Heat Advisory Issued for the Valleys

The valleys around Riverside will be under a heat advisory again Monday as temperatures soar 10 to 20 degrees above average, but forecasters said the unseasonably hot weather should begin to slightly cool off Tuesday.

A National Weather Service heat advisory for the valleys of Riverside County is scheduled to remain in effect from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. as a strong and nearly stationary ridge of high pressure pushes high temperatures into the 96- to 101-degree range. No such advisory was issued for anywhere else in Riverside County.

Elsewhere in the county, partly cloudy conditions are in the forecast along with high temperatures of 84 to 91 degrees in the mountains, and 100 to 105 degrees for both the San Gorgonio Pass near Banning and the Coachella Valley.

“High pressure aloft and weak offshore flow will continue hot weather with well above average high temperatures for inland coastal and western valley areas (Monday),” according to the weather service.

Cooler temperatures are expected to begin Tuesday, and will be followed by the possibility of showers and thunderstorms Wednesday and Thursday as a low pressure system moves inland across the region, forecasters said.

“However, the cooling will limited, with high temperatures only falling to around 5 degrees above seasonal averages by Friday,” according to the NWS. “A slight chance for showers and thunderstorms will arrive by the middle of the week.”

The National Weather Service was urging residents to protect themselves and their loved ones against dehydration, heat stroke and other heat-related illnesses. They were advised to stay well-hydrated, avoid working in the sun, check on neighbors and relatives -- especially the elderly -- and provide plenty of water to pets and livestock.

Authorities also warned against leaving children or pets in parked cars, which can quickly become death traps in high heat.

--City News Service, photo courtesy of the NWS