Exposed riverbeds are showing up where feet of water should be along the Catawba River, and for the first time in nearly two decades, all of the communities along the river are entering stage two drought protocols.
One thing that’s changed since the last time the drought was this bad: a big change in the region’s population.
Channel 9 Climate Reporter Michelle Alfini spotted the water receding away from a pier that’s usually floating in the Catawba River at Kevin Loftin Park in Belmont. Folks nearby say it hasn’t been this dry in nearly 20 years.
“This is normally shallow, I’ve never been able to see land over here, though,” said Jessica McPhee…