Another heat wave is expected to bring triple-digit temperatures and dangerously hot conditions to parts of Riverside County, the Coachella Valley and desert communities this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
The Inland Empire forecast has prompted heat exposure warnings from the NWS.
“Temperatures inland should climb a little each day into the weekend, gradually achieving five to 10 degrees above normal inland on Saturday,” the NWS said in a statement.
An excessive heat watch is in effect for the Coachella Valley and the desert areas until 9 p.m. Sunday.
“There will be dangerously hot conditions, with temperatures up to 117 degrees possible,” the NWS stated. “Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room and stay out of the sun.”
Forecasters said a ridge of high pressure currently centered over the Four Corners will anchor in the Great Basin of Nevada and Utah until early next week. The mercury will only moderate slightly by the middle of next week.
According to the NWS, monsoonal moisture drifting into the region will raise the prospect of convective thunderstorms in the mountains and deserts, but the chances aren’t significant over the next few days.
“We’ve been advertising more monsoon action into the weekend in recent days, but … moisture decreases … through Sunday,” the agency said. “So now we’re carrying only the slightest chances of thunderstorms in our highest mountains those afternoons. Then a slight increase appears Monday and beyond.”
Highs in the Riverside metropolitan area will rocket to around 100 degrees for Saturday and Sunday. Lows will generally hover in the upper 60s until Sunday, forecasters said.
In the Coachella Valley, daytime temps will be between 110 and 120 degrees with overnight lows in the upper 80s through Sunday and into next week.
The Temecula Valley will experience highs in the mid-to-upper 90s through Sunday. Lows will drop into the mid-60s through next week, meteorologists said.