More Hot Temperatures, Thunderstorms Expected This Week In RivCo

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA -- Thunderstorms are possible again in most parts of Riverside County this week as temperatures rise into the triple digits in the midst of a heat wave.

The Riverside metropolitan area, the Coachella Valley, the Riverside County mountains and the San Gorgonio Pass near Banning will all had a chance of thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

The county mountains could also see thunderstorm activity, NWS meteorologist Greg Martin said.

A high pressure system hanging over the Four Corners region is causing the heat wave, while monsoonal moisture from Mexico is generating precipitation. Some light rain could accompany thunderstorms before heavier showers are expected on Thursday, Martin said.

Thunderstorms will be possible in the Riverside metropolitan area through Thursday afternoon, while the county mountains, the San Gorgonio Pass near Banning and the Coachella Valley will have a chance of thunderstorms until Friday evening.

The NWS also issued a heat advisory, in effect from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday in the Riverside metropolitan area.

NWS officials urged residents to drink plenty of fluids and check up on elderly relatives and neighbors, especially those without air conditioning.

High temperatures today are expected to reach 102 degrees in Riverside, 108 in Palm Springs, 99 in the San Gorgonio Pass near Banning and 95 in Temecula.

The chance of measurable precipitation was set at 40 percent Wednesday in the San Gorgonio Pass near Banning and 20 percent in the Coachella Valley, forecasters said. There is a 50 percent chance of measurable precipitation in the mountains and the Riverside metropolitan area.

The heat wave is expected to peak on Saturday, when temperatures could reach 115 in the Coachella Valley.

City News Service contributed to this report.