By Jim Purpura. Posted November 1, 2011, 8:41 AM.

The National Weather Service has issued a Fire Weather Watch and a High Wind Warning for Wednesday across all of the Inland Empire, as well as the nearby San Jacinto Mountains.

Cold air will be building in the Mojave Desert as well as the Great Basin areas in Utah and Nevada. This will spill across the canyons and passes and to a lesser extent, the Inland Empire.

Expect winds of 25 to 35 mph in many areas. The strongest winds will begin late tonight and continue until later afternoon or early evening Wednesday.

There will be gusts to around 40 mph across the Inland Empire, and to 55 mph near the Mountains and in favored locations such as the Santa Ana Mountains, the Cajon Pass, and the Banning Pass.