The mighty Mississippi is so low, people are walking to a unique rock formation rarely accessible by

[SheltieLover]

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2022/10/15/weather/mississippi-river-low-water-tower-rock-climate/index.html

(CNN)Tower Rock -- a massive island in the middle of the Mississippi River south of St. Louis -- is typically surrounded by water and only accessible by boat. But as severe drought spreads across the Midwest and pushes river levels to record lows, people can now reach the rock formation on foot.

"The river has dropped low enough that you can walk over to Tower Rock and not get your feet wet or muddy," Missouri resident Jeff Biget told CNN. "I only remember being able to do this one other time in my life."

Tower Rock can be reached on foot when the water level is below 1.5 feet at the Chester, Illinois, river gauge, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. The gauge dropped to around zero on Thursday and shows no sign of significant recovery in the forecast.

More than 55% of the contiguous United States is in drought, according to the US Drought Monitor, which is the largest area since April. And more than 133 million people live in those drought-stricken areas; the biggest population affected since 2016.

More at link.

[cilla4progress]

1. Where is all the water going?

We were taught way back in the previous century that all the earth's water was in a closed system essentially - from terrestrial water bodies to the atmosphere and back.

[rubbersole]

2. The headwaters need rain to feed the mighty Mississippi.

[intheflow]

3. Redistributed as extreme weather elsewhere.

The Earth is a closed system but it’s huge. No guarantee water in one place will continue to fall in that same place.