Strong winds blow across the Inland Empire Thursday continuing to at least Saturday amid a shift in the jet stream that will dry out the region following the storms that ended 2025, according to the National Weather Service.
Moderate to strong Santa Ana winds are expected throughout Thursday and a wind advisory is in effect for Riverside and San Bernardino counties from 10 a.m. Thursday to 1 p.m. Saturday.
“Onshore westerly winds will be strong in the mountains and deserts, especially the desert slopes of the mountains,” the NWS said. “Gusts should reach 55 to 65 mph in the windiest spots.”
The onshore flow will shift to the northeast Thursday, marking the start of a Santa Ana event that may persist, meteorologists said.
“These offshore winds will be strongest in foothills and locally into parts of the valleys, where gusts could reach 40 to 50 mph Thursday night,” the NWS stated. “And so begins a prolonged offshore flow pattern that will last into next week.”
Forecasters expressed doubts about elevated wildfire risks during the Santa Anas.
“While these warm, dry and windy conditions will boost fire potential, relatively high vegetation moisture … will mitigate that threat,” according to the weather service.
The Riverside metropolitan area received well over an inch of rain from the Christmas and New Year’s storms, and in November, the area recorded 2.5 inches of precipitation — three times the average for that month in a given year, NWS data showed.
High temperatures in the metro area from Wednesday to Friday will peak in the low to mid-60s, with overnight lows in the low 40s. However, the “Santa Ana effect” described by forecasters will take hold over the weekend, boosting daytime highs into the 70s, though overnight temperatures will continue to drop into the low 40s.
In the Coachella Valley, highs will generally be in line with western Riverside County for the rest of the week and weekend, while in the Temecula Valley, daytime temps will peak in the low 60s Wednesday to Friday, with lows in the mid-30s, followed by a gradual warmup for the weekend.