Wind Gusts Up To 55 MPH Forecast In Riverside County

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A Santa Ana wind event producing gusts up to 55 mph will impact the Inland Empire on Thursday night through Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

The agency issued a wind advisory from 7 p.m. Thursday to 10 p.m. Friday in anticipation of the windstorm, covering all of Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

It follows a mild wind event in the region Tuesday and a stronger one last Saturday.

Wind speeds are expected to average 15 to 25 mph, with peak gusts to 55 mph in some locations, the NWS said.

"Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects," the agency stated. "Tree limbs may be blown down, and a few power outages may result."

A ridge of high pressure settling over the Great Basin in eastern Nevada will be the engine behind the offshore winds. The high will gradually give way to lower pressure, yielding calmer conditions through the weekend.

A cold trough will swing north to south across California early next week, raising the prospects of rain, though amounts are forecast to be negligible at this point, according to the weather service.

According to the NWS, high temperatures in the Riverside metropolitan area will be in the low-to-mid 70s for the rest of the week, with lows in the mid 40s. In the Coachella Valley, highs will generally hover in the low 70s -- with the exception of Sunday, when the high will approach 80 -- with lows around 50. In the Temecula Valley, the highs will also peak in the low 70s, with lows in the mid 40s.