Wet weather expected in Inland Empire tonight and this weekend

RIVERSIDE - Wet weather is expected in the Inland Empire tonight and this weekend as two storm systems bear down on the region, according to forecasters.

The National Weather Service predicted light rain showers in the Riverside area after 10 p.m. as a ''weak'' trough of low pressure sweeps east.

Showers will linger into Thursday but give way to sunny skies, according to the Weather Service.

A second ''stronger and colder storm'' will arrive Saturday, producing a half inch to an inch of rain, forecasters said.

''The rainfall amounts will be quite variable due to the showery nature of the precipitation,'' a weather advisory stated. ''The rain could cause local flooding of poorly drained streets and low-lying areas.''

High winds and generally unstable conditions could trigger thunderstorms, funnel clouds and waterspouts, according to the Weather Service.

Snow levels were expected to drop to about 4,000 feet by Sunday morning, with 4-8 inches of snowfall possible, forecasters said.

Temperatures in Riverside will peak around 60 degrees Thursday through Sunday, with lows in the mid 40s, according to the Weather Service.

Sunny and partly cloudy weather into the weekend

UPDATED 3/2/10

Rain has all but disappeared from our local weather reports and it appears we are looking at various degrees of sunny and partly cloudy over the next few days and into the weekend with temps still varying with lows in the 40s and highs in the low to mid 60s.

Updated weather reports for the next five days are calling for partly cloudy and sunny skies with possible rain on Saturday and Sunday. Temps are expected to reach a low of 44 degrees and a high of 65 degrees.

SAN DIEGO - The current weather pattern of rain a couple of times each week will continue, with the next storm expected to arrive in San Diego County Tuesday night, a National Weather Service meteorologist said.

But the next system will be nothing like the powerful storm that just passed through, said Tina Stall of the NWS.

"It looks like mostly light rain -- it looks like the majority of the storm will pass to our north,'' Stall said.

She said showers could extend into Wednesday night.

After some drying out Thursday and Friday, there could be another storm by the weekend ''but the timing is still uncertain at this point,'' Stall said.

Temperatures during the week will remain in the low-40s to mid-60s, she said.

The storm system that just passed through dropped well over an inch of rain in many San Diego locations, according to NWS records.

The rainfall is believed to have contributed to a freeway traffic accident that killed a 31-year-old San Diego woman.

Several suspected illegal immigrants were successfully rescued from the rain-swollen Tijuana River in two separate pre-dawn incidents, lifeguard Lt. Andy Lerum said. Personnel from the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, U.S. Border Patrol and other agencies participated in the rescues, he said.

The weather forecast is predicted to vary over the next five days from partly cloudy to sunny skies over most of the region. There is a slight chance of some showers on Wednesday night in the Temecula area. Temperatures are expected to range from a low of 44 degrees at night with daytime temps reaching 68 to 75 degrees.