65 MPH Wind Gusts Forecast For Riverside County Weekend

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The western portion of Riverside County will be under a wind advisory this weekend as Santa Ana conditions lash the region.

The advisory will be in effect 1 a.m. Saturday through 4 p.m. Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

Charts published by the NWS showed several high-pressure ridges settling over the Great Basin in Nevada and Utah, driving wind patterns across Southern California. The strongest wind conditions locally will be confined to wind-prone mountain locations, including the San Gorgonio Pass Area that encompasses Banning, Beaumont, Cabazon and Whitewater, according to the NWS.

"Peak gusts ... Saturday will be 45 to 55 mph with isolated gusts to 65 mph," the NWS reported. "Winds will be strongest on Saturday, gradually weakening and becoming more localized into Sunday afternoon."

In the Lake Elsinore and Temecula valleys, the wind advisory is in place but tamer gusts of up to 25 mph are forecast.

The Coachella Valley was not under a wind advisory.

With the wind will be dry, warm conditions.

The Riverside metropolitan area's highs on Saturday and Sunday will peak near 80 degrees, with overnight temperatures in the low 50s.

In the Temecula Valley, highs through the weekend will hover in the mid-70s, with lows in the upper 40s.

Forecasters said the warm, dry weather will shift going into the latter part of next week with a return of widespread rain.