By Reginald Stanley. Posted August 1, 2023, 3:29 AM.

Monsoonal flow brought light scattered showers across the inland valleys Monday, and is forecast to do so again on Tuesday before drier flow aloft moves in late in the day.

Precipitation has been very light, with only two WeatherCurrents stations registering rainfall over the previous 24 hours - East Hemet and South Temecula. The majority of the action was confined to the mountains and deserts, where a dust storm was also reported. Much of the region sat under a solid cloud deck throughout Monday, which inhibited surface heating; strong winds aloft also hindered thunderstorm development. Light shower activity mainly occurred Monday morning west of the mountains, and an easterly wave is bringing another round of light showers to the region overnight into Tuesday morning. High humidity associated with the cloud deck and monsoon flow helped cap temperatures during the day on Monday, however these factors are also keeping nights very warm. This pattern is expected to repeat itself on Tuesday.

Drier conditions are forecast to fill out the remainder of the week after Tuesday, with the rebuilding of a strong high pressure ridge anticipated for the weekend. Hot temperatures, potentially exceeding triple-digits in the inland valleys, are expected to return for the weekend.