Update 9:55 p.m. Wind gusts could reach 55 miles per hour below the San Gorgonio Pass and on some desert slopes by Tuesday evening, forecasters said in an update.
Winds will peak Wednesday afternoon and evening, "when local gusts in excess of 60 mph will be possible," the National Weather Service advised. "Winds will gradually weaken during the day Thursday."
Posted 6:31 p.m. A high wind watch has been issued for mountains and deserts in and near the Coachella Valley from early Wednesday through Thursday morning.
"Onshore flow will return Tuesday . . . and strengthen during the day Tuesday . . . resulting in local 40 to 50 mph wind gusts late Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday evening in favored mountain passes and canyons," the National Weather Service advised.
"By early Wednesday morning . . . local wind gusts to 55 mph could occur . . . and by Wednesday evening . . . we could see widespread gusts of 55 to 60 mph . . . with locally higher gusts in the more wind-prone mountain and desert locations," the Weather Service cautioned in a statement Monday afternoon.
The high wind watch is for the mountains of San Bernardino and Riverside counties, including the San Gorgonio Pass, and the Coachella Valley.
Locations includes "mountain ridge-tops . . . desert slopes . . . and into the adjacent desert areas . . . including through the San Gorgonio Pass and north of Interstate 10 in the Coachella Valley," the Weather Service advised.
Areas of blowing dust and sand could reduce visibility to near zero at times in some locations.
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