Karen Bartunek
REGIONAL— Watch for rocks. That’s the best advice area marina operators can give right now as water levels have plunged in recent weeks to levels not seen in several years. It’s been one of the hottest and driest summers in the region in more than a decade, and those conditions have been intensified by the flash drought that began impacting the area over the past month.
Since late June, most local weather stations have reported less than half an inch of rain, during a period when normal rainfall amounts to nearly an inch a week. Hotter than normal weather has only increased the evaporation of water from lakes and streams, while transpiration from struggling plants has left soils exceedingly dry.