Heat has Midwest in hot water

http://www.usatoday.com/NEWS/usaedition/2012-08-01-Hot-water-_ST_U.htm

By Doyle Rice Aug. 1, 2012

Drought and scorching heat are warming lakes, streams and rivers in the Midwest and Plains to temperatures seldom seen before.

In Chicago, Lake Michigan hit 82 degrees in late July: "I can't remember a shoreline water temperature going any higher in my 35 years here," reports Chicago meteorologist Tom Skilling of WGN, "which means a reading any higher takes us into record territory."

A customer in western Illinois complained to the water department in Moline that her "cold" water was coming out warm: "She said she went to every water faucet in her house," says Moline water division general manager Greg Swanson, "and wondered if something was wrong with her pipes."

"It's pretty unbelievable," adds Swanson, who says he had never heard of such a complaint in his 35 years of working there. He says that at one point in late July the water temperature of the Mississippi River at Moline measured 91 degrees, the highest since records began in 1943.

By comparison, the water temperature in the Gulf of Mexico more than 1,200 miles to the south in Key West, Fla., was 87 Tuesday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Fish kills because of the warm water have been reported in Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Missouri.

"The hot, dry weather isn't just hard on humans, it's hard on fish, too," says Missouri Department of Conservation fisheries biologist Jake Allman.

"Most problems occur in ponds that are not deep enough for fish to retreat to cooler and more oxygen-rich water," Allman adds. "Hot water holds less oxygen than cool water. Shallow ponds get warmer than deeper ponds, and with little rain, area ponds are becoming shallower by the day. Evaporation rates are up to 11 inches per month in these conditions."

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http://www.kbzk.com/news/hot-temps-low-water-levels-lead-to-yellowstone-fishing-closures/

Hot temps, low water levels lead to Yellowstone fishing closures

Low stream flows and high temperatures are triggering fishing closures on some Yellowstone National Park rivers.

The following waterways will be closed to all fishing, starting Wednesday:

• Gibbon River below Gibbon Falls
• Firehole River below Keppler Cascades
• Madison River

"Hot air temperatures, limited rainfall, runoff from thermal features and below average stream flows have all resulted in high water temperatures in these rivers," according to the release from a park. "Water temperatures in the Gibbon River have been above 73 degrees most of the past two weeks, with water temperatures in the Firehole River above 78 degrees temperature."

Water temperatures this warm can be stressful and even fatal for trout.