River & Lake Access Alert

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For daily weather and lake storage info visit: http://www.kernvalley.com/news/weather.htm
Please be safe. Raft with established outfitters. We lost one fisherman Memorial Day weekend on lower Kern. He got hot while fishing and jumped in the river to cool off. Following is warning regarding river and lake access:

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
331 PM PDT THU JUN 3 2010

CAZ089>097-042245-
WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
MARIPOSA MADERA AND FRESNO COUNTY FOOTHILLS-
TULARE COUNTY FOOTHILLS-KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-
TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
331 PM PDT THU JUN 3 2010

...WARM WEATHER AND FAST FLOWING COLD WATER ARE A DEADLY COMBINATION...

AREA RIVERS...STREAMS AND RESERVOIRS ARE DIRECTLY FED FROM THE
MELTING SNOW PACK IN THE SIERRA NEVADA AND TEHACHAPI MOUNTAINS.
EVEN THOUGH A STREAM OR RIVER LOOKS COOL AND INVITING...THE WATER
IS ACTUALLY VERY COLD. OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS ARE ADVISED TO USE
EXTREME CAUTION NEAR RIVERS...STREAMS...AND RESERVOIRS.

IF YOU ARE PLANNING TRAVEL INTO THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA...THE
TEHACHAPI MOUNTAINS...THE KERN RIVER CANYON OR THE SIERRA FOOTHILLS
THIS WEEKEND...REMEMBER THAT THE INCREASED COLD WATER FLOW IN
RIVERS...STREAMS AND RESERVOIRS...COMBINED WITH EXPECTED
TEMPERATURES IN THE LOWER TO MID 90S...CAN BE A POTENTIALLY DEADLY
COMBINATION.

PEOPLE PLANNING ACTIVITIES SUCH AS RAFTING...SWIMMING OR
PADDLING SHOULD WEAR LIFE JACKETS OR VESTS...AND KEEP OTHER
FLOTATION GEAR HANDY WHEN IN THE WATER. BE AWARE THAT EXPOSURE TO
COLD WATER FOR TOO LONG COULD QUICKLY RESULT IN HYPOTHERMIA.
HYPOTHERMIA IS A SUDDEN LOSS OF BODY TEMPERATURE WHICH CAN BE
FATAL. EARLY SIGNS OF HYPOTHERMIA ARE UNCONTROLLABLE SHIVERING AND
NUMBNESS OF LIMBS. THE ADVANCED STAGES OF HYPOTHERMIA INCLUDE
MEMORY LOSS...DISORIENTATION...SLURRED SPEECH...DROWSINESS AND
APPARENT EXHAUSTION. A PERSON MAY APPEAR DRUNK DURING THE ADVANCED
STAGE AND SHIVERING MAY DECREASE OR STOP.

IF YOU ARE CAMPING NEAR A RIVER OR STREAM...REMEMBER THAT THE
HIGHEST WATER LEVELS OCCUR AT NIGHT...USUALLY WITHIN AN HOUR OR
TWO EITHER SIDE OF MIDNIGHT. A CAMPGROUND MAY LOOK DRY AND SAFE
IN THE LATE AFTERNOON...BUT CAN TAKE ON WATER AT NIGHT.

IF YOU WITNESS SOMEONE SUFFERING FROM THE SYMPTOMS OF
HYPOTHERMIA...GET EMERGENCY HELP IMMEDIATELY.

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD