Triple-Digit Heat To Dominate RivCo This Weekend

RIVERSIDE, CA — Most of the Inland Empire will be boiling hot Saturday and Sunday, with temperatures forecast to hit 100 degrees in the Riverside metropolitan area, while the mercury will exceed 110 in the Coachella Valley, according to the National Weather Service.

"Hot temperatures will continue for inland valleys and the deserts through the weekend," the NWS said in a statement.

The agency said a ridge of high pressure anchored over the southwest U.S. will influence weather patterns, gripping the region into early next week.

An Excessive Heat Warning is in effect until 8 p.m. Sunday for the San Gorgonio Pass and all of the Coachella Valley.

"Expect dangerously hot conditions, with temperatures up to 116 degrees," the NWS stated. "Extreme heat will significantly increase the potential for heat-related illnesses. Drink plenty of fluids (and) stay out of the sun."

The heat wave is slated to linger into Tuesday, when the ridge is expected to give way to low pressure troughs trundling in from the northwest.

Forecasters said monsoonal moisture and convective instability may raise the potential for scattered thunderstorms.

"An easterly wave may enter the region Sunday, leading to a slight chance of thunderstorms west of the mountains," the Weather Service said.

In the Coachella Valley, the sizzle that began earlier this week will continue through the weekend, with highs forecast to be above 110 Saturday and Sunday, and low temperatures generally hovering in the upper 80s.

In Riverside metro, high temps are forecast to touch the 100-degree mark Saturday and Sunday, according to the NWS. Lows will be in the upper 60s.

Forecast models indicated the Temecula Valley will elude triple digits, peaking in the low 90s through the weekend, with lows between 60 and 65 degrees.

—City News Service