Hang Onto Your Hat: High Winds In Thanksgiving Forecast

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A Santa Ana wind event will start on Thanksgiving night and persist into the weekend, with some of the highest gusts in the Banning Pass, a forecaster said Monday.

"You're looking at peak gusts around 45 mph in the area of Banning and Beaumont, as well as just north of Hemet," National Weather Service meteorologist Bruno Rodriguez told City News Service.

"The winds will be pretty strong Thursday night and Friday morning, then tapering off later in the day Friday. They'll start again Saturday, but weaker."

Average wind speeds will be about 25-30 mph in the Banning Pass from Thursday to Saturday, while in western Riverside County, they'll generally blow between 15 and 25 mph, according to Rodriguez. The Coachella Valley can expect the same.

The NWS has not yet issued advisories in connection with the offshore winds, but Rodriguez said the agency is considering a Red Flag Warning beginning Thursday night or Friday.

"Humidity is going to drop pretty low — 10 to 15% — going into the weekend," he said. "There's a chance we'll issue something before then."

High temperatures in the Riverside metropolitan area Thursday will be in the mid 60s, while on Friday, the mercury will reach about 72 degrees, with 76 degrees or higher possible on Saturday, according to Rodriguez. Lows will generally dip into the upper 30s from Thursday to Sunday.

The forecaster said the Santa Ana winds will likely continue into Sunday, but lighter, and onshore winds should return Sunday night or Monday.

• ALSO SEE: 'Festival Of Lights' Downsized For 2020 Holidays Due To COVID-19

--City News Service