Flash Flood Advisory Issued for Inland Empire, Coachella Valley

Heavy rain and thunderstorms are likely to drench parts of Riverside County on Monday, including the Coachella Valley, creating a risk for dangerous flash flooding, forecasters said.

A National Weather Service flash flood watch for all of Riverside County is scheduled to take effect at 11 a.m. and extend until Tuesday afternoon.

Forecasters predicted rainfall in excess of an inch in the deserts and the valleys around Riverside , and more than two inches in the mountains. The heaviest rain is likely this evening into Tuesday morning as low pressure combines with an approaching plume of deep moisture, increasing the possibility of flash flooding.

“Areas most affected will be the mountains and eastward, but heavy rain is possible for most other areas as well,” according to the weather service.

Locales in and below recently burned areas will be particularly susceptible to heavy runoff and debris flows should strong thunderstorms develop nearby. Forecasters advised residents with outdoor plans or who live near a flood-prone area to “be alert to rapidly changing weather conditions.”

Forecasters said drier conditions would prevail later this week as high pressure builds over the southwest.

--City News Service, photo courtesy of the NWS