Santa Ana winds will begin blowing through parts of Riverside County Sunday evening before a rise in temperatures across the region this week bring the possibility of record-breaking heat, forecasters said.
A wind advisory will be in effect between 8 p.m. Sunday and 3 p.m. Monday for the Santa Ana mountains and the county’s valleys, where northerly winds could reach up to 25 mph, with gusts of up to 45 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
Sunday’s highs were predicted to be 82 degrees in Thermal, 81 in Palm Springs, 74 in Riverside, 71 in Hemet and Lake Elsinore and 66 degrees in Beaumont, according to the NWS.
Forecasters said overnight lows will be in the mid-40s in the valleys, mid-50s in the deserts and high 30s in the mountains.
Looking ahead, winds will continue until mid-week and significant warming and clear skies are expected throughout the week. Temperatures will be 10 to 15 degrees above normal in many areas, which could result in a few record highs, the NWS said.
The combination of windy conditions and higher-than-normal temperatures will lead to elevated fire weather conditions Tuesday through Thursday.