It will be dry and mostly sunny over much of Riverside County Saturday as a storm that dumped nearly three inches of rain in some areas moves out of the region
Highs will range from 56 to 61 degrees in the Inland Empire and valleys and 44 to 54 in the mountains. Winds of up to 15 mph, with gusts of 30 mph in the mountains, are likely.
Snow levels were expected to fall to around 5,000 feet by Saturday morning “as the upper level trough of low pressure moves overhead,” the National Weather Service said. “Two to three inches of snow is possible near 7,000 feet, with eight to 12 inches possible near mountain peaks.”
As of 10 a.m. Friday, the powerful atmospheric river storm that drenched much of Southern California during the Christmas holiday dropped 2.99 inches of rain on Mount San Jacinto, 2.80 inches at Snow Creek Trail-Idyllwild, 2.68 at the Temescal Fire Station and 1.73 inches at Morongo Valley.
At the height of the storm on Christmas Eve, the California Highway Patrol recorded numerous minor to moderate traffic accidents due to the rainstorm. A U.S. Postal Service vehicle overturned on wet streets in El Cerrito, but the mail carrier escaped with minor injuries.
Forecasters said the region is in store for a moderate to strong Santa Ana windstorm, beginning sometime late Sunday through Monday as a ridge of high pressure builds over the Great Basin of Nevada and Utah.
“Given the recent rainfall, there’s not as high of a fire concern, but the potential for strong wind gusts through and below mountain passes is worth noting,” according to the NWS.
Another atmospheric river may generate moderate to heavy rain for New Year’s, the NWS said.