A cooling trend and periods of drizzle are headed to Riverside County Monday following a near record-breaking heat wave, according to the National Weather Service.
The agency said a ridge of high pressure that moved into the region off the Northern California coast and moved on Sunday.
“As the ridge begins to slide eastward … Sunday, afternoon temperatures [will] begin to cool off, but still remain 15 to 20 degrees above normal,” the NWS said.
The mercury reached a high of 95 in the Riverside metropolitan area Sunday, 91 in Temecula, 96 in Hemet, 101 in Coachella and 104 in Palm Springs. Overnight lows were expected to drop to 60 in the Riverside metropolitan area, 54 in Temecula, 56 in Hemet, 70 in Coachella and 74 in Palm Springs.
Meteorologists said the high pressure will give way to several low pressure troughs starting Monday, leading to a gradual cooling trend, a return of deep marine layers over the western half of the inland region and the possibility of light rain this week.
Temperatures were expected to reach 78 by Tuesday in the Riverside metropolitan area, according to the NWS. In the Temecula Valley, temperatures were predicted to reach a high of 73 on Monday and 64 on Tuesday. Forecasters predicted Hemet to reach 76 on Monday and 65 on Tuesday, while the Coachella Valley was predicted to reach 95 Monday and 82 Tuesday and Palm Springs was expected to reach 91 Monday and 79 Tuesday.
Patchy drizzle was expected overnight Monday throughout Riverside, the Temecula Valley and Hemet.
Temperatures were expected to remain in the 70s in the Riverside and Hemet areas for the rest of the week, the low 70s in the Temecula Valley, and the low 90s in the Coachella Valley and Palm Springs areas.