This is remarkable to me! We are pulling a complete 180 this year on Lake Champlain as we had record high water levels in 2011 (topping 103.2' above sea level), to near record low levels this year. While we have not actually reached a record, we are coming mighty close. And with very little rain in the forecast, we'll probably keep watching the lake lower throughout the summer (but I won't speak too soon as anything could happen with weather in the coming months).
As of Saturday evening, July 21, 2012, the lake level gage at Rouses Point, New York was at 94.92' (above sea level). The forecast was for the lake level to continue to fall to 94.8' by Tuesday (roughly a fall rate of .4" per day). Click here for the latest lake level at Rouses Point, NY.
The 2 lowest levels recorded on Lake Champlain at this location were:
(1) 92.17 ft on 10/23/1941
(2) 94.41 ft on 09/28/2000
Unfortunately, that's all the data I have online at Advanced Hydrological Prediction Center to see if this ranks anywhere in the top 10 or perhaps top 5 lowest levels.
For the Burlington gage, the lake level as of Saturday evening was 94.98'. Click here to view the current lake level at the King Street Dock in Burlington. I believe the lowest recorded level was 92.61' (according to the Lake Champlain Lake Level climatology chart)
Compared to the average lake level, this is rather low, as the average for mid-late July is nearer 96.2 feet.
Check out the great photo sent in by user mar768 on Fox44's Share Your Voice photo sharer of the difference of water levels on the lake from this year to last year (lower left hand side photo). Share Your Voice is Fox 44's newest way to share YOUR photos with the newsroom and all other website visitors! Share your breaking news, weather, sports, or anyday photos today!
