Hot sun, cold water
<p>Jaxton Bartholomew, 2, soaks up Thursday's heat as he builds sandcastles on City Beach in Coeur d'Alene. Sunny skies and a high of 80 degrees are expected today, cooling to 65 degrees by Sunday.</p>
<p>From left to right, Dakota, Nolan and Callie Hansen toss a flying disc to each other on Thursday at Independence Point in Coeur d'Alene.</p>
<p>Mick O'Neill enjoys the warm weather at the Coeur d'Alene Skate Park before he goes to work on Thursday. Temperatures are expected to reach the high 70s on Friday.</p>
Dogs were walked, Frisbees thrown, and boats, kayaks and paddleboards could be seen on Lake Coeur d'Alene Thursday afternoon.
Several families lined the beach downtown as the temperature outside topped 70 degrees with warmer temperatures expected today. Some isolated areas could "touch" 80 degrees today, according to meteorologist Randy Mann.
Juliette Bartholomew of Post Falls enjoyed the sunshine Thursday with her 2-year-old grandson, Jaxton, at the lake's edge. Jaxton played near the water, shoveling sand into a small plastic wagon. He was excited about a ladybug that landed on him and then was in the wagon, sitting on the water inside it.
"This weather is amazing and I happen to be off today and tomorrow," Bartholomew said, adding she works at Kootenai Health.
Some of the youngsters at the beach even got wet in the 48-degree lake water.
Mike and Colleen Ferguson of Spokane sat on a bench near the water with their 10-year-old daughter, Amy, while their three sons dried off after a dip in the lake.
"We hadn't been over in a while so we figured we would come over and sit by the lake and go to Hudson's and have a burger," Mike said.
The three boys — 12-year-old Luke, 8-year-old Kade and 6-year-old Jace — said the water was cold, but they would do it again.
Kimberly Burt of Coeur d'Alene was hiking on Tubbs Hill with her two sisters from the Silver Valley and Spokane, with six children between the three of them.
"These girls are on spring break and they love Coeur d'Alene so they wanted to come in," she said, pointing to two of the older children. "We are going to do — well, they think they are going to go swimming."
From the edge of McEuen Park, several teenagers could be seen diving into the lake from a boulder near the west side of Tubbs Hill, but Burt shook her head at the girls.
Mann said the average temperature this time of year is in the mid-50s, so 70 to 80 degrees is well above average. He said the temperature is expected to be about 70 on Saturday and mid-to-upper 60s Sunday and Monday with some clouds building over the weekend.
"Something like this is crazy — we just don't get numbers like this, but it's happening this year" he said. "The warmest day will be tomorrow, but the weekend is still not going to be bad either. Even though we are going to cool down this weekend, it's still going to be above normal."
Although the temperature is expected to be more than 20 degrees above average today, he said it will not quite reach the record temperature of 82 degrees, set in 1977.
While the temperature outside may be warm, experts warn the water in the rivers, creeks and lakes remains cold with temperatures in the 30s and 40s. The National Weather Service, along with the United States Coast Guard and Washington State Parks, issued a press release for Idaho and Washington Thursday warning of the dangers of hypothermia.
The statement urges boaters to wear lifejackets, which gives boaters the best chance of survival in case of an accident. Other guidelines listed include: Have dry clothes available, go with a group of people, take a paddle sports instruction course, check marine weather, scout the condition of the water, be a competent swimmer and always be alert for unexpected hazards. Never use alcohol or drugs when boating or floating because it "dulls important survival reflexes and impairs decision-making skills," the statement says. Also, never allow children to boat or float without adult supervision.
Small watercraft — such as kayaks, canoes and rafts — are the most vulnerable to capsizing, but the agencies warn all boaters to be prepared for such a crisis. Sudden immersion in cold water can make it difficult or impossible for boaters to keep their heads above water or stay afloat.
Long-range temperatures are expected to decrease, so Mann said not to plant flowers just yet. The average low is 34, so he said it could get close to freezing again.
"I do see some cooler weather coming this month," he said. "So especially in some of the higher elevations we could drop down into the 30s again. Just because it is warm now does not mean it is going to be later so I would maybe hold off just a little bit."