By Reginald Stanley. Posted January 13, 2019, 7:12 PM.

Following the passage of an upper-level trough Saturday morning, wet weather is set to return Monday as yet another Pacific storm enters the region, bringing potentially heavy rain with it.

A persistent Pacific moisture flow is targeting Southern California for most of this week, enriching several significant Pacific storms and increasing the likelihood of flash floods in some areas. The first storm will arrive Monday, with potentially heavy rain beginning Monday afternoon into the evening. Across the Inland Empire and surrounding vicinity, up to an inch and a half is forecast through Tuesday. Locally higher amounts may occur (in excess of two inches), especially in mountain and foothill locations. Up to half an inch is predicted in the deserts. Heavy snow is expected to accumulate above 6,000 feet above sea level. The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch for the valleys, coast, and coastal mountain slopes Monday afternoon through that evening. Additionally, the National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning to communities above 5,000 feet above sea level from Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning.

The potential for significant rain for our region on Wednesday and Thursday is less certain. Computer forecast models have rapidly changed the dynamics and amount of rain in Southern California for those days, resulting in low confidence for rain chances. At the time of this writing, the chance for heavy rain remains significant for Thursday, however. Updates will be made to the forecast throughout the week as details become clearer.

Beginning on Friday, a high pressure ridge will build over the Pacific, switching our weather to warmer, drier conditions into next week.