Fast-Moving Storm Blows Through Murrieta This Week, Winds Follow

MURRIETA, CA —A high wind advisory is in place as a fast-moving storm front moves into Murrieta Thursday and Friday. According to the National Weather Service, the storm will churn up winds and produce scattered rain across the Inland Empire.

That storm will be abruptly followed by a Santa Ana wind event, the weather service said.

The agency issued a Wind Advisory from 10 a.m. Thursday to 6 a.m. Friday, predicting winds ranging from 30 to 40 mph, with gusts to 55 mph in some locations.

In the Temecula Valley, temperatures will peak in the low 60s Thursday, with highs in the low to mid-70s Friday to Sunday, and lows in the mid-40s, according to the Weather Service.

According to the Weather Service, a trough of low pressure will sweep into the region from the Gulf of Alaska Wednesday night and Thursday morning, dragging moisture with it, though not in copious amounts.

"It will have enough available moisture to generate a few showers," according to the NWS. "Behind the trough, the winds quickly shift offshore."

There's a 30% chance of precipitation in the Riverside metropolitan area Thursday.

Santa Ana conditions will ensue as the low is replaced by a ridge of high pressure settling over the Great Basin in Nevada and Utah, according to prognostication charts published by the NWS.

The ridge will hold in place into the weekend when it gives way to another low, but no precipitation is in the forecast again until Tuesday.

High temperatures in the Riverside metropolitan area are expected to be in the mid-60s Thursday, with lows in the mid-40s. Highs will top out in the upper 70s Friday to Sunday, with lows in the upper 40s, forecasters said.

In the Coachella Valley, highs will be in the low 70s Thursday, and the mercury will steadily rise, with highs in the low to mid-80s Friday to Sunday, and lows in the mid-50s.

The detailed report from the weather service shows when the storm will move in:

Thursday:

A chance of showers, mainly after 10am. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 64. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Thursday Night:
Patchy frost after 10pm. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 35. North wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Friday:
Sunny, with a high near 71. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Friday Night:
Clear, with a low around 40.

Saturday:
Sunny, with a high near 77.

Saturday Night:
Patchy fog after 4am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 44.

Sunday:
Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 75.