RIVERS -- Water in area rivers and lakes may look tempting during warmer weather forecast for the weekend, but experts say rivers and lakes remain deadly cold.
Cold water immersion can render a person helpless in minutes regardless of sunny skies and warm air temps. Hypothermia can kill you in a few minutes more.
Experienced paddlers wear wet suits or dry suits in cold waters and launch in groups to help each other out in case of unplanned swims.
At least five non-motorized boating fatalities have been recorded by Washington State Parks since March 17, the highest in any year since 2002.
On April 1, a Gonzaga University student died from hypothermia suffered after his kayak capsized in Rock Lake. One man is dead after being swept away in the Spokane River this month; a capsized canoeist remains missing.
Useful links:
- Spokane-area weather and river conditions from The National Weather Service/NOAA.
- Hypothermia and boating .
