The mercury may reach 100 degrees in parts of western Riverside County Saturday for the first official weekend of summer, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a Heat Advisory.
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The advisory is in effect from 10 a.m. Saturday to 8 p.m. Sunday, focusing on the cities of Corona, Moreno Valley, Riverside and surrounding Inland Empire communities.
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"The heat wave is on track," the NWS said in a statement. "High temperatures on Saturday will be as much as five to 10 degrees above average."
Highs in the Riverside metropolitan area Saturday are predicted to top out in the upper 90s, though some locations might exceed that, forecasters said. Highs on Sunday will range from 95 to 100, with weekend lows generally in the upper 60s.
A strong ridge of high pressure backing into the Great Basin of Utah and Nevada from the east is influencing weather patterns. However, it's somewhat counterbalanced by low-pressure troughs spinning off of Tropical Storm Alberto that made landfall in northeastern Mexico this week, according to the Weather Service.
The moisture will produce cloud cover across desert areas, keeping temps in check and possibly fueling scattered thunderstorms in the eastern Coachella Valley, as well as the Palo Verde Valley, through the weekend, meteorologists said.
The mercury will peak around 110 in the Palm Springs area Saturday and Sunday, with lows in the mid-80s, according to the NWS.
In the Temecula Valley, highs will hover in the low to mid-90s both days, dropping into the mid 60s at night.
Going into next week, temperatures will be closer to average and skies mostly clear across the region, forecasters said.
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