Despite warming weather, emergency responders warn about frigid rivers, lakes

With temperatures finally warming up, emergency responders have issued a new warning that the cold water in our lakes and rivers is extremely dangerous.

RELATED: 4 feet of rainfall in Seattle since October is wettest on record

They say the threat could last through the summer, which is different than years past.

The U.S. Coast Guard ranks Washington as the fourth most dangerous state when it comes to boating, behind Florida, California, and Texas.

Washington is third when it comes to drowning deaths — more than Texas.

The temperature of local lakes and streams is to blame, and this year, experts say the water will probably stay colder longer than usual, because of how long it’s taking the snow to melt in the mountains.

Washington averages 100 drowning deaths a year. Last year’s number was 180.

The most common cause of drowning isn’t hypothermia, but something called cold water shock.

With water in the 40- and 50-degree range this time of year, the body diverts blood from the arms and legs to its core to try to keep body temperature up.

Experts say a person only has 10 minutes before their muscles fail and the person can’t stay above water.

According to the Northwest Avalanche Center, the snow pack in the Olympics and Cascades is still 120 percent of average. So there hasn’t been much snow melt and runoff yet, and that means the cold water could still be coming down from the mountains late into the summer.

There’s going to be a tricky balance there, because forecasters are predicting a hot, dry summer, which will draw more people to our local rivers and lakes.