Areas Impacted By Fires Preparing For Strong Tropical Storm

In preparation for a strong storm that has been forecast to bring heavy rain to Riverside County this weekend, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire firefighters are offering free sand and sandbags for residents in the recent burn areas to aid in flooding prevention efforts.

Although the chance of rain in Southwest Riverside County is not high this weekend, according to the National Weather Service, central Riverside County is being hit by thunderstorms that  may cause visual and audio shows here locally.

At press time, a flash flood warning is in effect for central Riverside County through 7 p.m. tonight. Burn areas impacted by the Mountain and Silver fires are particularly susceptible to flooding.

According to the National Weather Service, activity from a weather system that developed into Tropical Storm Ivo Friday morning to the south-southwest of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, could impact Riverside County later this weekend. 

Some slight strengthening of Ivo is expected into the weekend as the system heads north-northwestward between an area of high pressure over the central United States and a dip in the jet stream along the West Coast, the NWS reported.

“The large-scale weather pattern will help draw Ivo's moisture northward into the Desert Southwest and enhance rainfall across the region late in the weekend into early next week,” the NWS reported.

(TRACK THE RAIN: Interactive Radar)

Depending on the intensity and duration of the rainfall in any one location, flooding may occur in parts of western Arizona, southeast California, southern Nevada and southern Utah, according to the NWS.