With Memorial Day Weekend coming up, many people are heading out for some early summer fun on Washington’s rivers. Be careful though. With the intense heat last weekend (I am still recovering from my sunburn), the rivers are running very high due to increased snow melt.

“The rivers are swollen right now and near flood stage,” said Mark Kenny, boating law enforcement coordinator for Washington State Parks. “They’re swift, cold and unforgiving. Only very experienced river runners can navigate them, however, all people should stay out of rivers at this time because the danger is so great,” said Kenny in a statement issued today.

The water is moving very fast, and boaters may find themselves unexpectedly falling into water so cold that it quickly numbs reactions and makes self-rescue extremely difficult, said Kenny.

Be careful. (Source ^[1])