Light showers to continue in Merced into the weekend

Thursday’s late afternoon rain forced many to break out an umbrella. And according to meteorologists, an umbrella may also come in handy Friday night and all day Saturday.

Gary Sanger, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford, said Friday will remain partly sunny with a high of 62, but showers are expected to arrive at the break of day.

On Saturday, showers are expected to fall until about 6 p.m with a high of 61 and wind gusts of up to 15 mph. The weekend’s precipitation is not expected to amount more than a tenth of an inch.

Sanger said that between Jan. 1 and Thursday, Merced had received 5.08 inches of rain, less than half of the 10.63 inches the city usually receives. Meteorologists estimate Merced has received 0.46 inches of rain this month.

Rain clouds are expected to disappear by Saturday night and skies should stay clear next week, when highs will reach the mid-60s.

Meanwhile in the high country, near Tuolumne Meadows, snow mixed with a little bit of rain may bring up to an inch of snow over the weekend, Sanger said.

The following is Merced’s four-day weather forecast, according to the National Weather Service:

Friday night: About a 30 percent chance of showers after 5 p.m. Will remain mostly cloudy, with a low around 49. Calm winds at around 5 mph after midnight are expected.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61. Showers between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Southeast winds of between 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.

Saturday night: A 20 percent chance of showers before midnight. A low around 46. Northwest winds at around 5 mph.

Sunday: Mostly clear, sunny skies with a high of 60.

Sunday night: Patchy fog at around midnight with a low of around 43. Wind gusts as high as 15 mph.

Monday: Mostly clear with a high around 61.

This story was originally published November 20, 2014 at 6:50 PM with the headline "Light showers to continue in Merced into the weekend."