per km²
Founded
1973

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in February

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 62°F through the month.

A typical February day in Palm Desert reaches about 62°F in the afternoon and slips back to 42°F overnight — a 20°F spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 51°F and 73°F. Set against its neighbours, February runs about 2°F warmer than January and about 5°F cooler than March.

30°40°50°60°70°80°151015202528
Avg high (°F)Avg low (°F)
16241
26241
36242
46242
56242
66242
76242
86242
96242
106242
116242
126242
136242
146242
156242
166242
176242
186242
196242
206242
216242
226242
236242
246243
256243
266343
276343
286343

How February really feels in Palm Desert

Once humidity and wind are folded in, February averages 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ 32°F
0
wind chill below the day's low

February sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Palm Desert weather by month

How February compares with the rest of the year at a glance. February is the 10th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°F)Rainfall (inches)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan60° / 41°1.64.50.2105.8
Feb62° / 42°1.85.10.510.76.2
Mar67° / 46°0.93.50.211.77.5
Apr73° / 50°0.42.3012.88.6
May81° / 56°0.21.2013.78.1
Jun91° / 64°0.00.3014.25.0
Jul96° / 70°0.320143.0
Aug95° / 71°0.42.5013.33.2
Sep89° / 65°0.32012.25.4
Oct79° / 55°0.31.4011.28.6
Nov68° / 46°0.51.80.110.38.0
Dec60° / 40°1.33.80.39.85.6

Cloud cover in February

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 47% of the time in February, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of February, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 37%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16634
26634
36634
46634
56634
66634
76634
86535
96535
106535
116436
126337
136238
146238
156238
166139
176139
186139
196139
206139
216139
226139
236238
246238
256238
266238
276337
286436

Chance of precipitation in February

Any precipitationSnow

Palm Desert gets around 1.8 in of rain and snow over 5.1 wet days in February, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 17% and peaks near 21% on the wettest days, and about 1 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%151015202528
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1120
2120
3120
4131
5131
6131
7141
8141
9151
10151
11161
12171
13181
14182
15192
16202
17202
18202
19212
20212
21212
22212
23212
24212
25202
26192
27192
28182

Humidity in February

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of February feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, February lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202528
Dry (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100

Wind in February

Winds average 4 mph in February.

Across February, daily wind ranges from about 4 mph on the calmest days to 4 mph at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202528
Wind speed (mph)Feels
14calm
24calm
34calm
44calm
54calm
64calm
74calm
84calm
94calm
104calm
114calm
124calm
134calm
144calm
154calm
164calm
174calm
184calm
194calm
204calm
214calm
224calm
234calm
244calm
254calm
264calm
274calm
284calm

Sunrise & sunset in February

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 18 min at the start of February to 11 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 54 minutes over February. Sunrise moves from 6:49 AM to 6:24 AM, and sunset from 5:09 PM to 5:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202528
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.36:495:09
210.46:485:10
310.46:475:11
410.46:475:12
510.56:465:13
610.56:455:14
710.56:445:15
810.56:445:16
910.66:435:17
1010.66:425:18
1110.66:415:19
1210.76:405:20
1310.76:395:21
1410.76:385:22
1510.86:385:23
1610.86:375:24
1710.86:365:24
1810.86:355:25
1910.96:345:26
2010.96:335:27
2110.96:315:28
2211.06:305:29
2311.06:295:30
2411.06:285:31
2511.16:275:32
2611.16:265:33
2711.16:255:33
2811.26:245:34

Solar energy in February

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in February, about 4.32 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 3.17 kWh/m² to a high of 8.58 kWh/m² in June across the year — February's 4.32 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

024151015202528
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.9Moderate
23.9Moderate
34.0Moderate
44.0Moderate
54.0Bright
64.0Bright
74.1Bright
84.1Bright
94.1Bright
104.2Bright
114.2Bright
124.2Bright
134.3Bright
144.3Bright
154.3Bright
164.3Bright
174.4Bright
184.4Bright
194.5Bright
204.5Bright
214.5Bright
224.6Bright
234.6Bright
244.7Bright
254.8Bright
264.8Bright
274.9Bright
284.9Bright
Planning a trip in February

Is February a good time to visit Palm Desert?

Our two travel scores rate February for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

6.2
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
1.3
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

February is a reasonable time to visit Palm Desert for sightseeing.

What to pack for Palm Desert in February

From February's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In February, Palm Desert sees daytime highs around 62°F and nights near 42°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 5 days see rain.

a warm layer

UV index in Palm Desert in February

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in February peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Palm Desert peaks around June 23 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 17 at about 3 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateHighVery highExtremeVery highHighModerateJun 23UV 11Dec 17UV 3
UV index (midday)Level
Jan4Moderate
Feb5Moderate
Mar5Moderate
Apr8Very high
May9Very high
Jun11Extreme
Jul11Extreme
Aug11Extreme
Sep9Very high
Oct6High
Nov4Moderate
Dec3Moderate

Air quality in Palm Desert in February

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where February falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Palm Desert is worst in September — around 20 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 4.3× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodModerateGoodSep 1419 µg/m³Dec 155 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan6Good
Feb7Good
Mar8Good
Apr8Good
May7Good
Jun14Moderate
Jul10Good
Aug11Good
Sep20Moderate
Oct6Good
Nov5Good
Dec5Good
Location & terrain

Where is Palm Desert?

Palm Desert sits at 33.7°N, 116.4°W, 220 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Rancho Mirage, 2.5 mi away.

Topography around Palm Desert

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Palm Desert.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Palm Desert has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 925 ft around an average of 272 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 5,276 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 11,650 ft.

The land around Palm Desert is covered by artificial surfaces (62%) within 2 miles, bare terrain (47%), artificial surfaces (22%) and shrubs (20%) within 10 miles, and bare terrain (44%) and shrubs (29%) within 50 miles.

2 miles
925 ft
10 miles
5,276 ft
50 miles
11,650 ft
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
February weather nearby: Rancho Mirage 2.5 mi · La Quinta 5.6 mi · Cathedral City 6.2 mi · Indio 9.3 mi · Coachella 12 mi · Palm Springs 12 mi · Desert Hot Springs 18 mi · Yucca Valley 27 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs
Type A / B
120 V · 60 Hz
Prices
≈ 100% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$90,027
2025
Happiness
6.8 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
98%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
5.8
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
12.7
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
Protestant 47%unaffiliated 23%Roman Catholic 21%Jewish 2%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Palm Desert (33.7225°, -116.377°, elevation 220 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).