The fourteenth annual 'Day in the Life of the Hudson River' was threatened by rain predictions for the region. While most samplers had dry skies, rain hit several locations by lunchtime, and our Mohawk site sampled in steady rainfall and sought shelter under a bridge (above center photo). Overall the Hudson Valley has been experiencing a drought with rainfall well below average throughout the entire sampling area. The drought has effects on the Hudson River including Atlantic Ocean salt pushed fiurther upriver than is normal for this time of year. The saltfront, 100 ppm chloride, was found up past Poughkeepsie at ~ RM 83 (see standardized salinity sheet), >20 miles above Newburgh Bay where we often find it at this time of year. In the fourteen years of 'Day in the Life' events it approached this region of the estuary on one other event, in 2007, when it was located five miles south of this at ~RM 78. Salt loving fish species moved further upriver with the saltwater. Bluefish were netted as far up as RM 60 at Beacon Long Dock! The lack of rain has also meant lower turbidity with less runoff from the Mohawk and Upper Hudson to bring sediments and nutrients down. The DEC fisheries team has recorded lower fish counts leading up to the'Day in the Life' event which was also reflected in lower counts from many of our sampling sites.