Local Rain Totals Now In From Latest El Nino Blast

The rain and snow generated by a winter storm that wreaked havoc on Riverside County roadways and caused several power outages over the weekend were easing up Monday morning, but potentially damaging winds are expected to persist into the afternoon.

A National Weather Service winter storm warning for the mountains was allowed to expire early Monday, but high wind warnings for the Coachella Valley and the mountains and a less severe wind advisory for the valleys around Riverside will remain in effect until 6 p.m.

According to unofficial data from the weather service, the storm dropped:

• 2.01 inches of rain in Live Oak Canyon
• 1.62 inches in Pine Cove
• 1.54 inches in Vita Grande
• 1.5 inches on Tick Ridge
• 1.25 inches in Allandale
• 1.21 inches in Idyllwild
• 1.18 inches of rain in Temecula
• 1.17 inches in Keenwild
• 1.12 inches in Poppet Flat
• 1.06 on the Banning Bench
• 0.99 in Murrieta
• 0.71 at the French Valley Airport
• 0.55 in Beaumont

Less than an inch of rain was recorded elsewhere, including in several locales in the Coachella Valley.

In the mountains and the Coachella Valley, west to northwest winds of 25 to 45 miles per hour are expected throughout the remainder of the advisory period, along with gusts of up to 70 mph. Winds of 20 to 30 mph are expected in the valleys, as are gusts that could reach 50 mph.

As of 4 a.m. Monday, peak wind gusts logged by automated gauges were (according to unofficial weather service data):

• 56 mph in Vista Grande
• 54 mph in Poppet Flat
• 52 mph in Temecula
• 49 mph in Coachella and Thermal
• 48 mph in Pinyon
• 47 mph in the Banning/Beaumont area (Highland Springs)
• 45 mph in Palm Springs
• 43 mph at the Riverside Airport and in Thousand Palms
• 42 mph in Lake Elsinore
• 41 mph in Keenwild;
• 40 mph in Perris
• 38 mph in Murrieta
• 37 mph in Anza, Beaumont, Sky Valley, Cathedral Canyon and Coachella
• 35 mph in Mecca and Mountain Cente

Forecasters said the strongest winds would blow near mountain ridgetops and along desert mountain slopes. The wind may lead to hazardous driving conditions, especially those in high-profile vehicles, and may be strong enough to down power lines and tree branches.

The trough of low pressure responsible for the wintry weather is expected to move east out of the region later today and take with it the rain, snow and wind, according to the NWS.

– City News Service contributed to this report. Image courtesy of the National Weather Service.