Beware of cold water shock in Washington rivers, lakes

Sunny day in South Lake Union, Seattle. (J. Warne)

It’s set to be a lovely, warm weekend in the Puget Sound area, but that doesn’t mean that jumping into the cold water of a lake or river is a good idea, no matter how inviting it seems.

Why you should wear a life jacket as PNW boating season kicks off

Mountain snow melt runoff is now replenishing the already cold water in the rivers, leading to temperatures in the 40-degree Fahrenheit range. Once you get a foot or so below the surface, those beautiful PNW lakes are really cold too.

“The warmer layer

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