Environment

There’s probably as many or more bass being caught at night now as there are in the daytime because it’s been so ‘dadblamed’ hot. A lot of folks are waiting for the temperature to cool down into the low 80s or high 70s in the evening before they head out on the water. The lake level is holding at around 359 feet — if only because of the afternoon thunderstorms they’ve been having in Tennessee and north Alabama — and they’re not pulling much water at the dam.

While most farmers can expect reduced yields this year, beekeepers look forward to a bumper honey crop. Flowering plants produce thicker nectar when moisture is scarce, and that makes a bee’s job a little easier. 

The National Drought Mitigation Center has upgraded much of western Kentucky to “exceptional drought” status. Climatologist Brian Fuchs says exceptional drought, or D4, is the highest drought level. It’s characterized by widespread crop loss and water restrictions in some places.

United States Department of Agriculture officials are trying to get a better feel for the damage the drought has done to crops in the region.