Snow Showers May Fall in Banning, Beaumont Today: NWS

BANNING, CA - Pass Area residents hoping for a solid taste of winter may just get that today, if the "slight chance" of snow forecast for the region pans out.

National Weather Service data indicates that between Tuesday morning and 4 p.m., there is a slight chance of snow showers in the Banning and Beaumont areas.

Drier conditions are expected in the Coachella Valley Tuesday as the last in a series of winter storms moves through the region, but snow, isolated showers and thunderstorms may still be possibly elsewhere in Riverside County.

Most of the heavier precipitation Tuesday will mainly affect San Diego County, but National Weather Service forecasters anticipated the tail end of the storm would drop through the end of the day another inch or so of snow in the mountains, along with .02 of an inch of rain in Lake Elsinore, .03 in Hemet, .10 in Temecula and .21 in Anza.

No additional precipitation is expected Tuesday in the city of Riverside or in the Coachella Valley, but patchy frost may develop overnight in colder, wind-sheltered locations. A frost advisory for Riverside and the surrounding valleys will expire at 8 a.m. Tuesday then take effect again at 9 p.m. and extend until 8 a.m. Wednesday.

Temperatures are expected to drop into the 30s, and the frost may kill sensitive outdoor plants, forecasters said.

Here in the Banning area, the following weather is forecast for the coming days, according to the NWS:

Today
A slight chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 42. West wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tonight
Areas of frost after 10pm. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 29. West wind 5 to 10 mph.

Wednesday
Areas of frost before 10am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 47. East wind around 5 mph.

Wednesday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 32. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Thursday
Sunny, with a high near 48. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm.

Thursday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 36.

Friday
Sunny, with a high near 49. Breezy.

Friday Night
Clear, with a low around 39. Breezy.

Saturday
Sunny, with a high near 54. Breezy.

Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 42.

Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 60.

Sunday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 44.

Monday
Sunny, with a high near 62.

The three back-to-back storms led to shuttered schools and impassable roads over the past few days. On Monday, foul weather prompted closures at 38 schools and more than two-dozen roads were closed because of flooding, mud slides and other hazards.

In a 5-day period ending at about 5 p.m. Monday, the storms dropped 9.57 inches of rain in Pine Cove; 8.11 inches at the Whitewater Trout Farm; 6.11 inches in Poppet Flat; 6.10 inches in Tick Ridge; 6.09 inches in Vista Grande; 5.94 inches in the Morongo Valley; 5.79 in Norco and Temecula; 5.25 inches in Keenwild; 4.56 in Cabazon; 4.54 in Beaumont; 4.48 in Portrero Canyon; and 4.22 on Mt. San Jacinto, according to NWS data.

Other rainfall amounts recorded over the same time period included 3.39 inches in Perris; 3.35 inches in Riverside; 2.86 inches at the Palm Springs Airport; 2.83 inches in Hemet; 2.58 inches at March Air Force Base; 1.85 inches in Idyllwild; 1.42 inches in Cathedral City; .91 of an inch in Indio; and .68 of an inch at the Thermal Airport.

Forecasters said drier and gradually warmer conditions are expected Wednesday and Thursday, with an even more pronounced warm-up Friday through Monday as high pressure aloft strengthens near the West Coast.

— City News Service contributed to this report / Image via Shutterstock