As mush as 2 feet of snow is expected in the Riverside County mountains areas Thursday, with wind gusts up to 60 mph making driving conditions difficult to impossible in the highest elevations.
A winter storm warning is in effect until noon Thursday with heavy snow from 2 to 6 inches below 5,000 feet, 6 to 10 inches from 5,000 to 6,000, 10 to 16 inches from 6,000 to 7,000 feet, and 16 to 24 inches above 7,000 in the forecast, according to the National Weather Service.
Inclement conditions generated intense rain showers, winds, snow and other instability throughout the Inland Empire on Wednesday.
“Widespread precipitation … will become more showery and continue at times through Friday and possibly into Saturday,” the National Weather Service said in a statement.
According to NWS precipitation counts, from Sunday morning to Tuesday morning, the Idyllwild-Pine Cove community had received 3 inches of new snow. An additional 5 to 10 inches was forecast going into Thursday morning.
Elsewhere in Riverside County, the north end of Lake Elsinore documented the highest amount of rainfall in the western county region from Sunday to Tuesday at 4 inches. Riverside Municipal Airport recorded just over 3 inches, and in Murrieta, the latest total was just under 2.5 inches.
By comparison, the Coachella Valley’s precipitation totals were on the thin side, with Palm Springs International Airport at roughly a half-inch and Thermal Airport at less than a quarter inch.
“Folks in the Coachella Valley have gotten a welcome break,” Riverside County Emergency Management Department Director Bruce Barton told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. “This storm has really hit us on the west side of the county.”
Barton said the adverse weather had not overwhelmed first responders, but he pointed to “unfortunate” instances where people didn’t pay heed to warnings in advance and got themselves into predicaments.
“We had a lot of swift water rescues yesterday,” Barton said, referring to the nearly 20 itinerants extricated Monday from sand bars and other isolated places within the Santa Ana River bottom in Riverside and Jurupa Valley. The area is rife with homeless encampments.
“Some people didn’t listen,” Barton said. “We had flooding in the usual low-lying areas.”
He said some motorists ended up stuck on flooded roads that were closed by county crews, with signs that the drivers chose to ignore.
Supervisor Kevin Jeffries was irked by the incautious behavior, calling the rescues “unfortunate occurrences” brought on by “stupid people going around barricades and putting themselves and first responders in danger.”
According to the weather service, a series of weak low pressure troughs will skirt the California coast until Friday, keeping the inland region and other locations wet.
Prognostication charts published by the NWS showed rain and snow off and on until late Friday night.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in eight counties, including Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The proclamation includes provisions authorizing a California National Guard response if tasked, facilitating unemployment benefits for impacted residents, and making it easier for out-of-state contractors and utilities to repair storm damage.
The other counties included were Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.