Cold water and high river levels pose risks for Memorial Day boating
NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) – With Memorial Day Weekend right around the corner, getting on the water may be a little chillier than usual.
The water is definitely a little chilly for swimming, and we can track this back to weather from the winter.
Winter temperatures were much cooler than we saw last year, and snowfall was decent in comparison to recent years. Since warm temperatures have only come around in the past month, rivers and lakes haven't had enough time to warm up.
Clay Duda with the Oxbox Marina warns boaters of other issues with heading out on the water this weekend. 'Most importantly, the water levels seem to be a little high,' Duda says. 'They will be receding by the weekend. I don't know exactly how low they'll get, but do you know that there's gonna be a lot of hazards on the river, some debris floating around.'
More rain is expected leading up to the three-day weekend, but river forecasts show water levels decreasing as we head towards Saturday. It's advised to go out on the water with a friend and to let people know your expected arrival and departure times.
Duda said the Oxbox will be fully open as soon as the weather starts to calm down.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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