Excessive Heat Watch Issued Across Riverside County

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Near triple-digit temperatures and beyond are forecast Wednesday across Riverside County, and the mercury will rise Thursday as a heat wave grips the region through the weekend.

A ridge of high pressure will continue building over the southwestern United States through Monday, ushering in the scorching heat, according to the National Weather Service.

The NWS issued an excessive heat watch in Southwest Riverside County, the Riverside metropolitan area, the Riverside County mountains, the San Gorgonio Pass near Banning and the Coachella Valley from Friday afternoon through Monday evening.

Tropical moisture from Hurricane Elida — currently centered roughly 380 miles southwest of southern Baja California — could keep temperatures down a degree or two through Thursday, but that moisture will clear by Friday, forecasters said.

Highs in the Coachella Valley are forecast to reach 115 on Friday, then climb to 116 on Sunday, according to the NWS. The mercury in Southwest Riverside County and the Riverside metropolitan area is expected to top out at 107 on Saturday, and the San Gorgonio Pass Area will reach 105, according to the NWS.

High temperatures Wednesday are forecast to reach 111 in the Coachella Valley, 103 in the San Gorgonio Pass near Banning, 102 in Hemet, 100 in Riverside, 99 in Lake Elsinore, 97 in Murrieta, 94 in Temecula, 101 in Wildomar, and 87 in Idyllwild.

Winds out of the west Wednesday are expected to reach speeds between 15-25 mph in that area, with 35 mph gusts possible Wednesday afternoon, forecasters said.

—City News Service contributed to this report.