Cold Temps, Rain On Tap For Temecula

TEMECULA, CA — After a stretch of sunny and warm weather, parts of Riverside County will experience a cooling trend Friday and through next week.

Inland residents will notice much cloudier skies through much of next week with periods of light to moderate rain and gusty westerly winds, according to the National Weather Service.

Rain could begin falling as early as Friday evening into Saturday morning with rates expected to stay below a quarter of an inch per hour, weather officials said.

Low clouds and fog will spread throughout parts of Riverside County Friday afternoon and reach the mountain slopes by early Saturday, forecasters said.

Desert and mountain areas can expect stronger and gustier west winds on Saturday. Stronger gusts of 55 to 65 mph are also forecast for these areas.

Another low pressure storm will move through the Southland on Monday. More showers could come on Tuesday with higher chances for rain at times Wednesday through Friday.

In Temecula, the NWS forecast shows intermittent chances for rain through next week. A slight chance of showers begins late tonight, increasing to 30 to 50 percent Saturday through Monday, with mostly cloudy skies and highs in the low 60s.

A brief dry period is expected in Temecula Tuesday, but rain chances return midweek, peaking Wednesday night. Lows will range from the upper 30s to mid-40s, according to the latest forecast.

"Temperatures all of next week are going to be right around the seasonal average or a tiny bit cooler," Paul Steward, a lead meteorologist with the NWS, told The Press-Enterprise. "From the warm temperatures we’ve had over the last couple of days, it’s going to feel a lot cooler."

Southern California is emerging from the driest start to a normal rainy season in the area's history. Although a handful of atmospheric rivers and small storm systems arrived in February, the region has plunged back into varying degrees of drought.

However, forecasters say there's still hope for significant rain to arrive next month as March is typically one of the wettest months of the year.

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