05/31/2025
Water Temperature on Geneva Lake: Today’s water temperature is 59 degrees. If you’re wondering how that stacks up against other years for the same time period, the short answer is “chilly.” Last year on May 31, the water temperature was recorded as 64 degrees. And five years ago, the temp on the last day of May came in at 60 degrees. The warmest year for May 31 over the past five years was 2023 when the temp registered a balmy 68 degrees.
Meteorologists have declared that this May has been the coldest on record for our area since 1997. That would lead us to guess at a slightly lower water temperature than what we currently see. However, Geneva Lake had an earlier than normal ice-thaw this Spring, giving the water a bit of a jump-start in the seasonal warming process. Bottom line is we’re about 5 degrees lower than last year’s mark, and a few degrees below the 5-year average. A summer heat wave could change all of that rather quickly, and we could see temps rising soon.
Cold Water safety: The concern with cold water is that it can lead to hypothermia for people who decide to go swimming, wake surfing, tubing, etc. Hypothermia can become serious or even fatal if not checked. Signs of hypothermia include.
• Shivering.
• Slurred speech or mumbling.
• Slow, shallow breathing.
• Weak pulse.
• Clumsiness or lack of coordination.
• Drowsiness or very low energy.
• Confusion or memory loss.
• Loss of consciousness.
• In infants, bright red, cold skin.
Use caution in cold water, and if you must go in, don’t stay in for long periods of time. If swimming off of a boat, please remember to “Clip Before You Dip,’ and fasten that lifejacket before entering the water.
