Climate intelligence for the great outdoors.

# National Hydrology and Climate Report - June 9, 2026

The nation faces a stark hydrological divide as summer begins, with catastrophic reservoir depletion gripping the Central Plains while major rivers surge across the Midwest and South. Kansas reservoirs have collapsed to crisis levels—Tuttle Creek Lake holds just half its normal capacity at 532,300 acre-feet (49% of average), while Milford and Perry Lakes near Junction City face similarly dire straits at 37% of normal storage. This agricultural heartland drought extends into Oklahoma, where Lake Hudson has plummeted to 35% of typical levels. Meanwhile, Texas presents a paradox: East Texas reservoirs like Toledo Bend have swollen to 24 times normal capacity following relentless spring precipitation, even as South Texas water supplies at Lake Corpus Christi and Choke Canyon have withered to barely one-quarter of historical averages. The Ohio River at Old Shawneetown is carrying 259,000 cubic feet per second—among the highest flows recorded this year—while the St. Johns River in Jacksonville maintains exceptional discharge at 152,000 cfs, complicating navigation and threatening coastal infrastructure.

**Critical Conditions:**
- **Central Plains Emergency**: Three major Kansas reservoirs (Tuttle Creek, Milford, Perry) at 37-50% capacity, threatening municipal water supplies and summer irrigation
- **Texas Water Crisis**: South Texas reservoirs critically low (Lake Corpus Christi at 82% below normal) while East Texas experiences extreme flooding—Toledo Bend Reservoir at 2,330% of average storage
- **River Flood Concerns**: Ohio River and Upper Mississippi maintaining elevated flows through mid-June; Minnesota River basin experiencing significant runoff with Jordan gauge at 16,900 cfs
- **Wildfire Convergence**: Active fire in Cibola National Forest coincides with severe drought across Southwest; California Wine Country blaze has consumed 362 acres with Highway 128 closed
- **Hurricane Season Uncertainty**: National Weather Service in operational transition as Atlantic hurricane season begins, raising coordination concerns as flash flood warnings remain active across northeast Kansas and southern Kentucky counties