With temperatures expected to reach 107 degrees Saturday, several cooling centers will be open to help Merced County residents cope with the heat. The following locations will be available Saturday to be used as cooling centers if needed:
Merced County Libraries are open:
• Atwater, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1600 Third St.
• Cressey, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., 9257 Cressey Way
• Delhi, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., 16881 W. Schendel Ave.
• Gustine, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., 205 Sixth St.
• Le Grand, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 12949 Le Grand Road
• Livingston, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1212 Main St.
• Los Banos, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1312 Seventh St.
• Merced, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., 2100 O St.
• Snelling, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., 15916 N. Highway 59
• Stevinson, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 20314 W. Third Ave.
• Winton, 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., 7057 Walnut Ave.
The City of Atwater's Cooling Center will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Community
Center, 760 E. Bellevue Rd.
The City of Merced's Cooling Center will be open from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Merced Civic
Center, 678 W. 18th St.
The City of Los Banos' Cooling Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Community
Center, 645 Seventh St.
Equal Opportunity Employer Alternate sites not affiliated with the county or cities will also be operating cooling centers. One such site is Winton Lifeline Community Center, which will be open from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday at 7081 N. Winton Way.
There are no expected power outages over the weekend. Residents are advised to drink plenty of fluids, dress in lightweight, loose-fitting clothes and keep physical activities to a minimum during the hottest parts of the day. Never leave children, pets or the elderly unattended in a parked vehicle.
Despite the spike in temperature this weekend, forecasters expect the weather to start cooling off Sunday, which has a forecasted high temperature of 96 degrees.