Summer's sizzling start will ease up this week, according to National Weather Service forecasters at the Hanford office. Saturday's high was forecast to be 101, with the cooling trend set to start today with an expected high of 97. The prediction for Monday is 94 degrees, with temperatures staying in the low to mid 90s before climbing back to the century mark on Saturday.

Triple-digit highs have baked Kings County seven of the last nine days, with the mercury peaking at 105 degrees on June 29.

It's been a rude awakening for area residents after a cool spring.

High temperatures for most of June were as much as 10 degrees below average, said Carlos Molina, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Hanford office.

"We actually started off cooler than we should have been, but now that summer's started, we've actually jumped above where we should be," Molina said.

Normal highs for this time of year are mid 90s, Molina said.

The heat has sent people flocking to local cool-off spots.

Those include the plunge in Hanford, which has been jammed with out-of-school kids and the water playground at Centennial Park.

It's also kicked off the Kings River float season in earnest, with hundreds this week taking the trip from Highway 43 to Laton-Kingston Regional Park.

But the heat wave has fallen short of county criteria for opening up official cooling centers to give non-air-conditioned residents a break.

The temperature has to be above 105 degrees for two consecutive days, with nighttime temperatures above 80 degrees.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2432.

(July 5, 2009)