The New York shores of Lake Champlain are listed in a moderate drought or abnormally dry, and water levels in the region’s lakes and rivers are nearing record lows.
The Lake Champlain Basin Program tracks lake levels and reports that the lake’s record low level was 92.4 feet in 1908. As of Thursday at 10 a.m. the National Weather Service reported Lake Champlain’s water was barely above that historical low, registering at just 93.3 feet.
National Weather Service Hydrologist Brooke Tabor says below-normal precipitation and drought is the primary cause.
“We’re about a foot below normal. With that said, we’re less than a foot above the all-time record low. So we’re actually closer to record level lows in the lake currently that we are closer to say average. And I think it’s a change from what we have seen in recent years because we’ve been having very wet summers in 2023 and 2024 and the levels in those years were much higher,” Tabor said.
Vermont State Climatologist Lesley-Anne Dupigny-Giroux says the region is in the midst of two types of drought.
“We have the shorter term drought that we call flash drought that started like late June into July. The other piece is that we are at the same time in a longer-term drought. Paradoxical as it seems, we’re both in a short-term as well as long-term drought at the same time,” Dupigny-Giroux said.
Lake Champlain Basin Program Chief Scientist Matthew Vaughn says it’s not unusual to see lower lake levels this time of year, but current levels are approaching records.
“The lake has dropped about 5 feet since early June of this year. At the same time, we are below the average for this time of year. So we’re below average for today’s date and it’s dropped a tremendous 5 feet since early June,” noted Vaughn.
Vaughn notes that as the water recedes, the new surface water warms, potentially stressing native species and diminishing the habitat of the lake’s cold water fishery.
As the lake level drops, more hidden features such as rocks, shoals and reefs appear. Charter and tour operators on Lake Champlain have seen a noticeable change.
3rd Alarm Charters is based in Vergennes, Vermont. Captain Matt Trombley says the lake levels have fluctuated dramatically this year.
“We were six inches shy of flood stage in May and it’s mindboggling to look at the ramps right now and how high the water was in mid-May to where we are now. It’s extreme. And all the boat mechanics are talking about it, the salvage companies,” Trombley said. “Boaters have to be on alert right now in watching their maps and their navigational units on their boats because it’s dangerous. You’ve really got to pay attention.”
West Shore Charters home port is in Peru, New York. Captain Bob Davies says lake levels are usually lower this time of year, but he’d like to see the current level a foot to a foot-and-a-half higher. He says it’s crucial that boaters refer to nautical charts.
“You really have to understand what’s out there. There’s a lot of reefs that come up very close to the surface and as the water goes down even more we’re starting to see a lot of boats going aground on certain areas. Hogback Reef, which is over near Colchester Reef, there’s been a series of boats that hit that because it’s just starting to poke out of the water,” Davies reported.
Lake Champlain is 120 miles long and up to 12 miles wide. Matthew Vaughn notes that billions of gallons of water would be needed to return the lake to its average water levels.
“To raise the lake about a foot, that would be a major storm event hitting much of the watershed. If we got it all at once that could cause flooding. But it could also take the form of just a rainier period,” noted Vaughn. “300 billion gallons of water raised the lake about 3 feet in the 2023 storm. So it’s an incredible amount of water.”
