BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard is warning people headed onto the waters of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and upstate New York of the dangers of cold water.
Unseasonably warm air temperatures are forecast for the weekend, but water temperatures are expected to remain a frigid 36 degrees.
The Coast Guard says people who fall into water that cold can become incapacitated within minutes.
New York state law requires that all boaters and paddlers on vessels 21 feet or less wear a life jacket until May 1.
Coast Guard recreational boating safety specialist Al Johnson says that a wet or dry suit is essential for water survival this time of year.
He recommends that anyone who isn’t equipped for cold-water survival should wait for summer weather.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.