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It was the third time this summer that the city activated cooling centers, said Daniel Bowers, the city’s director of emergency management. Last summer, Sacramento activated cooling centers only three times during the entire season — the third time was not until September.

This year, the city launched its heat response early when a heat wave pounded much of Northern California over Memorial Day weekend.

“That was kind of an eye-opener of how the summer was going to go,” Mr. Bowers said. With its fair share of practice in recent years, he said, the city is well prepared for the weekend temperatures. But the high nighttime temperatures pose particular risks to people who are homeless, he said.

Further down the valley in Modesto, which could experience highs of 109 degrees this weekend, the Salvation Army said it had seen an uptick in people seeking shelter.

The shelter is “seeing individuals we normally wouldn’t see — normally people that are OK being in their tents, they’re OK sleeping outside,” said Virginia Carney, the shelter director.

Terri Castle, who has been staying at the Modesto shelter for the past month, said she had spent previous summers living on the street and worried for people who did not have a place to cool off this weekend.

“When you’re homeless you’re already out in the weather 24/7,” Ms. Castle said. “And when the sun hits you, it’s hard to find anywhere for shade. You can’t get enough water.” Over her few weeks at the shelter, she said, she has noticed a surge in people seeking relief from the heat.