Lake Powell has risen 20 feet since its September low, Reclamation data show

The numbers

Lake Powell stood at 3,537.11 feet above sea level on Nov. 5, about 20.5 feet higher than its Sept. 15 low of 3,516.62 feet, according to the Bureau of Reclamation's daily data. ^[1]

Over the same span, the water stored in the lake grew from about 5.07 million acre-feet to about 6.27 million acre-feet, a gain of about 1.19 million acre-feet. ^[1]

Most of the rise came in the past three weeks. The lake was at 3,519.79 feet on Oct. 15 and has climbed every day this month, gaining 1.22 feet from Nov. 4 to Nov. 5 alone. Inflow to the lake was about 53,300 cubic feet per second on Nov. 4 and about 47,900 on Nov. 5, the data show. ^[1]

Even so, the lake is lower than it was a year ago. On Nov. 5, 2025, it stood at 3,545.22 feet and held about 6.78 million acre-feet. ^[1]

Where the water came from

The water is runoff from the storms that flooded southeastern Utah and the Four Corners area in late October and early November. The San Juan River carried an unusually large share of it, KUTV reported. ^[2]

Runoff still working its way downstream could lift the lake several more feet, for a total rise of 23 to 25 feet from the September low, KUTV reported. Reservoirs on the Colorado River system usually rise in the spring snowmelt, not in the fall. ^[2]

At Page, Arizona, workers were repairing a boat ramp that the rising water had overtaken, FOX 13 reported. "There's a lot of people who depend on Lake Powell for their business," said Lisa Romrell of Lake Powell Guide Service. ^[3]

The long view

The fall surge does not end the Colorado River Basin's long-term water shortfall, and the lake remains well below full, KUTV reported. ^[2]