Woman left screaming after dipping her hand in 78-degree Yellowstone thermals

A tourist got more than they bargained for when they decided to dip their hand in one of Yellowstone's hot springs.

I mean, the clue is in the name really, 'hot' springs, so it shouldn't have really come as much of a surprise.

According to the the National Park Service, the pools at Yellowstone in Wyoming reach an average temperature of around 78C, so they're pretty toasty.

And a video doing the rounds on social media captured the moment one visitor to the world famous national park decided to get a little too close to one of them.

In the clip, the unnamed woman can be seen sliding down to the water while her friend holds her hand.

She then places her other hand into the pool before almost immediately pulling it out again after realising her mistake.

Instagram/caveman_mackenzie

After standing back up, she races off into the distance, screaming: “Hot! It’s very hot!”

In the caption of the post shared to Instagram, the user explains what was said between the person who filmed the clip - @caveman_mackenzie - and the tourist moments before they decided to go for a quick dip.

They said: “I told him that was a bad idea and they shouldn’t get off the boardwalk. His response was, 'Whatever man'. So I hit record."

And they weren't the only ones with very little sympathy for the person involved.

Taking to the comments, there were plenty who felt it was a fairly large slice of karma.

“The person who touched the water shouted ‘it’s hot’ afterwards as if the f**king steam didn’t give it away," said one user. "I wonder if she ever touched a hot stove as a kid?”

Instagram/caveman_mackenzie

Another commented: “‘It’s hot!’ If only there was a sign telling them that! Since the steam and boiling water wasn’t enough."

While someone else added: “I wish people understood that it’s not just about the risk their [sic] making of their own lives, but they’re also interfering with a delicate ecosystem.

“If you can’t enjoy things in a look but not touch fashion when it’s appropriate, you’re not mature enough to vacation in places like this. Just go to Vegas or something.”

In the past, a number of people have actually died after falling into the hot springs at the park. And in an official notice, Yellowstone National Park warns visitors of the dangers.

“Water in hot springs can cause severe or fatal burns, and scalding water underlies most of the thin, breakable crust around hot springs,” it says on the park website.