Lake Mead and Lake Powell

The first scene plots the surface elevation of the two largest reservoirs on the Colorado River. Lake Mead has daily records since February 1935. Lake Powell has daily records since December 1963. The Bureau of Reclamation publishes both records.

Both lakes peaked in July 1983. Both set new lows this fall.

Daily surface elevation of Lake Mead since 1935 and Lake Powell since 1963. Both peaked in July 1983 and set new lows in fall 2026.
The lake scene as a still: every daily elevation on record for both lakes. Open the still.

Lake Mead reached 1,037.16 feet on October 22, 2026. That is its lowest level since April 1937, when the lake was still filling. Lake Powell reached 3,516.62 feet on September 15, 2026. That is its lowest level since May 1968.

On October 31, Lake Mead was 187 feet below its 1983 peak. Lake Powell was 176 feet below its peak.

Surface elevation in feet above sea level, from Bureau of Reclamation daily records.
Lake1983 peak2026 lowLast this lowOctober 31, 2026
Lake Mead1,225.83
Jul 24		1,037.16
Oct 22		Apr 20, 19371,038.85
Lake Powell3,708.34
Jul 14		3,516.62
Sep 15		May 15, 19683,531.90

Below the earlier record lows

Before this year, Lake Mead’s lowest level since it filled was 1,040.58 feet, on July 28, 2022. In 2026 it was below that level on 87 days, between August 6 and October 31.

Lake Powell’s earlier low was 3,519.92 feet, on April 13, 2023. In 2026 it was below that level on 62 days, between August 15 and October 15.

Lowest level each year, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, 2000 to 2026Annual minimum surface elevation in feet below each lake's July 1983 peak. Lake Mead fell from 30 feet below its peak in 2000 to 189 feet below in 2026. Lake Powell fell from 38 feet below to 192 feet below. 2026 runs through October 31. Peak −50 ft −100 ft −150 ft −200 ft 2000 2010 2020 2026 Lake Mead, 2000: lowest 1,195.68 ft, 30 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2001: lowest 1,177.22 ft, 49 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2002: lowest 1,152.13 ft, 74 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2003: lowest 1,139.07 ft, 87 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2004: lowest 1,125.73 ft, 100 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2005: lowest 1,130.11 ft, 96 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2006: lowest 1,125.17 ft, 101 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2007: lowest 1,110.81 ft, 115 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2008: lowest 1,104.42 ft, 121 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2009: lowest 1,093.21 ft, 133 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2010: lowest 1,081.89 ft, 144 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2011: lowest 1,086.28 ft, 140 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2012: lowest 1,114.98 ft, 111 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2013: lowest 1,103.79 ft, 122 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2014: lowest 1,080.19 ft, 146 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2015: lowest 1,074.71 ft, 151 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2016: lowest 1,071.61 ft, 154 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2017: lowest 1,078.92 ft, 147 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2018: lowest 1,076.38 ft, 149 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2019: lowest 1,081.56 ft, 144 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2020: lowest 1,081.04 ft, 145 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2021: lowest 1,064.91 ft, 161 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2022: lowest 1,040.58 ft, 185 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2023: lowest 1,044.91 ft, 181 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2024: lowest 1,060.83 ft, 165 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2025: lowest 1,054.07 ft, 172 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Mead, 2026: lowest 1,037.16 ft, 189 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2000: lowest 3,669.89 ft, 38 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2001: lowest 3,656.17 ft, 52 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2002: lowest 3,620.10 ft, 88 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2003: lowest 3,597.22 ft, 111 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2004: lowest 3,564.42 ft, 144 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2005: lowest 3,555.10 ft, 153 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2006: lowest 3,588.66 ft, 120 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2007: lowest 3,594.64 ft, 114 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2008: lowest 3,588.24 ft, 120 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2009: lowest 3,609.70 ft, 99 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2010: lowest 3,618.62 ft, 90 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2011: lowest 3,609.70 ft, 99 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2012: lowest 3,609.82 ft, 99 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2013: lowest 3,584.43 ft, 124 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2014: lowest 3,574.21 ft, 134 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2015: lowest 3,589.82 ft, 119 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2016: lowest 3,591.14 ft, 117 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2017: lowest 3,593.85 ft, 114 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2018: lowest 3,581.85 ft, 126 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2019: lowest 3,568.51 ft, 140 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2020: lowest 3,582.21 ft, 126 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2021: lowest 3,537.33 ft, 171 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2022: lowest 3,522.24 ft, 186 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2023: lowest 3,519.92 ft, 188 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2024: lowest 3,558.21 ft, 150 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2025: lowest 3,540.31 ft, 168 ft below the 1983 peak Lake Powell, 2026: lowest 3,516.62 ft, 192 ft below the 1983 peak Mead −189 ft Powell −192 ft Lake Mead Lake Powell
The lowest daily level each year, in feet below each lake’s July 1983 peak. Both lakes use the same scale, so the drops compare directly. Hover over a line to see each year’s value.
Lowest daily surface elevation each year, in feet above sea level.
YearLake MeadLake Powell
20191,081.563,568.51
20201,081.043,582.21
20211,064.913,537.33
20221,040.583,522.24
20231,044.913,519.92
20241,060.833,558.21
20251,054.073,540.31
2026 (to Oct 31)1,037.163,516.62

How the lake scene is drawn

  • Lake Mead has 33,510 daily values, from February 2, 1935, through October 31, 2026. Lake Powell has 22,954 daily values, from December 28, 1963. Neither record has gaps.
  • Each lake keeps its own vertical datum and its own vertical scale. Lake Mead uses the project datum. Lake Powell uses NGVD 29.
  • The lines draw from the first record to the last. A bright point leads each line as it draws.
  • After the lines finish, a dashed line traces each 2026 low back to the last date the lake was that low. A ripple marks both ends.

Two reservoir systems as diagrams

The second scene does not use a map. Each reservoir in the Colorado and Columbia systems is a circle. Circle size shows capacity. The fill shows the share stored each month, from November 2025 through September 2026.

Lines join each reservoir to the next represented reservoir downstream. The links come from U.S. Geological Survey Network-Linked Data Index traces. They show inferred drainage. They do not follow river paths or show managed water transfers.

The Colorado system has 77 reservoirs and the Columbia system has 76. Combined storage uses the reservoirs with complete records: 76 in the Colorado system and 73 in the Columbia.

The Colorado system peaked at 36.6% in January. It fell every month after that, to 29.6% in September. The Columbia system rose to 83.0% in June and fell to 69.9% in September.

The Colorado and Columbia reservoir systems drawn as tree diagrams for September 2026. Circles are sized by capacity and filled by the share stored. Combined storage is 29.6% in the Colorado system and 69.9% in the Columbia. An amber line traces 12 reservoirs from Jackson Lake to Lake Celilo.
September 2026. The amber line traces the longest chain in the network.
Monthly mean storage as a share of combined capacity, for reservoirs with complete records.
MonthColorado systemColumbia system
November 202536.4%71.5%
December 202536.5%74.4%
January 202636.6%73.3%
February 202636.3%71.4%
March 202635.9%70.6%
April 202635.4%72.2%
May 202634.4%78.1%
June 202633.5%83.0%
July 202632.0%80.1%
August 202630.7%73.5%
September 202629.6%69.9%

The longest chain

The amber line is the longest chain in the network. It joins 12 reservoirs, from Jackson Lake in Wyoming to Lake Celilo on the Columbia River.

  1. Jackson Lake
  2. Palisades Reservoir
  3. American Falls Reservoir
  4. Lake Walcott
  5. Hells Canyon Reservoir
  6. Lower Granite Lake
  7. Lake Bryan
  8. Lake Herbert G. West
  9. Lake Sacajawea
  10. Lake Wallula
  11. Lake Umatilla
  12. Lake Celilo

How the diagrams are drawn

  • Each system is a tree. Its outlet sits at the bottom: Lake Mohave for the Colorado, and Lake Celilo for the Columbia.
  • Each reservoir sits one level above the next represented reservoir downstream.
  • At each reservoir, the upstream branch with the most total capacity continues straight up. This makes the main stem easy to follow. Smaller branches alternate to the left and right.
  • Circle area follows capacity. The fill rises like water in a gauge, the same way as the Day 1 storage map.
  • Labels name the five largest reservoirs in each system, the outlet, and the start of the longest chain.
  • Storage moves from one monthly mean to the next.

Data notes

  • The links connect reservoirs in the dataset only. Reservoirs outside the dataset can sit between two linked reservoirs.
  • A link means that one reservoir’s traced drainage area contains the other. It does not show a canal, a pipeline, or a managed transfer.
  • Combined storage uses only the reservoirs with all 11 monthly values: 76 of 77 in the Colorado system and 73 of 76 in the Columbia.
  • The Colorado system holds 66.3 million acre-feet of capacity. The Columbia system holds 42.5 million acre-feet.

Sources

Lake elevations come from Bureau of Reclamation daily records, through the Western Water Dashboard. Read the elevation data.

Storage comes from nine public providers. The links come from U.S. Geological Survey Network-Linked Data Index traces. Read the trace data.

Open Lake Celilo’s upstream view.

The figures use fixed data snapshots. Download the figure data.