Warm weather expected for next two days in Riverside County, then cold arrives

RIVERSIDE (CNS) - Unseasonably warm weather is expected Wednesday, Nov. 4 and Thursday throughout Riverside County, then a cold front will arrive on Friday and bring a slight chance of rain throughout the region this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

A high-pressure system will build over California today and Thursday, then weaken quickly on Friday as a trough of low pressure makes its way down the coast, NWS meteorologist Miguel Miller said.

Unseasonably warm weather is expected until Friday and humidity levels will fall to around 10% on Thursday, causing an elevated risk of wildfires throughout Riverside County, Miller said.

The low pressure system moving in this weekend could bring scattered showers to many Riverside County communities Friday evening through Sunday night, but rain is unlikely to fall in the Coachella Valley, he said.

The Riverside metropolitan area could get up to a quarter-inch of rain over the weekend, while the San Gorgonio Pass near Banning could get up to a half-inch of rain, according to the NWS. If any rain falls in the Coachella Valley, it will be less than one-tenth of an inch.

Snow levels will drop to around 5,000 feet by Saturday night, meaning Idyllwild could get a few inches of snow by Sunday night, Miller said. The top of Mount San Jacinto could also get snow, with up to seven inches expected to accumulate there by Sunday night.

Strong, westerly winds are also expected this weekend, with gusts potentially reaching 55 mph near desert slopes on Saturday, Miller said.

High temperatures today are forecast to reach 96 in the Coachella Valley and the San Gorgonio Pass near Banning, 91 in Hemet, 93 in Riverside, 90 in Lake Elsinore, 91 in Temecula and 75 in Idyllwild.

Highs will remain around there on Thursday, then drop sharply on Friday, forecasters said.