Brief Rainstorm Forecast In Riverside County

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A fast-moving storm system will sweep through the Inland Empire Tuesday night, generating widespread rain showers and strong winds in some locations, according to the National Weather Service.

The trough of low pressure and associated cold front are forecast to spawn mostly light precipitation, beginning Tuesday evening and continuing into Wednesday morning. However, only a tenth of an inch of rain is likely to fall in the valleys, with slightly higher amounts at higher elevations, according to the NWS.

"Southwest to west winds will begin to strengthen Tuesday afternoon, peak in strength overnight and weaken Wednesday morning," the agency stated. "Strongest winds will be over the mountains and into the deserts. Peak gusts of 40 to 60 mph are expected, with a few isolated gusts to 65 mph on the northern slopes of the San Bernardino Mountains."

No watches or warnings have been declared

The inclement weather will break to the east by Wednesday afternoon. Another storm system may brush the region over the weekend, but prognostication models were unclear.

Temperatures in the Riverside metropolitan area Tuesday will top out in the mid 70s, dropping into the low 50s overnight. On Wednesday, the mercury will peak in the upper 60s, followed by lows in the upper 40s. Temps will gradually climb for the remainder of the week, generally reaching the mid 70s and bottoming out in the low 50s.

In the Coachella Valley, the highs Tuesday will edge toward 90, with lows in the upper 50s. On Wednesday, daytime temps will be in the low 80s, with lows again in the upper 50s. For the rest of the week, the range will be low 60s to upper 80s.

The temperature band in the Temecula Valley will largely parallel the Riverside area, meteorologists said.