Riverside County was under a flood advisory Saturday morning as an Easter weekend storm moved across Southern California.
The flood advisory was in effect until 11:58 a.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters said some locations that will experience flooding include the city of Riverside, Moreno Valley, Corona, Temecula, Rialto, Chino and Redlands.
A broader flood watch was in effect until 6 p.m. Sunday. Forecasters warned of possible flooding in poor drainage and urban areas and urged the public to remain alert for rock slides and rocks in the road in the mountains.
Steady rain fell across the Inland Empire Saturday morning, with intermittent rain and isolated thunderstorms expected to continue Saturday night and more rain light expected on Easter Sunday.
“The heaviest and most widespread precipitation will occur Saturday morning, with rain becoming more scattered in nature afternoon and lasting through Sunday night,” the NWS said.
Snow levels were expected to fall to 4,500-5,000 feet across the mountains, with several feet of snow possible above 6,000 feet by the end of the weekend. Forecasters said strong winds combined with blowing snow will lead to extremely difficult travel in the mountains.
Gusts up to 30 mph were expected in greater Riverside on Saturday, reaching 35 mph in the Coachella Valley and 45 mph in the mountains.
Daytime temperatures were in the 40s in the mountains, the 50s in the valleys and the 60s in the desert. Overnight lows were expected to be in the upper 30s and 40s, dropping into the 20s in some mountain areas.
“By Monday, the trough becomes elongated and centered over northwest Mexico, but enough instability will remain to continue our chances for scattered, but lighter showers and thunderstorms through Monday morning,” the NWS said. “By the afternoon, the majority of the activity looks to become confined to the mountains, with other areas slowly drying out.”