Rain was reported in Hemet, Moreno Valley, Banning and Temecula at mid-afternoon today, as National Weather Service forecasters said a large thunderstorm was threatening to drop heavy rain and possibly hail.
Thunder and lightning dampen roadways Saturday in Southwest Riverside. (Daniel Lane/SWRNN)
At 3:21 p.m., NWS automated weather stations between Idyllwild-Pine Cove and Moreno Valley reported rainfall totals in excess of an inch over the past three hours.
There were reports of thunder and heavy rainfall in the pass area at about 2 p.m. Thunder, accompanied by lightning, was heard rumbling shortly after 3 p.m. in the Murrieta-Temecula area, with rain following soon after.
The urban and small stream flood advisory for minor flooding of urban areas was to remain in effect until 4:45 p.m. for west central Riverside County, according to the NWS.
The weather service said its radar picked up thunderheads at 1:54 p.m. that it estimated were capable of causing quarter-sized hail and flash floods, over the cities of Hemet, Moreno Valley and Lakeview. The NWS also said “continuous, cloud-to-ground lightning is occurring with this storm.”
Video courtesy of Daniel Lane:
That prompted the NWS to issue severe thunderstorm warnings for the Moreno and San Jacinto valleys, effective at 2 p.m.
Thunder and lightning dampen roadways Saturday in Southwest Riverside. (Daniel Lane/SWRNN)
Earlier in the day, heavy rain was reported at the Big Bear Lake area, where one observer noted .95 inches of rain in one hour.
North of the mountains, in the Adelanto and Phelan areas, heavy rain was reported, prompting the NWS to issue a flood warning for washes and flood control channels.
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The offical airport only showed a trace of rain. I looked to see if Riverside had any thunderstorms and judging from the airport you wouldn’t know it except for the afternoon hours reporting mostly cloudy conditions with broken skies earlier.