Rivco Fire Department Warns of Another Drenching on Wednesday
Your Riverside County Fire Department is keeping a close eye on the weather forecast (as usual), and they are issuing a rainfall alert for Wednesday as a major storm approaches that could produce significant precipitation and possible flooding here in the desert.
The official Emergency Digital Information Service (EDIS) forecast goes like this:
A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL PRODUCE WIDESPREAD RAINFALL ACROSS THE DESERT SOUTHWEST WEDNESDAY. THE RAIN WILL INITIALLY DEVELOP ACROSS SOUTHEASTERN CALIFORNIA AND SOUTHWESTERN ARIZONA IN THE MORNING BEFORE SPREADING EASTWARD INTO SOUTH-CENTRAL ARIZONA DURING THE EVENING. LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY AZ-WEST CENTRAL DESERTS- LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY CA-RIVERSIDE COUNTY/EASTERN DESERTS- IMPERIAL COUNTY- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF... EHRENBERG... PARKER... BOUSE... QUARTZSITE... SALOME... BLYTHE... CHIRIACO SUMMIT... DESERT CENTER... EAGLE MOUNTAIN... BRAWLEY...CALEXICO...EL CENTRO...GLAMIS...IMPERIAL... AND THE SALTON SEA ...
FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PHOENIX HAS ISSUED A * FLOOD WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF ARIZONA AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...
INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS...IN ARIZONA...LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY AZ AND WEST CENTRAL DESERTS. IN EXTREME SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA...IMPERIAL COUNTY...LOWER COLORADO RIVER VALLEY CA AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY/EASTERN DESERTS. * FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT A FLOOD WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING BASED ON CURRENT FORECASTS.
* RAINFALL TOTALS OF ONE TO TWO INCHES ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE REGION. THE HEAVIEST RAIN IS GENERALLY EXPECTED NORTH OF I-10 AND ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. EXCESSIVE RAINFALL MAY LEAD TO FLOODING OF NORMALLY DRY WASHES...CREEKS AND STREAMS...EVEN AFTER THE HEAVIEST RAIN HAS FALLEN. DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH WATER OF UNKNOWN DEPTH. YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE FLOOD WARNINGS. THOSE LIVING IN AREAS PRONE TO FLOODING SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLOODING DEVELOP.
It is conditions like these that cause the fire department to be alert to the possibility of swift water rescue operations.
This storm is expected to affect the extreme eastern portions of Riverside County more intensely than the Coachella Valley, although rainfall amounts could be significant throughout the desert region.