Lake Mead Is Still Rising, Could It Reach 2021 Levels?

A chart shows that Lake Mead has risen nearly 20 feet over its lowest point last year, and the lake is inching closer to 2021 water levels every day.

After years of drought, Lake Mead, which is located in Nevada and Arizona, reached drastically low levels last summer, but the water levels have started to recover after a wet winter. Water has continued to rise as an above-average snowpack melted throughout the 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. A wet winter and an above-average snowfall have since supplemented the lake's levels, and the most updated lake levels chart shows that Lake Mead has blown past 2022 water levels by 20 feet. The comparisons have spurred hope for recovery, but it is uncertain if Lake Mead will rise much more this summer.

As of Monday, Lake Mead surpassed 1,060 feet, putting it only seven feet behind water levels documented on July 24, 2021. The chart shows that for the last month, the lake has risen more than an inch per day on average. However, despite its recovery, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Dave Houk told Newsweek that it is unlikely that Lake Mead water levels will rise much higher from rain and snowpack run-off this year.

At its current rate, Lake Mead gains roughly a foot of water per week. A heat wave gripping the U.S. Southwest and a lack of precipitation are slowing the rate at which Lake Mead water levels are increasing. Houk said he expects water levels at Lake Mead to start falling within the next two weeks and then continue to decline until the wet season begins in November.

However, upstream water release—such as that from Lake Powell—has the potential to impact Lake Mead's water levels. Water release is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. If officials decide to release more water from Lake Powell, then Lake Mead water levels may continue to rise.

Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation by email for comment.

The last five years of data show that each year, Lake Mead water levels begin to decline starting in the early spring. Drought and rising temperatures in the summer usually exacerbate the decline each year. In 2022, the rate at which water levels were falling increased, and experts feared that the lake could reach dead pool, in which levels are so low that water can no longer flow downstream.

However, a year later, there is a hopeful outlook for the reservoir because it has continued to rise throughout the summer.

Houk told Newsweek that it is uncommon for Lake Mead to still be rising this late into the year.

"We did have a good spring run-off," Houk said. "In 2022 and 2021, [Lake Mead water levels] started their downturn much earlier in the spring. Lake Mead has been rising from May into July because of the tremendous amount of snow and run-off."