Lake Mead water levels have leaped more than half a foot since last weekend when a moisture-laden winter storm hit the Southwest.
Torrential rain from an offshore Pacific storm made landfall in Southern California last Thursday. The storm then traveled eastward to bring snow and rain to New Mexico and other Southwestern regions. Oxnard, California, received a month's worth of rain when more than 3 inches fell in only an hour, and several other Southern California municipalities also received rain.
The storm boosted water levels at several Southern California reservoirs, and Lake Mead rose approximately half a foot over the weekend. As of Wednesday, Lake Mead water levels were at 1,067.77 feet, although National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Jenn Varian told Newsweek the change likely wasn't from the winter storm.
Last Friday, the Las Vegas region only received .06 inches of rain from the weekend storm. It's the only rain the area has received in December, which is below average. Average month-to-date rainfall totals are .35 inches.
Varian, who is with the NWS in Las Vegas, said it's more likely that Lake Mead rose because officials released water from Lake Powell upstream. Regardless of the reason, Lake Mead has improved since it reached drastically low levels last summer. The lake has blown past 2022 water levels by more than 20 feet, and earlier this month, it reached another milestone when it surpassed 2021 levels for the first time this year.
More good news could be in store for the lake, as Varian said that more rain might be on the way.
"Over the next eight to 14 days, the Climate Prediction Center does have us leaning toward above-average precipitation," she said.
The area is a "bit too far north" to benefit strongly from any wet weather patterns produced by El Niño, a climate pattern that typically produces wet weather in the Southwestern U.S. However, AccuWeather's winter precipitation forecast for Lake Mead is normal or below normal.
Lake Mead levels began rising in April after an abnormally wet winter that produced above-average snowfall. The reservoir passed 2022's levels in May and was aided by several storms, including Tropical Storm Hilary, which battered California and the Southwest in August. Rising levels began to slow in September and have held steady before increasing again at the end of November. Since December began, the lake has added nearly 3 feet to its levels.
Despite its improvement, the lake still has more than 160 feet to go to make a full recovery. University of California, Davis, professor Jay Lund previously told Newsweek that the lake will never make a full recovery until people reduce their water use.
About the writer
Anna Skinner is a Newsweek senior reporter based in Indianapolis. Her focus is reporting on the climate, environment and weather ... Read more
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