Snow, Rain: Winter Storm Warning Issued In Parts Of RivCo

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A winter storm will make its way into the Southland Tuesday evening, with some mountain areas potentially seeing more than a foot of snow and the rest of the region expected to see rainy conditions into Thursday.

In the Riverside County mountains and surrounding areas, a winter storm warning is in effect from 10 p.m. Tuesday to 10 p.m. Thursday.

For the San Bernardino and Riverside County mountains, the National Weather Service says to expect total snow accumulations of 2 to 5 inches between 3,000 and 4,000 feet; 6 to 12 inches between 4,000 and 5,000 feet; 12 to 18 inches between 5,000 and 6,000 feet; and local amounts to 24 inches above 6000 feet.

The heaviest snow expected on Wednesday, the NWS said.

"Significant travel impacts are possible for major mountain passes, including Cajon Pass and I-8," the weather service said. "Areas of dense fog will significantly reduce visibility at times, making travel more hazardous. Locally strong west winds with gusts 35 to 50 mph may impact some mountain areas. The combination of heavy snow and gusty winds may result in some downed tree limbs and power outages."

For lower-elevation areas, rain is in the forecast.

"Rain will become likely across all but southern and eastern L.A. County by late Tuesday night, where there will be a chance of rain, then rain is expected across the region Wednesday," according to the NWS.

Forecasters said the rain will be heavy at times on Wednesday.

"Rainfall totals are generally expected to average one-half to one inch, except locally 1.5 inches or possibly higher in the foothills and mountains below the snow level," according to the NWS.

The storm system is expected to move off to the east on Thursday, although a smaller system could bring additional showers and some isolated thunderstorms on Thursday.

Dry weather is expected to return by Friday and continuing through the weekend.