After steadily climbing all year, Lake Mead's water levels have hit an unexpected milestone.
Lake Mead, which is in Nevada and Arizona, reached drastically low levels last summer after years of drought, but water levels have since started to recover because of above-average precipitation and snowpack that have melted this summer. Stunning photos comparing this year's levels to those of 2022 have abounded on social media, including how the rising levels again submerged a previously sunken boat that was revealed during the drought.
The lake has blown past 2022 water levels by more than 20 feet, and last Saturday, Lake Mead reached another milestone when it surpassed 2021 levels for the first time this year, a feat AccuWeather senior meteorologist Dave Houk previously told Newsweek was unlikely to happen given forecast trends.
Lake Mead has continued to rise, and as of Friday, water levels are at 1,065.58 feet, compared to 2021 levels of 1,065.16 feet.
The recent boost came from an atmospheric river that hit the Pacific Northwest last weekend and moved across the region upstream of Lake Mead, AccuWeather meteorologist Alex DaSilva told Newsweek.
"The Lake Mead watershed includes the Colorado River, portions of Utah and even portions of southwest Wyoming," DaSilva said. "Even if where Lake Mead itself is located in southern Nevada doesn't see much rain, water levels can still rise if you're getting water upstream, and I think that's what we saw."
DaSilva also told Newsweek that the Wasatch Mountains in Utah and western Colorado's Rocky Mountains saw above-average precipitation the last two weeks, which contributed to Lake Mead's water level increase.
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 that battered California and the Southwest in August. Rising levels began to slow in September and have held steady before increasing slightly again over the last week.
Lake Mead is in a drastically improved position compared to this time last year when it struggled with severe drought, but it still has more than 160 feet to go to make a full recovery. Some experts like University of California, Davis professor Jay Lund previously told Newsweek that the lake will never make a full recovery unless humans reduce their water use.
Despite its recent milestone, Lake Mead water levels still aren't expected to substantially improve until the spring, when snow begins to melt and run into the Colorado River, which then supplements the reservoir. The reservoir still has 15 feet to go before surpassing 2020 levels, and even further to surpass 2019 levels.
The National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NOAA) recently predicted the region would receive higher-than-average snowfall due to El Niño, but AccuWeather's winter precipitation forecast for Lake Mead is normal or below normal.
El Niño is one of two climate patterns that greatly impact the Earth's weather. La Niña recently culminated in the spring. El Niño started in June, with NOAA identifying it as having high odds of being historically strong.
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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