Temperatures will head higher Friday and Saturday across the Inland Empire, particularly in the Coachella Valley and surrounding deserts, where the mercury will surge into the 110s, prompting the National Weather Service to issue heat warnings.
The NWS posted an excessive heat warning for the Palm Springs metropolitan area starting at 10 a.m. Friday. The advisory remains in effect until 8 p.m. Saturday.
For Riverside metro and other parts of western Riverside County, a heat advisory is in effect from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday only.
Forecasters said that a ridge of high pressure rotating in the area of northwest Arizona and southern Nevada will influence weather patterns over the two-day period.
“This will result in noticeable warming, especially for the inland area, which will peak on Saturday,” the Weather Service said in a statement. “High temperatures will be eight to 12 degrees above average, with hottest temperatures in the lower deserts, to around 116.”
Highs throughout the Coachella Valley Friday and Saturday were predicted to top out around 112, with overnight lows in the upper 70s.
In Riverside and surrounding locations, the mercury will reach the low 90s Friday and mid to upper 90s Saturday, with lows in the mid 60s, according to meteorologists.
The Temecula Valley will fare better, with highs barely at or below 90 both days and lows in the upper 50s.
Starting Sunday and into the middle of next week, temperatures will return to normal, possibly even falling below average, as a trough of low pressure settles across the region, the NWS said.