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KCSO search and rescue teams battle "Killer" Kern River during holiday weekend

River takes 3 lives, crews manage to rescue 20
Deadly weekend at the Kern River
Local rafting group rescues little boy in the Kern River
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The Kern County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Crews were busy all weekend as hundreds of people made their way to the Kern River to celebrate Memorial Day Weekend.

 

The worst fear for Kern County: search-and-rescue becoming a reality. While the river, also known as the “Killer” Kern, took three more lives, as many as 20 people were saved.

 

On Saturday, a 40-year-old man fell out of a boat while rafting in Tulare County.

 

On Sunday, the body of a 47-year-old woman was recovered near Hart Park a day after the boat carrying her and 5 others was swept away.

 

On Monday, a man in his mid-40s was recovered near Lake Isabella after he was rafting on Sunday evening.

 

 

Officials say that the river conditions pose an even greater danger during the summer as a lot of snow melts in the higher elevations. 

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Day

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Precip

Wednesday

01/28/2026

Partly Cloudy

61° / 39°

2%

Thursday

01/29/2026

Sunny

60° / 40°

7%

Friday

01/30/2026

Partly Cloudy

65° / 43°

6%

Saturday

01/31/2026

Mostly Sunny

69° / 47°

3%

Sunday

02/01/2026

Mostly Sunny

69° / 47°

1%

Monday

02/02/2026

Partly Cloudy

62° / 45°

12%

Tuesday

02/03/2026

Sunny

63° / 44°

5%

Wednesday

02/04/2026

Sunny

68° / 45°

2%