Santa Ana winds gusting to 55 mph are due to return to the Inland Empire Friday evening and part of Saturday, prompting the National Weather Service to post a Wind Advisory for the region.
“The strongest winds are expected tonight … with gusts 50 to 55 mph,” according to an NWS statement.
Forecasters said that the winds will average 15-25 mph, with the most intense activity in the mountains, through passes and along foothills. The Wind Advisory begins at 9 p.m. and will terminate at 1 p.m. Saturday.
The region has been on the receiving end of Santa Anas over the last week, following several windstorms in January.
The current offshore slipstream is being powered by the same dominant high-pressure systems raising the thermometer throughout Southern California, which led to the NWS issuing a Heat Advisory on Wednesday. It remains in effect until 6 p.m. Sunday.
Several ridges are trundling over the Great Basin in Nevada and Utah, sustaining clear and dry conditions, according to prognostication charts published by the Weather Service.
In the Riverside metropolitan area, the highs are predicted to be at or just above 90 degrees Friday to Sunday, with lows in the mid-50s. In the Coachella Valley, the highs will hover in the same range, with lows in the upper 50s, and in the Temecula Valley, temperatures will peak in the low 80s and fall overnight to the low 50s through the weekend, according to the NWS.
Meteorologists advised anyone planning outdoor activity to be aware of the unseasonably warm conditions and take precautions, such as staying hydrated.
Weather patterns will shift going into next week, according to the NWS.
“A deep trough of low pressure will begin diving down the west coast Monday, reaching Southern California on Tuesday,” the agency stated. “This will bring much cooler temperatures, increased onshore flow and a chance for rain.”
Precipitation is predicted at this point to be very light, likely less than a third of an inch in most inland locations, forecasters said.