Climate intelligence for the great outdoors.

As hurricane season officially begins, the nation faces a tale of two water crises that will shape outdoor recreation and emergency preparedness through summer. In Texas, a catastrophic reservoir shortage threatens major metropolitan areas: Eagle Mountain Reservoir near Fort Worth sits at just 27% of normal capacity, while critical water supplies including Lake Tawakoni, Richland-Chambers, and Lake Fork reservoirs operate at 50-64% of historical averages. South Texas faces even grimmer conditions, with Choke Canyon and Lake Corpus Christi—vital for agricultural and municipal needs—hovering near 27-67% of typical levels. Meanwhile, Kansas reservoirs including Tuttle Creek, Milford, and Perry Lakes operate at roughly one-third capacity, signaling severe drought conditions across the southern Plains that will severely restrict boating, fishing, and water-based recreation throughout peak summer months.

Conversely, the Mississippi River basin experiences exceptional high flows that present both flooding concerns and navigation challenges. The Ohio River at Old Shawneetown reports 259,000 cubic feet per second—among the highest flows recorded—while the Mississippi itself maintains elevated levels from Minnesota through Louisiana, with readings above 23,900 cfs at St. Paul. These conditions, combined with the White River system in Arkansas running at 43,800 cfs at Batesville, create hazardous conditions for river recreation while benefiting commercial barge traffic. The stark contrast becomes more urgent as forecasters predict a below-normal Atlantic hurricane season due to strong El Niño conditions, yet emergency management officials from Florida to Texas emphasize that coastal communities remain vulnerable regardless of storm frequency—particularly given the depleted reservoir conditions that could complicate post-storm recovery efforts and the elevated river stages that reduce flood absorption capacity across the nation's midsection.