2-3 Feet Of Snow Forecast On Mt. San Jacinto, Flood Watch For Valleys

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — With heavy downpours and the possibility of flooding in some locations predicted Tuesday, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department is offering free empty sandbags to residents at many county fire stations.

Meanwhile, mountain residents are preparing for heavy snowfall.

The fire department provided the following link for firehouses where sandbags are available: https://rvcfire.org/resources/fire-stations.

The Riverside County Emergency Services Department provided this map listing locations where sand can be obtained to fill bags: https://www.rivcoready.org/have-plan/flooding/find-sand-and-sandbags.

The sandbags are being offered amid a flood watch issued by the National Weather Service that is in effect from noon Tuesday to 7 a.m. Wednesday for the Riverside metropolitan area, as well as the Pass Area and Southwest Riverside County.

The valleys are expected to receive anywhere from 1 to 2 inches of precipitation as the storm system rolls in from the northwest. The Coachella Valley is forecast to receive .25 to .50 inches while the mountains could see up to 9 inches.

According to the NWS, the heaviest rain bursts are anticipated Tuesday afternoon and evening, with lighter rain into the predawn hours Wednesday. In addition to the flood watch, a wind advisory is in effect across Riverside County from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday.

The mountain snow level is expected to drop to 6,000 feet by Wednesday morning, with snow accumulations of 2 to 3 feet above 8,000 feet, and up to 6 inches possible as low as 6,000 feet, the NWS reported.

Riverside County's Mt. San Jacinto, which is above 10,000 feet, is under a winter storm warning from 10 a.m. Tuesday to 4 p.m. Wednesday, according to the NWS.

—Patch Editor Toni McAllister and City News Service contributed to this report.