A pair of drowning deaths in Western Washington over the weekend has King County officials urging recreational river and lake users to be extremely careful when heading out on the water.

Despite warm air temperatures, the water is very cold.

Flows on rivers fed by mountain snowpack could increase throughout the week as snowmelt accelerates. River temperatures can still be in the 40-degree range and lakes aren’t that much warmer.

Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children and teens in Washington.

In 2011, there were 93 unintentional drowning deaths in Washington.

For more information, visit the King County river safety web page at www.kingcounty.gov/riversafety.