Murrieta To Trade May Gray For Heat This Week

MURRIETA, CA — Weather forecasters say that Murrieta will trade May gray for sunshine and heat this week.

Though the past few weeks have brought spring drizzle, cooler temperatures and cloudy skies, a dramatic shift in the weather is expected to heat up Riverside County by the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

In Murrieta, beginning Thursday, temperatures will climb to a high of 86 degrees before ascending to 93 on Friday and 96 or higher on Saturday, the hottest day of the mini-heat wave, NWS forecasters said.

"Saturday is expected to be the warmest day. High temperatures will
be as much as 15 to 20 degrees above average for the valleys with
high temperatures for inland areas, around 35 degrees warmer than
this very cool past Sunday," forecasters wrote on Wednesday.

On Sunday, temperatures are expected to cool to around 86 degrees in Murrieta.

Riverside County residents can expect another cooling trend after a brief heatwave, with temperatures dropping Sunday through Tuesday — up to 10 to 15 degrees below average in the mountains, Inland Empire and high desert, according to the NWS.

The rain and snowfall were welcome news last week, as the southern reaches of the state are suffering yet again from widespread drought. But these spring storms aren't expected to help much on that front.

However, the spring storm did bring significant snow above 8,000 feet to Big Bear and "heavy" snow to the top of San Jacinto Peak, which is accessible by the popular Palm Springs Tramway, according to multiple reports.

Although the region is expected to heat up quite a bit, forecasters said record-breaking temperatures aren't likely.