The final weekend of 2023 could end with a bang in parts of the Inland Empire as thunderstorms move through the region, generated by back-to-back storm systems.
“Showers will move in from the west as early as (Friday) night and should move to our east by early Sunday morning,” according to the National Weather Service. “Current precipitation estimates are for one- to three-tenths of an inch for … valleys, with higher totals favored for northern areas. Thunderstorms could produce locally higher rainfall amounts.”
Light rain was falling over Riverside County on Saturday morning, with a risk of isolated thunderstorms until 4 p.m.
The NWS said several troughs of low pressure originating from the Gulf of Alaska was triggering the atmospheric instability. The first trough will traverse the region Saturday and gradually exit to the east Sunday morning, followed immediately afterward by a weaker trough “that will bring another round of mostly light precipitation.”
“Snow totals will be less than an inch at 6,000 feet, up to about three inches on the higher peaks of the San Bernardino Mountains,” the agency said.
Rainfall chances in the desert areas are much lower with only a 20% chance of precipitation on New Year’s Day.
Temperatures are also dropping with the onset of the instability, with Saturday’s highs peaking in the upper 50s in the Riverside metropolitan area and overnight lows in the mid-40s. Similar temperatures are expected in the Temecula Valley.
The temperature band will be largely the same Sunday and Monday.
Winds of about 5 mph were expected this weekend in the Riverside metropolitan area. On New Year’s Day, winds are expected between 5 to 15 mph in the downtown Riverside area with gusts up to 20 mph.
In the Coachella Valley, highs Saturday and Sunday will top out in the mid-60s, and lows will be in the upper 40s. Forecasters said the mercury will climb back up to about 70 degrees Monday, dropping to the upper 40s Monday night.
The region is expected to dry out Tuesday, with another brief storm system set to arrive on Wednesday, forecasters said.