Merced County says goodbye to summer with September rain. Here’s this week’s forecast

After receiving the first recorded rainfall of the season, conditions in Merced are expected to warm up throughout the week, according to the National Weather Service in Hanford.

Merced saw about .21 inches of rain total over the weekend and into the beginning of the week, according to Meteorologist Bill South at the National Weather Service in Hanford.

South said .02 inches of rain was recorded Saturday, .08 on Sunday and .11 inches on Monday.

The recent rainfall was unusual for this time of year. South said the area doesn’t usually transition into the wet season until October, sometimes as late as November or December.

According to South, record rainfall totals for this area were recorded Sept. 17, 1989 with .41 inches . In 1959, on Sept. 18 and 19, Merced received .68 inches and .72 inches of rain respectively.

Between Monday and Tuesday, .64 inches of rain was recorded in the Mariposa area with .12 inches of rain recorded in Yosemite Valley, according to South.

Forecast for later this week

Wednesday will see about a 20% chance of rain.

South said most of the rain in Merced is probably over for now, as temperatures begin to climb throughout the week and into the weekend.

Wednesday will see high temperatures in the upper 70s, with low evening temperatures in the mid 50s.

Thursday temperatures are expected to reach the low 80s and Friday could see high temperatures in the upper 80s.

Saturday temperatures are expected to climb back up to the lower 90s. “We expect that type of high temperature to persist into next week,” South said.

Temperatures are expected to be about two to four degrees above normal from Saturday into Tuesday of next week, according to South.