“2012 was just tallied as the hottest year on record, and U.S. climatologists predict a continued rise in average temperatures in coming years. Precipitation in the Michigan-Huron basin in 2012 was at 87 percent of its long-term average. Although the drought is expected to let up near Lake Michigan, parts of the Midwest will likely stay in severe drought conditions into the coming summer. The Mississippi River is currently barely holding off a shipping shut-down as it nears its own record low south of St. Louis.
The water will likely go back up in spring and summer, as it does every year; late winter is generally the lowest time in the lakes’ yearly cycle. But another summer of extreme heat or drought, and this winter’s woes will seem like kid stuff.”
-Lewis Wallace on WBEZ91.5.org
Tags: Climate Change, drought, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, MI, Michigan, Rivers, Shipping
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