Drought

It's amazing how dry it is outside. These are conditions typically seen in the spring time, not during the middle of summer. We have not seen a significant rainfall since early July. To be exact, the last significant rainfall we picked up was during the hailstorm. And you can tell we haven't had much rain, because the grass is brown. It crunches when you walk on it. In the shady areas, it's still fairly green, but even that is starting to brown up as well. At least it will get people from having to mow their lawns much the rest of the season. To be honest, I think any amount of rain we receive between now and the first snowfall will not save the grass until next season. It's just too dry and we are quickly coming upon the end of summer.

The lack of rainfall is having a negative effect on recreation. Even prior to this drought, the lakes and streams around here were low. As of this spring, Lake Superior was eight inches above a previous record low water level reached years before. It is expected we will reach and surpass that mark this fall. Boats are having a hard time manuevering in and out of harbors. Communities are trying to apply for grants that will help them dredge their harbors; otherwise they will have to close. Money is tight in the state of Michigan and communities just can't afford to dredge harbors with the money coming out of their own pockets. Docks are having to be placed further out in the water in order for boats to safely moor. People that once had beautiful lakefront property are now beginning to see more and more land as the water retreats out further in the lakes. The big question is, when will the drought end?

Even though we've had very little rain, the weather this summer has been absolutely beautiful. We've had many days in the 80's and 90's and sunshine for most. Even on those cloudy days, the temperatures have been warm. But during those cloudy days, it hasn't rained. Rather unusual for this time of year. Typically when a cold front pushes through, we get thunderstorms to drop decent rains. But every front that has moved through, it's been dry. The only noticable difference in the weather has been cooler temps and drier humidites. But it has provided no rain and no relief from the drought. Most of the Upper Peninsula is classified as being in an "extreme drought." Wild fires continue to pop up in much of the region; although thankfully, the majority of them have remained fairly small. The biggest fire in the Upper Peninsula in the last 30 years has been the Sleeper Lake Fire in Luce County that has burned over 18,000 acres. It is now about 60% contained, but with the low humidies and strong Northerly wind of the past few days, it could quickly start up again. The thing we need the most right now is a nice, steady rain that lasts for a couple of days. At least it would provide for a nice, soaking rain.

There doesn't appear to be much relief in sight. Tuesday and Wednesday of next week are looking like days that could provide for some promising rains, although like much of the summer, they'll probably only bring scattered showers and produce a little over a few drops. What we need is a rainy period of weather this fall to help saturate things. Or, as much as I hate to say it, a cold and snowy winter that provides for significant ice cover over Lake Superior and lots of snow for the Northern Great Lakes. Ice cover would help prevent water from evaporating out of Lake Superior during the winter months. Then, all of the melting ice and snow would end up in area lakes and streams, bringing water levels back to where they should be. Let's hope for a change in weather patterns soon, otherwise it could be a destructive fall season around here (more fires).