MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – In Marquette, temperatures can shift from sunny days to freezing weather in a matter of hours. On Lake Superior, even on the warmest days in summer with 80-degree weather, the water can feel much different.
“I’ve been out there and a number of times I’ve just found myself shivering it can be like 80 degrees out there but when you’re in a moving boat, the winds hitting you, you get a little bit of spray on you you get cold very quickly dress for the water, not the weather,” said Boatswain Mate Third Class Charles Falvey.
Hypothermia is most likely to occur at very cold temperatures, it can occur even at temperatures of 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Lake Superior’s temperature last year around April reached only just above 28 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Coast Guard noted that the 1-10-1 rule is also something to keep in the toolbox on top of the food, water, and other emergency supplies. “1 minute to kind of collect yourself, 10 minutes of a meaningful movement, and then 1 hour until you lose consciousness,” continued Falvey.
Letting your friends or family know where you’re going to be and what time you will be back can help keep more than one danger, at bay. “Obviously it’s gonna be colder the waters definitely colder once you get those winds up there’s gonna be waves,” continued Falvey.
The Coast Guard says any loud sound-producing device can also assist in a potential rescue and to prepare a float plan even before leaving shore.
