The end-of-winter storm series will continue Thursday across the Inland Empire, producing appreciable rain and snowfall, as well as windy conditions and possibly thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service.
A winter storm warning has been issued for parts of Riverside County in mountain communities until 11 p.m. Thursday, with snow levels dropping to 3,000 feet and wind gusts up to 60 mph.
Forecasters said two “atmospheric rivers” will course over Southern California, the first moved through the area on Tuesday and the second is passing Wednesday night and Thursday.
The second upper level trough of low pressure “is expected to be colder than the Tuesday system,” the NWS stated.
“The cold nature of the storm aloft also increases the chances of thunderstorms across the area, leading to the potential of locally heavy rain and flooding,” the agency said. “The chances for exceeding 2 inches are 70% to 90% for the mountains and 40% to 50% for portions of the valleys. There is even a 30% to 50% chance of rainfall totals exceeding 4 inches of rain on the coastal slopes of the San Bernardino Mountains.”
Snow levels will drop to as low as 3,000 feet by Thursday night or Friday morning, when the disturbance spins eastward, according to meteorologists.
“Estimated snowfall totals above 6,500 feet are 8 to 12 inches, with locally up to 24 inches possible above 7,500 feet,” the NWS said.
Clear and mild conditions are forecast for the weekend.
From Wednesday to Friday, the daytime temps in the Riverside metropolitan area will peak in the upper 50s, falling into the low 40s at night.
In the Coachella Valley, the high will reach the low 60s Thursday and Friday. Lows will generally hover in the upper 40s to low 50s for the week.
The temperature band in the Temecula Valley will closely parallel Riverside metro, forecasters said.