Snow, Rain, On Tap For Riverside County: National Weather Service

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Decreasing Santa Ana winds and very dry conditions will continue Tuesday night in Riverside County before another wind surge is expected to arrive Wednesday afternoon through Thursday. A Red Flag Warning is in effect through 8 p.m. Thursday, according to the NWS.

But for the first time in a very long while, a cold storm is expected to arrive this weekend in the region, bringing showers and low snow levels, according to the National Weather Service.

The cold front is driving south from Canada and "could bring widespread showers and even locally heavy showers favoring San Diego and San Bernardino mountains and foothills" by the weekend, the NWS reported Tuesday afternoon.

Even if the storm doesn't land directly over Southern California, the system looks like it will still bring rainfall and low-elevation snowfall down to 3,500 to 4,000 feet on Sunday, the agency said.

"Cold air showers could linger into Monday morning," the NWS reported.

It's too early for the NWS to predict how much rainfall the storm might bring, but any will be welcome.

The Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District tracks annual rainfall amounts starting each July 1. So far, most of Riverside County has seen less than a half inch of rain since the season started.

According to the NWS, it's the "driest start to the water year at San Diego and other climate locations in Socal. Rainfall is 0.14 inches since October 1."