In 13-some years of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, there has never been a rainy day. Hell, there have rarely been many cloudy days. Maybe a lightly misty one, if memory serves.

But full-blown rain? Never.

Usually there are two modes on the Empire Polo Field: monochromatically hot, dry and baking during the day, with a high chance of sweat; gorgeously warm and comfortable from sundown till sun-up.

Have there been winds? Definitely, and right from the start. The very first night — Oct. 9, 1999, the only time the festival has been held in fall — it got crazy windy (and bitingly cold!) the moment the sun disappeared behind the mountains.

Morrissey, showing pluckish (and punkish) panache he didn’t have again for several years, defiantly braved the elements — unlike when he returned in 200X and couldn’t bear the smell of burning animal flesh permeating the evening air. But the super-blustery winds made headliner Beck look a bit like a manic marionette, flapping against the whipping gusts in his fringed Sly-Stone-goes-west get-up. And his sound was worse, flanged and distorted as gusts blew by.

Mind you, Coachella’s sound systems these days are vastly superior. So at least that part of a potentially ugly/beautiful day shouldn’t be a problem should the predictions of every meteorological service (Weather.com, Palm Springs TV, your iPhone) prove accurate for Friday night’s opening of this year’s double-header. Not only are high winds expected, but there’s a 50 percent chance of rain.

Fifty sounds about right, actually: The journalist in me (and the part that loves the rain) hopes it really will pour a little, just to see how it all goes down — and how cathartic Arctic Monkeys and the Black Keys can be on the main stage because of it (presumably that’s where AM will land).

The sensible part of me, on the other hand, is quietly dreading it. Our fellow Bonnaroo-sters are well-acquainted with how to slog through an inclement environment. We Coachellans are far too L.A. for that. We don’t dig muddy messes; it’s bad enough dealing with the sludge that inevitably surfaces near the porta-potties.

I am happy about this, though: 69 degrees on Friday, 73 on Saturday, 82 on Sunday — chilly, then perfect.

Also, if you’re going either weekend, you’ve undoubtedly heard by now: Eminem is more or less confirmed to appear Sunday night (and I assume the following Sunday night) during Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg‘s highly anticipated fest-closing performance.

Warren G has been saying as much on his website: “Dr. Dre will perform at the 2012 edition of the annual Indie festival “Coachella” in the desert. The good doctor will perform with all times friends Snoop Dogg, Daz Dillinger, Warren G & Eminem. Kendrick Lamar will also be here to perform their new single “The Recipe”. Y’all ready to feel the wrath of the Aftermath ? Let’s gooo!!”

To which every Indio-bound friend I mentioned this responded: “Not surprised. But awesome.”

What’s on the horizon? Our live coverage starts Friday, but we’ll post about set times the moment they’re unveiled (and we can sift through them) and we’ll have a look at potential highlights as Weekend 1 approaches.

Also: Soundcheck contributor and longtime Coachellan Peter Larsen is once again looking to speak with locals who are headed out there this year — first-timers, 10th-timers, Radiohead freaks and EDM-aholics. He’d love to hear from you. Let him know you’d like to meet up by emailing him at plarsen@ocregister.com.

Photo, from last year, by Christopher Polk, Getty Images.