Another storm will bring rain to the Inland Empire this coming weekend, but forecasters say it will be much tamer than the wild, record-breaking rainstorm that caused flooding and infrastructure damage two weeks ago. More from KVCR's Ken Vincent.
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RIVERSIDE (CNS) - A low-pressure system could bring light rain to parts of the Inland Empire today, before another storm system brings a potential for heavier rain through the weekend, forecasters said.
The storm system moving inland Thursday is expected to drop less than one-tenth of an inch of rain, if any, throughout the county, according to the National Weather Service.
The chance of measurable precipitation in most parts of the region has been set at 20 percent, with a 30 percent chance in the inland mountains.
The Coachella Valley is not expected to see any rain until Saturday.
After the first storm makes its exit tonight, conditions will be dry Friday until another storm system rolls into the region Friday night or early Saturday, forecasters said.
Rainfall totals from the weekend storm will range from a quarter-inch to a half-inch in the Riverside metropolitan area and Lake Elsinore, up to six- tenths of an inch in Temecula and the San Gorgonio Pass near Banning and less than one-tenth of an inch in the Coachella Valley, according to the NWS.
The county mountains could get anywhere between three-quarters of an inch to 1.25 inches of rain over the weekend and snow levels will drop to 7,000 feet by Saturday night, forecasters said.
A chance of showers is expected to linger in the region until late Sunday night.
It is unlikely that flooding, mud and debris flows will develop around the Cleveland National Forest and the Temescal Valley, according to the Riverside County Emergency Management Department.
A wide area skirting the eastern boundary of the Cleveland National Forest was left exposed to potential flood and mud damage because of the 23,000- acre Holy Fire in August. The arson blaze denuded steep terrain below Santiago Peak, permitting water to flow unchecked onto lower slopes where subdivisions
are situated.
Heavy rainfall on Valentine's Day resulted in significant flooding, prompting street closures and evacuations. A homeless woman died Feb. 14 when she was swept away by a heavy water flow in a concrete stormwater channel in Riverside, and several homes in Lake Elsinore were damaged by the downpour.
