WEATHER ALERT: Expect One Last Windy Punch, RivCo!

The gusty winds buffeting Riverside County's mountains and the San Gorgonio Pass near Banning are expected to ease up Tuesday evening.

A National Weather Service wind advisory issued Monday afternoon for the mountains and the San Gorgonio Pass near Banning is set to expire at 8 p.m. Winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour are expected during the remainder of the advisory period, along with gusts that may reach 60 mph in some areas.

Peak wind gusts recorded overnight reached 56 miles per hour at Whitewater in the northern Coachella Valley and 55 mph on Mount San Jacinto, according to the NWS.

The Coachella Valley is not included under the advisory, but forecasters said winds of 15 to 20 mph and gusts to 35 mph would be possible there Tuesday.

The winds could kick up sand and dust alongside desert roadways, which may make for hazardous driving conditions. The wind might also be strong enough to down tree limbs. Motorists, especially those in high profile vehicles, were urged to use extra caution.

Low pressure was responsible for the gusty wind, cooler daytime temperatures and a slight chance of rain, according to the NWS.

"A trough of low pressure moving inland through the Great Basin will bring stronger onshore flow with strong gusty west winds in the mountains and deserts into early evening, cooling with inland high temperatures around 5 degrees below average and a slight chance of sprinkles or light showers early this morning on the coastal slopes of the mountains and the inland valleys," according to the weather service.

High temperatures Tuesday were forecast to be 63 to 70 degrees in the valleys around Riverside, 48 to 58 degrees in the mountains, 70 to 75 degrees along the San Gorgonio Pass and 74 to 79 degrees in the Coachella Valley.

— City News Service. Image via Shutterstock.