The National Weather Service has issued flash flood warnings for portions of rural Riverside and San Bernardino counties amid heavy rain from thunderstorms Monday.
Drivers were urged not to attempt to drive through flooded roads, with the weather service noting most flood deaths occur when people become trapped inside their vehicles.
The flash flood warnings cover Joshua Tree National Park, portions of Twentynine Palms and the Interstate 10 Corridor in the Desert Center area west of Blythe.
The warnings are scheduled to end this evening, with the last expiring at 7:30 p.m.
Monday’s warnings follow flooding last weekend in Twentynine Palms, a city just north of Joshua Tree National Park. According to the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District, six people had to be rescued from their vehicles.
Austin Jamison, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix, said the flooding was due to the desert’s monsoon season, but skies should be clearer soon.
The meteorologist, asked about fire risk, noted that any time there’s lightning, there’s a chance a strike could spark a fire. But blazes are less common when a thunderstorm is producing heavy rain as it did on Monday.
Jamison said there was less than a 10% chance of thunderstorms Tuesday.
Floodwaters rose and receded quickly in Twentynine Palms, allowing firefighters to assist trapped occupants, authorities said.
(San Bernardino County Fire)
