Temperatures will rise and then start to cool as weekend approaches, weather officials say

Weather during the beginning of the week is going to heat up but as the weekend nears so will lower temperatures, meteorologist say.

Monday through Wednesday people can expect temperatures to reach the mid 90s, said Modesto Vasquez, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Hanford.

Starting Thursday Merced will feel a little cooler, Vasquez said, when temperatures drop to the high 80s and will continue to lower to 81 degrees on Friday.

Vasquez said people should take caution around local lakes and rivers while weather continues to warm because water levels are high and temperatures are cold. There is currently a flood warning issued for Merced River in the Yosemite area, he said.

Officials in Merced County have said the Merced River is dangerous because of the record snowpack in Northern California that continues to melt into the river quicker as temperatures rise.

On average about 996,000 acre-feet of water flows down the Merced River a year, according to the Merced Irrigation District. Since Oct. 1, Lake McClure has passed about 1.7 million acre-feet of water downstream.

Officials at the MID are preparing for nearly 1 million acre-feet to reach the reservoir in the coming months. An acre-foot is equivalent to about 326,000 gallons of water.

During the coming month officials are also advising people to stay out of the Merced River.

This year waterways in the Central Valley have already had deadly outcomes for some swimmers. Last month, a high school senior from Fresno drowned in the San Joaquin River, and a day later a man from Modesto died in the Modesto Reservoir.

This story was originally published June 4, 2017 at 3:50 PM with the headline "Temperatures will rise and then start to cool as weekend approaches, weather officials say."