Which may make National Safe Boating Week 2020 (May 16 -22) as important as ever.

The National Weather Service, National Safe Boating Council, and United States Coast Guard are all partnering up again this year to promote safe boating practices.

This year has already proven to be deadly on the water. National Safe Boating Week is intended to educate the public about the dangers of inexperienced and irresponsible boating, as well as cold water.

The campaign will highlight relevant weather topics, safety advice and recreational boating resources through social media, web, and NOAA Weather Radio campaigns. Each day has been designated a different area of focus:

Included in Boating Safety Week is cold water safety. Air temperatures are beginning to reach the 70s and 80s and many are already hitting the open waters. But water temperatures are currently only in the 50s around our area, which is very dangerous to the human body and can prove fatal in a short amount of time.

Did you know cold water drains body heat up to 25 times faster than cold air?  Survival time is greatly diminished when water temperatures are below 60 degrees. When cold water makes contact with your skin, cold shock causes an immediate loss of breathing control. This dramatically increases the risk of sudden drowning even if the water is calm and the person knows how to swim. Immersion in cold water is immediately life-threatening for anyone not wearing thermal protection, like a wetsuit or drysuit, in addition to a life jacket.

Living near the water is a privilege, one that sometimes can be taken for granted. If you plan on going out on the water at any time this season, take this opportunity to brush up on safety precautions that could safe your life, or someone else's.