Triple Alerts Issued In Riverside County As Windstorm Set To Bear Down

UPDATE: SCE Warns Of Planned Power Shutoffs Amid IE's Powerful Windstorm

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Santa Ana winds with gusts up to 60 mph will pose hazards across parts of the Inland Empire this week, according to the National Weather Service.

The windstorm forecast across the region Wednesday and Thursday prompted the agency to issue a red flag warning for heightened fire risk, an air quality alert due to blowing dirt and sand, and a high wind warning across western Riverside County.

"Gusts 40 to 60 mph are expected into the Inland Empire, with the strongest winds below the Cajon Pass," the NWS said in a statement. "There will be two peaks in the winds — one early Wednesday morning and another Wednesday night into Thursday morning. The first peak ... looks to be more confined to Orange County, the San Bernardino Mountains and the Inland Empire. The second peak Wednesday evening into Thursday looks to be more widespread."

It's the second Santa Ana wind event this week, on the heels of a fleeting one Monday.

Northeast winds will generally average 20 to 30 mph Wednesday. Forecasters said relative humidity throughout the region will plunge to 10%, resulting in bone dry conditions and increasing wildfire danger.

A red flag warning is in effect from 4 a.m. Wednesday to 11 a.m. Friday, while a high wind warning has been posted from 6 a.m. Wednesday to 2 p.m. Thursday.

"Winds will gradually weaken Thursday afternoon into Friday, with lingering gusts of 35 to 45 mph possible Thursday night and Friday morning ... below the Cajon Pass into the Inland Empire," the NWS stated.

Forecasters said a cold front swinging across the state on the trailing edge of a trough of low pressure will cause the windstorm. While there's no precipitation associated with the trough in California, it's expected to create instability farther east once it pushes into higher elevations, producing rain and snow.

As a result of blowing sand and dust, an air quality alert is in effect across western Riverside County and the Coachella Valley.

Temperatures in the Riverside metropolitan area Wednesday and Thursday will peak in the upper 60s, with overnight lows in the low 50s. For Friday and the weekend, the mercury will rebound, climbing back into the mid-70s during the day and dropping to the mid-40s at night, according to meteorologists.

In the Coachella Valley, daytime highs Wednesday and Thursday will be around 70, with lows in the mid-50s. For the rest of the week, daytime temps will return to the low 80s and nighttime lows in the upper 50s.

The temperature band in the Temecula Valley will be aligned with Riverside metro this week.