Low water levels at area lakes
A recent drought report shows Tennessee as abnormally dry just ahead of a long stretch of dry weather expected this summer. According to the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers, many lakes in the Cumberland River Basin are at levels below normal and Percy Priest Lake is at its lowest level since 1986. Similar conditions brought severe drought to Tennessee in 2007 and 2008. In late 2007, Normandy Lake was 15 feet below normal. The lake is currently two feet below where it was in the spring of 2007. According to National Weather Service forecasters, June, July and August are expected to be hotter than normal. How much rain will fall remains an open-ended question. With levels nearing drought, area crops could be greatly impacted. A warmer, drier spring dried out much of the soil and when the weather is warm and dry too early for too long fewer people reap the benefits of homegrown goods.
