Chesapeake Bay health grade dips after hottest year on record and extreme rainfall patterns

The health of the Chesapeake Bay declined in an annual report card on the nation's largest estuary released Tuesday, with scientists noting the effect of extreme rainfall patterns during the hottest year on record. The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science gave the bay a C grade in its report card. “There was a substantial upturn in the overall Bay Health score in 2024, and it came down a little this year," said Heath Kelsey, director of UMCES Integration and Application Network.