By Reginald Stanley. Posted July 14, 2024, 3:08 PM.

Monsoonal moisture over the region is bringing thunderstorms to eastern portions of the Inland Empire, mountains, and deserts Sunday afternoon.

Thunderstorms have been confined to favorable areas well off to the east, however WeatherCurrents' station in Anza has taken a significant hit from a severe thunderstorm Sunday afternoon, with an inch of rain having fallen there during the past hour. Several of these thunderstorm cells have been severe enough to produce frequent lightning, hail and heavy rain. WeatherCurrents' station in East Hemet was also knocked offline, although it is unknown whether this was related to thunderstorm activity or an unrelated cause. There is a very small chance that thunderstorms could reach inland areas further west Sunday afternoon, nonetheless the National Weather Service did send out televised warnings to some inland valley communities Sunday afternoon. This thunderstorm activity is predicted to continue through roughly 6 PM, however monsoonal moisture and high CAPE (convective available potential energy) values remain over the region and is slated to continue into Monday. Prolonged excessive heat over the recent weeks has also significantly dried vegetation, resulting in Red Flag Warnings also being issued by the National Weather Service in affected areas.