Temperatures are forecast to drop and light rain — as well as light snow for the mountains — is expected to spread over most of the Inland Empire next week when a weather system drops out of Canada and slides down the California coast.
“We could be cold, windy and wet for Tuesday and Wednesday,” according to a National Weather Service statement. “There is a … chance for a dusting of snow in the San Bernardino Mountains, above 7,500 feet.”
Forecasters said the trough of low pressure and associated cold front will descend out of the Vancouver area, sweep across the Pacific Northwest and plunge down through California, gathering energy along coastal waters, reaching the inland region midweek.
Though snow is likely to measure only trace amounts around the peaks of the San Bernardino Mountains, greater snowfall is currently predicted for the Sierra Nevada Mountains, according to forecast models published at AviationWeather.gov.
Meteorologists said changes in the weather will become noticeable as early as Monday, with increasing cloud cover and a drop in the mercury.
High temperatures in the Riverside metropolitan area over the weekend will generally peak in the low 80s. However, the high will top out in the mid 70s on Monday, and on Tuesday and Wednesday, daytime temps will stall in the upper 60s, with lows in the low 50s, according to the Weather Service. A very gradual warm-up will start at the end of next week.
For the Coachella Valley, highs will reach the low 90s this weekend, followed by the upper 70s to low 80s for the rest of next week, with lows at or just below 60 degrees.
In the Temecula Valley, the temperature band will largely parallel Riverside metro, according to the NWS.
No wind or other advisories had been issued by forecasters as of Friday morning.
Despite the federal government shutdown, the Weather Service remains operational due to its designation as among agencies critical for public safety.