With temperatures jumping well into the 80s across western Washington through this weekend – the first official summer weekend – rivers, lakes or Puget Sound are tempting places to cool off.
But rivers are still running quite cold and swift with the snowmelt from an above-average mountain snowpack, while lakes and Puget Sound are also quite cold – and that can weaken even the strongest of swimmers in minutes.
King County water safety experts are reminding folks wanting to cool off about the dangers of swimming in rivers and in open water with no life guards, and why wearing a life vest is so important. Earlier this spring, a young man drowned while swimming with friends along the upper reaches of the south fork Snoqualmie River near North Bend, and a young woman nearly drowned along the Green River upstream of Auburn.
Experts from the King County Sheriff’s Office Marine Rescue Dive Unit, and Public Health – Seattle & King County’s Violence and Injury Prevention Program are available for interviews (see contact information above) about water safety, the importance of swimming at a lifeguarded beach and wearing a lifejacket.
In the King County area, many city beaches start offering lifeguards this weekend.
For details about river safety, visit www.kingcounty.gov/riversafety. For more information on water safety and drowning prevention, visit the King County Water Safety website, www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/injury/water.
