March Comes In Like A Lion In SW RivCo: Rain, Hail, Wind, What's Next?

TEMECULA, CA — A weekend weather system moved in, bringing periods of heavy rain and even a brief hail storm Sunday across Southwest Riverside County's towns of Temecula, Murrieta, Lake Elsinore, and Wildomar. The chilly system dropped snow levels to 3,500 feet in the Riverside County mountain communities Monday, and more weather is forecast later this week.

According to the National Weather Service meteorologists, an unsettled weather pattern will follow a brief drying-out period on Tuesday. They said rain, wind, and mountain snow will return Wednesday through Friday, with more rain slated to fall early to mid-next week.

"There is still uncertainty in the timing. A few members bring precipitation in as early as Sunday night, though most have something closer to Monday morning or afternoon. There is considerable spread in precipitation amounts with this system, but overall, it looks like it will result in more beneficial rain and mountain snow," according to the NWS discussion.

According to reports, about a tenth of an inch of rain fell in Temecula, Murrieta, and Lake Elsinore on Sunday. Beaumont and metropolitan Riverside, Banning, Hemet, Jurupa Valley, and other areas saw over a quarter inch of rainfall. At the same time, portions of Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Coachella, and Desert Hot Springs received only a smattering of the wet stuff.

Some IE towns saw thunderstorms Sunday evening, and snow levels plummeted to 3,500 to 4,000 feet by Monday morning.

A winter weather advisory is in effect until 10 a.m. Monday for the Inland Empire mountains. A wind advisory was in effect until 10 p.m. Monday in the San Gorgonio Pass near Banning, including the cities of Desert Hot Springs and Banning.

The NWS said West winds will strengthen late Sunday afternoon and evening, gusting as high as 60 mph over the mountains, into the deserts, and below the passes through Monday evening.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a windblown dust advisory in the Coachella Valley effective until noon Monday.

This week is expected to bring cooler daytime temperatures to the county, with highs in downtown Riverside staying in the lower 60s and dropping to about 55 on Thursday.

Palm Springs reached a high of 73 on Sunday. It is expected to drop to 68 on Monday before rising into the mid to upper 70s on Tuesday and Wednesday and dropping to 62 on Thursday.

Sunday's highs reached 63 in the downtown Riverside area, 60 in Temecula and Hemet, 75 in the Coachella Valley and 73 in Palm Springs, according to the NWS.

• Monday High: 61 °F Mostly Sunny
• Monday night Low: 40 °F Mostly Cloudy
• Tuesday High: 67 °F Decreasing Clouds
• Tuesday Night Low: 43 °F Partly Cloudy
• Wednesday High: 64 °F Chance Rain then Heavy Rain
• Wednesday Night Low: 40 °F Heavy Rain
• Thursday High: 53 °F Showers
• Thursday Night Low: 36 °F Showers Likely
• Friday High: 60 °F Slight Chance Showers then Sunny

In Temecula, this week's NWS forecast is as follows:

Monday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 61. West wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Monday night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. South wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Tuesday
Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 67. Southwest wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 43. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Wednesday
Rain, mainly after 4pm. The rain could be heavy at times. High near 64. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Wednesday Night
Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 40. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Thursday
Showers. High near 53. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Thursday Night
Showers likely, mainly before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36.

Friday
A slight chance of showers before 10am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 60.

Friday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 36.

Saturday
Sunny, with a high near 69.

Saturday Night
Clear, with a low around 41.

Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 72.