In light of several recent search and rescue cases, the Coast Guard is warning boaters that warm air temperatures should not fool boaters into thinking the water in the St. Lawrence River is warm enough to be safe.

The 9th Coast Guard District has issued a warning that, regardless of unseasonably warm air temperatures expected across the region this weekend, water temperatures remain dangerously low.

With little or no ice in areas that traditionally have plenty, at this time of year, Coast Guard units have been busy responding to mariners in distress including several already this week.

This includes the rescue of a woman near Detroit who was pulled from the water without a life vest showing signs of hypotermia, and several similiar rescues in recent days.

Air temperatures are as high as the 60s and 70s are luring more boaters onto the water, but water temperatures are still in the 30s and 40s.

Someone in cold water may have only 10 minutes of functional movement before losing the effective use of fingers, arms and legs. At this point, someone who is not wearing a life jacket could easily drown, no longer able tread water and remain afloat.

Even with a Coast Guard-approved floatation device, hypothermia is a threat to survival once someone is exposed to cold water. The body may lose heat 25 times faster in cold water than in cold air.

When recreating outdoors, mariners should dress for the water temperature ó not the air temperature.

For more information about cold water safety, recommended safety gear and tips for handling emergencies, visit the National Water Safety Congress' Cold Water Boot Camp web site at: http://www.coldwaterbootcampusa.org/.