Lake Elsinore's Rain Totals During The Bomb Cyclone: Rain On The Way

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — A strong Pacific storm that doused Lake Elsinore with rain and much of Southern California with damaging winds, high surf and flooding is moving out of the area Friday.

Some roadways across the Southland became overrun with water and debris, forcing some freeway lane closures. Still, the system dropped far less rain Thursday than initially expected as it quickly moved through the area.

The main front of the "bomb cyclone" moved into the area overnight Wednesday, but forecasters said the storm traveled much faster than anticipated, which "greatly reduced the amount of rainfall through the area," according to the National Weather Service.

In Lake Elsinore, a total of 1.54 inches of rain has fallen this week, and the city sits at 4.81 inches for the water year, according to the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District. That's under half of our annual average rainfall of 11 inches since the 2023 water year began in October 2022.

Riverside County's Rainfall Totals:

• Eastvale: 1.69 inches, 5.38 inches to date
• Riverside: 1.73 inches, 5.08 inches to date
• Moreno Valley: 2.36 inches, 5.94 inches to date
• Beaumont: 3.15 inches, 7.12 inches to date
• Hemet: 1.15 inches, 3.98 inches to date
• Perris: 1.50 inches, 4.06 inches to date
• Lake Elsinore: 1.54 inches, 4.81 inches to date
• Murrieta: 2.24 inches, 6.61 inches to date
• Temecula: 2.37 inches, 7.09 inches to date
• Corona: 3.30 inches, 8.31 inches to date
• Norco: 1.54 inches, 4.49 inches to date
• Desert Hot Springs: .55 inch, 2.21 inches to date
• Palm Springs: .54 inch, 1 inch to date
• Indio: .16 inch,1.73 inches to date

During the rain event, light to moderate rain fell across most of the Southland Wednesday as residents braced for the brunt of the storm moving across the state.

A wind advisory was in effect from 2 a.m. to noon Thursday, and a flood watch was in effect until Thursday afternoon.

"Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying and flood-prone locations," the NWS stated.

Forecasters predicted the Riverside metropolitan area could receive anywhere from a half-inch to 1.5 inches of rain between Wednesday night and Thursday evening. The Temecula Valley could receive the same totals, while the Coachella Valley was not expected to receive more than a half-inch throughout the storm.

"Though the rain and winds are the main stories for Thursday, high-elevation mountain snow will occur as well," according to the NWS. "With a low-pressure system tapping into warm atmospheric river moisture, snow levels are expected to be quite high ... above 7,000 feet during the heaviest precipitation. After the cold front passes Thursday afternoon, snow levels will drop to around 6,000 feet."

Above 7,000 feet, snowfall accumulations could exceed 12 inches, while an inch or less may accumulate at the lower mountain levels, forecasters said.

Statewide, as of Tuesday, the snowpack is at 174 percent of the average for this date, according to the California Department of Water Resources.

This season's conditions have proven to be strikingly similar to last year when California saw some early rainstorms and strong December snow totals only to have the driest January through March on record, according to DWR Director Karla Nemeth.

"The significant Sierra snowpack is good news, but unfortunately, these same storms are bringing flooding to parts of California," Nemeth said. "This is a prime example of the threat of extreme flooding during a prolonged drought as California experiences more swings between wet and dry periods brought on by our changing climate."

The mercury will trend slightly higher going into the weekend. For the Temecula Valley, the temperature band will bessentiallyly the same, while in the Coachella Valley, the mercury will top out in the mid to upper 60s Friday, with lows in the thmid-40s0s.

According to meteorologists, the storm train, which began last month with a dip in the jet stream, shows no signs of letting up, with additional inclement weather anticipated Sunday night through Tuesday.

The DWR encourages Californians to visit SaveOurWater.com for water-saving tips and information and to continue to conserve California's most precious resource, rain or shine.