August in Palm Desert, CA: hot season for golf — play early; afternoons are oppressive. Best tee times: tee off before 8 AM to beat the heat.
| Average August Weather | |
|---|---|
| Avg daily high | 106°F |
| Avg daily low | 84°F |
| Rainy days | 2 / mo |
| Avg peak wind | 9.6 mph |
August sits between July's peak and September's gradual retreat, which makes it useful to understand exactly what shifts — and what doesn't — as you move into or out of this month. The average high drops 3°F from July's 109°F to 106°F, a difference you won't feel on the course. Winds ease slightly to 9.6 mph from July's 10.3 mph, and two rain days appear where July had none — mostly brief afternoon monsoon pulses that can interrupt a late round.
The honest picture: golf in Palm Desert in August is still firmly in Hot season territory. Lows of 84°F mean there's no real overnight cooling, so morning tee times don't offer the relief they would elsewhere. The 22°F daily swing sounds wide, but a low of 84°F and a high of 106°F still bookend a brutally warm window. Hydration and a 6 AM start aren't optional — they're the strategy.
With a 106°F average high and lows that don't fall below 84°F, the only viable window is the first two hours after a 6 AM open — book the earliest available slot and plan to be off the course before 10 AM. The two potential monsoon-linked rain days also tend to fire in the afternoon, so an early start keeps you clear of both the heat and any pop-up weather. See how conditions rate hour by hour on our playability scale.
August's 106°F average high is 3°F cooler than July's 109°F and 5°F warmer than September's 101°F, so the heat curve bends slowly at both edges. Rain picks up noticeably coming in from July — two precip days versus zero — then drops back to one day in September, tracking the monsoon pattern's tail. Wind is nearly identical across all three months, staying in the 8.7–10.3 mph range, so breezy conditions are a constant regardless of which side of August you're on.
Climate normals show the long-term picture, but day-to-day weather varies. Check today's live golf weather score for Palm Desert, CA for the current playability rating, hourly wind, temperature, and the recommended tee time window.
← July in Palm Desert, CA • September in Palm Desert, CA →
If heat is your concern, September's 101°F average high is only 5°F cooler than August's 106°F — still well above the comfortable 60–80°F range. The meaningful difference is that September trims a rain day and sees wind ease to 8.7 mph, but neither month is comfortable past 9 AM. If your schedule allows, waiting until October brings a much larger drop, but August versus September is a marginal trade-off.
A 6 AM start is the practical floor — course hours open there, and temperatures are still in the mid-to-upper 80s rather than triple digits. Plan to finish 18 holes by 10–10:30 AM before the high climbs toward 106°F. Even at that pace, the low of 84°F means you'll never be fully in a cool window, so hydration and sun protection matter from the first hole.