It might be warm, but it's still cold

Temperatures were 85 when were were in Denali and Fairbanks this time last month.
Sure felt hot, but not as hot as San Antonio's > 100 temps.

Of course, even in Alaska those temps make people go to the water.
In Kodiak it has been over 70 several times this year (we still access the Kodiak Mirror Newspaper, on line).
That is hotter than it ever was when we were there for 6 years.

And those warm temperature have brought two tragedies to Kodiak this week.
Not because it is too hot, but because the water is still too cold, we think.

Water Temperature Table of the Alaska Coast (Google Maps-based Web page)
Last Updated: Fri Jul 26, 15:01:29 UTC 2013

Location	Recent Temperatures	APR	MAY	JUN	JUL	AUG	SEP	OCT	NOV
Adak Island AK	43.2 (07/26/2013 14:48 UTC)	40	41	43	45	46	46	45	44
Anchorage AK	59.0 (07/26/2013 14:48 UTC)	34	44	54	58	57	53	44	34
Juneau AK	50.0 (07/26/2013 14:48 UTC)	40	46	51	52	51	49	44	40
Ketchikan AK	55.6 (07/26/2013 14:48 UTC)	44	48	54	56	57	54	50	46
Kodiak AK	51.4 (07/26/2013 14:48 UTC)	37	41	44	52	53	51	48	44

It's sea water temperature is not even 52.

The sad news concerns a group of 3 high school friends who swam out on Ft. Abercrombie State Park's  Gertrude lake, taking a log to the middle of the lake. While swimming back, one had trouble and did not make it.

The other tragedy this week involves 3 fishermen at the other end of the island. One went swimming off their skiff and didn't come back. Unfortunately alcohol was involved in this case, and that makes your ability to control your body temperature even worse.

Personally, I remember shaking vigorously for almost one hour when I fell into the Rio Grande in the spring in Colorado while on a kayak trip.

Yes, no matter how "hot" the weather might seem, remember that the water might be too cold for most of us humans.