The bulk of a storm system that reached the inland region overnight was rolling eastward Monday, leaving some instability in its wake, while another batch of light to moderate rain is expected midweek, according to the National Weather Service.
“(The current) storm delivered a good round of rain to much of the area,” according to an NWS statement. “Orange County to the Inland Empire and northern San Diego County received generally .4-.8 inches.”
According to forecasters, unstable conditions will linger in the region into the evening hours, with periodic rain showers, followed by mostly dry conditions Tuesday and Wednesday. The chance of measurable precipitation Monday is 50% in the mountains and the Riverside metropolitan area, while the San Gorgonio Pass and the Coachella Valley have a 20% chance.
NWS forecasters said that Wednesday night through Thursday, another system currently gathering energy in the Gulf of Alaska will sprawl over most of Southern California, lowering temperatures and producing light precipitation.
“Snow levels will lower to around 3,500 to 4,000 feet for Thursday into Thursday night,” the Weather Service stated. “Preliminary rainfall is for one-tenth to one-quarter inch from the coast to the mountains, with a few inches of snowfall in the mountains above 4,500 to 5,000 feet.”
The system is expected to fragment and steer eastward Thursday night, leaving mostly clear conditions Friday and going into the weekend, meteorologists said.
High temperatures in the Riverside metropolitan area and southwest Riverside County are generally predicted to be in the upper 50s to low 60s, with lows in the 40s, for the rest of the week, while the Coachella Valley will be in the mid to upper 60s, and lows also in the 40s, according to the NWS.