Murrieta Weather: Heavy Rain, Nearby Snow, Lows in the 30s Forecast for Coming Days

MURRIETA, CA - Dense fog, rain, wind and snow are expected in Riverside County Tuesday as the second of three bouts of inclement weather this week hits the region. Here in Murrieta, residents can expect even heavier rain come Wednesday.

Only a slight chance of showers is in the forecast for the mountains, the Riverside metro areas and the surrounding valleys during the day, but rain will become more likely tonight into Wednesday and may start falling in the San Gorgonio Pass zone, which includes Banning and Desert Hot Springs, according to the National Weather Service.

Rainfall from this storm system, the weaker of the two expected in the coming days, will range from a couple hundredths to a tenth of an inch in the deserts, to a quarter-inch to four-tenths of an inch west of the mountains, to up to an inch in the mountains.

Forecasters said the heaviest rain was expected during the day Wednesday. Here is the forecast for Murrieta for the coming days, via the National Weather Service:

Today
A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 58. Light southwest wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight
A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph after midnight.

Wednesday
Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Wednesday Night
A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Thursday
Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Thursday Night
Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Friday
A 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 58.

Friday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 37.

Saturday
Sunny, with a high near 64.

Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 39.

Sunday
Sunny, with a high near 65.

Sunday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 37.

M.L.King Day
Mostly sunny, with a high near 65.

The snow level is expected to fall to around 6,000 feet. In mountain locales higher than 7,000 feet, up to 8 inches of snow may accumulate and 1 to 3 inches could fall in areas between 6,000 and 7,000 feet, according to the weather service.

Strong winds with gusts of 50 to 60 miles per hour will be possible along desert mountain slopes, below the San Gorgonio Pass and in the far northern Coachella Valley tonight through Wednesday evening, forecasters said.

Riverside County will get a brief respite from the weather Wednesday night ahead of a stronger wave of precipitation set to bring widespread showers, more fog and snow possibly down to 4,500 feet starting Thursday.

Through Friday night, that storm is expected to drop up a tenth to two- tenths of an inch of rain in the deserts, six-tenths of an inch of rain in the valleys and up to an inch in the mountains, according to the NWS.

Mountain areas above 5,000 feet may get up to six inches of snow, while lower elevations could see an inch or two, forecasters said.

The weather is expected to gradually get warmer and drier Saturday into early next week, according to the NWS.

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