EVERETT — The National Weather Service has forecast that temperatures could hit as high as 77 degrees in Everett on Thursday.
That would be the hottest April 7 since the service started keeping records at Paine Field in 1948.
The previous record was set in 2014, when it hit 70 at Paine Field, meteorologist Johnny Burg said.
The hot weather is only expected to last the day, Burg said. Friday’s high is expected to be 70 degrees, still warm, but springlike as opposed to summery.
Likewise, it’s still going to be cool at night, with temperatures in the 40s Thursday morning and in the 50s Friday morning.
“The next chance for rain probably won’t be until Saturday, probably a 20 percent chance,” Burg said.
There’s also a small chance of showers Friday night, he said.
If history is any guide, the hot weather will inspire people to head to area lakes and streams for some aquatic fun.
That poses certain risks because the water is still extremely cold.
“You won’t be able to stay in it for very long before it starts to affect you,” said Kim Schroeder, the chair of the Drowning Prevention Committee with Safe Kids Snohomish County and the Fire and Life Safety Education Specialist for Fire District 1.
Hypothermia can be fatal on its own, and can lead to drowning. Cold water shock is another danger that can trigger hyperventilation or cardiac arrest.
Those risks are compounded in moving water.
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office reported five drownings in its jurisdiction in 2015 in the Stillaguamish, Snohomish and Skykomish Rivers.
Rivers are especially dangerous this year because there were several floods in the winter, said Shari Ireton, spokeswoman for the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.
“When you get flooding events, it moves a lot of debris and (changes) the river bottom,” Ireton said.
“People need to be really aware when they go back to their favorite swimming hole that it may not be the same as it was last year,” she said.
Safe Kids recommends not swimming in moving water at all, Schroeder said. Safe Kids stocks loaner life jacket cabinets at lakes and other locations, but not on the rivers for precisely that reason.
The cabinets are also not stocked until Memorial Day, and some of the jackets are still on order, Schroeder said.
“Perhaps people can use backyard sprinklers instead of jumping in the cold northwest rivers,” she said.
One other danger associated with warm weather is small kids falling out of open windows. Parents are advised to move furniture away from windows and consider installing safety devices.
“The sounds, or even the proximity of the windows is going to be a curiosity for kids,” Schroeder said. “A screen is designed to keep bugs out, it is not designed to hold kids in.”
Chris Winters: 425-374-4165; cwinters@heraldnet.com.
Safety tips for swimming, rafting and boating
The air might be warm, but the water is still cold, and in many places was until recently part of a glacier. In still water such as a lake, 50-degree water poses a significant chance of hypothermia and drowning, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. In moving water, that risk is increased. Rivers often change and have hidden debris or snags present. (Safe Kids recommends not swimming in rivers at all.)
If you must get in the water:
*Wear a life jacket at all times.
*Never swim alone. Watch children at all times, and if possible, choose areas with a lifeguard present.
*Know your limits and abilities. Stop and get out of the water if you’re too cold or tired.
*Avoid swimming near boat ramps, in boating areas and near downed trees, snags or confluences.
*Don’t drink (or use other drugs) and swim. Intoxication increases the likelihood of drowning, hypothermia or cold water shock. Alcohol affects motor skills, vision, depth perception and speed and reduces the body’s ability to regulate temperature.
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