Heat wave melting record snowpack in Northern California

Forecasters expect at least one California river to hit flood stage later this week as a heat wave melts record snowpack in the Sierra Nevada.

Forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Sunday they expect the Merced River in Yosemite National Park to go about a foot over its banks on Wednesday.

A wet fall and winter have brought the most rain and snow in history to California’s northern Sierra mountains. The National Weather Service says a hot spell this week will raise Northern California temperatures to levels usually not seen until early July.

Forecasters are warning swimmers and others that some California rivers will run extra cold and fast while the record snow melts.