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INLAND EMPIRE, CA — Cover your plants, and hope your frost cloths don’t blow away. The Inland Empire is under multiple weather advisories Tuesday as plummeting temperatures join the gusting Santa Ana winds across the region, the National Weather Service said.
According to the most recent forecasts by the NWS, residents across Riverside and San Bernardino counties should expect Frost Advisories from Midnight until 9 a.m. Tuesday morning in wind-protected areas. Sensitive plants should be covered, as temperatures could plummet to as low as 28 degrees in some areas.
That new advisory was joined by recurring Wind Advisories, Air Quality Alerts, and a Red Flag Warning that will last through Wednesday at 6 p.m.
The Red Flag Warning will remain in the Riverside County Mountains, including the San Jacinto Ranger District of the San Bernardino National Forest and the San Gorgonio Pass.
Meteorologists predict humidity will drop to 10 percent while winds are expected to blow from the northeast from 15 to 25 mph. Gusts of up to 50 mph were possible, they said. “If fire ignition occurs, conditions are favorable for very rapid spread and extreme fire behavior,” the advisory states.
A Wind Advisory remains in place until 6 pm. for the San Bernardino County Mountains, San Bernardino and Riverside County Valleys, and the Inland Empire-San Gorgonio Pass near Banning, the NWS says.
“We can expect northeast to east winds gusting 25 to 35 mph, with gusts to 55 mph along and below the coastal slopes of the mountains,” NWS spokesperson Alexander Tardy said. Humidity will plummet to around 10 percent daily through Wednesday, rising again Thursday into Friday.
The Inland Empire remains enmeshed in critical fire weather conditions, persisting through Wednesday in the mountains, valleys, Inland Orange County, and San Gorgonio Pass.
Conditions in the area will remain very dry, and critical fire weather conditions will hover in the region through Wednesday.
According to NWS projections, the remainder of the week will bring weaker winds and cooler days. There is a slight chance of light rain over the weekend, mainly west of the mountains. This will bring back the onshore flow, cooler conditions, and the absent marine layer, which will begin to spread inland on Friday.
“One weather model shows a slight chance for light rain on Saturday and Sunday, limited to the coast and mountain foothills,” he said. “By early next week, the current pattern reasserts itself, and we will return to dry conditions and periods of offshore winds.”
See your most recent NWS forecast here.