70°F
weather icon Mostly Clear

Rangers encourage lake visitors to remain weather smart

Strong winds and freezing temperatures are forecast for Lake Mead National Recreation Area through Saturday; therefore, rangers are advising visitors and employees to be cautious of the hazards.

A National Weather Service wind advisory is in effect through midnight Wednesday. Tuesday, gusts reached 35 miles per hour. They are expected to increase to 40 to 50 miles per hour as a cold front moves through.

A hard freeze watch is in effect from 9 p.m. Wednesday through 9 a.m. Saturday. Subfreezing temperatures are forecast, with the coldest temperatures forecast for Wednesday and Thursday nights.

“Our park is known as a hot-spot destination with temperatures often surpassing the century mark. We’re encouraging visitors to be weather smart during these winterlike conditions, just as they are in the summer,” said Christie Vanover, Lake Mead NRA public affairs officer.

Strong winds are always a hazard on the lakes because they create waves that can capsize a boat. Recreation area maintenance staff observed 4- to 5-foot swells Tuesday morning. With lake temperatures around 62 degrees, Vanover said capsizing would be very dangerous because immersion hypothermia can occur within one hour.

Wearing a life jacket and a combination of fleece or wool along with synthetic clothing helps increase survival times in cold water, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dressing in layers also is important for other outdoor enthusiasts.

“Hikers and hunters should dress warmly when it’s cold, but they need to be able to remove layers if they become too hot, because sweat can also lead to hypothermia,” Vanover said.

Another ranger tip for recreating in cold temperatures is to monitor sunset times. The sun starts to set around 4 p.m. this time of year, and temperatures can drop 10 degrees in a couple of hours.

“Visitors can keep warm with campfires, but they should never use grills, camp stoves or lanterns inside a tent or camper because they can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning,” she said.

Campfires are permitted in developed areas in grills, fire rings and portable barbecues and stoves. They also are permitted throughout the backcountry.

“This is a very enjoyable time of year to recreate within our wilderness areas and backcountry,” Vanover said. “We’re just asking visitors to plan for changing weather. If they find themselves in an emergency situation or experiencing signs of cold stress, they should call 911 immediately.”

Additional cold weather tips can be found on the CDC website at http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/guide.asp.

MOST READ
THE LATEST
LMNRA announces Government Wash restrictions

The National Park Service is closing the Government Wash portion of Lake Mead National Recreation Area to motor vehicle access and overnight camping beginning Aug. 1.

Unpacking the golf course deturfing issue

When the Boulder City Municipal Golf Course opened in 1973, it was a kind of golden age for golf as a suburban pastime.

Xeriscaping continues at BOR office

Clean, Green Boulder City is now a little less green, but according to officials from the Bureau of Reclamation, it’s for a good cause, saving more than two million gallons of water a year.

Boulder Beach cleanup a big success

Mother Nature often needs a helping hand these days, and thanks to a cleanup this past Friday, that’s exactly what happened.

Group looks to protect Hoover Dam’s Star Map

For those who have ever been to Hoover Dam, it’s almost guaranteed they have seen Oskar J.W. Hansen’s Winged Figures, which has stood for nearly nine decades.

Bureau to install desert landscape

For those who have driven past the Bureau of Reclamation building within the last week, you may have been wondering why it’s surrounded by a chain-link fence.

Power rates, sources explained

The rate paid by Boulder City for power purchased on the open market rose from 3.945 cents per kWh in 2018 to 23.859 cents per kWh in 2023, an eye-popping increase of 500% or six times the 2018 cost. But what exactly does “open market” mean?

Effect of proposed residential water caps

The bill would give the Southern Nevada Water Authority the ability to cap residential water use during a federally declared water shortage.

‘This is really nice’: Just 23% of Nevada remains in drought

The storms that swept across the Western U.S. this winter dropped so much water that less than one-quarter of the nation’s driest state remains in drought.