Officials in New Hampshire and Maine are warning swimmers and boaters to heed water conditions in the wake of heavy rainfall and several tragedies and near tragedies.
New Hampshire Marine Patrol Sgt. Josh Dirth said Wednesday's inch of rainfall can bring debris into waterways, create undertows that weren't there before and will make water temperatures colder — which can diminish a swimmer's physical and mental faculties.
Last week, a 10-year-old boy and his stepfather drowned in the Merrimack River in Boscawen. A Lake Winnipesaukee boater also was found last week after his boat was found circling off Governor's Island Beach in Gilford during the previous weekend. And in Maine, two boys were rescued Tuesday from a rock after their tube flipped in the midst of a raging Little Androscoggin River.