The Colorado River reservoir has climbed from its September low, but the region’s long-running drought is not over.
Read the storyNovember 8, 2026, at 9 a.m. Central time.
Lake Powell has risen more than 20 feet from its mid-September low after storms sent water through the drought-stricken Southwest, a hydrologist told The Associated Press.
The rise offers a measure of relief for a reservoir that stores Colorado River water along the Utah-Arizona border. It came at a serious cost: late-October and early-November flooding forced evacuations and damaged communities across the region.
University of Colorado hydrologist Martin Hoerling told AP the rise since mid-September exceeded the lake's gains from this year's snowmelt. Even after the increase, AP reported that Lake Powell was just over one-quarter full. As of Friday, 15 of 17 boat launches remained unusable, the outlet reported.
An increase in water elevation is not the same as a percentage increase in the amount stored: the shape of a reservoir affects how much water each foot represents. The Bureau of Reclamation maintains historical records for the lake.
Other communities saw local water supplies improve. Flagstaff water production manager Brian Huntzinger told AP that Upper Lake Mary had gained more than 3 billion gallons since early October. In Pagosa Springs, Colorado, local officials lifted water restrictions after storms, AP reported.
The storms did not end the region's longer-term drought or settle how Colorado River water will be divided. A Bureau of Reclamation spokesperson told AP that conditions had improved but considerable uncertainty remained.
Utah State University professor Jack Schmidt told AP that federal managers are unlikely to change reservoir releases until they know more about the winter snowpack, which usually peaks around April. The next winter's snowfall and runoff will help determine how durable this reprieve proves.
Mid-September: Lake Powell reached the low point used in the comparison. Late October–early November: heavy rain and flooding swept through parts of the Southwest. November 8: AP reported a rise of more than 20 feet from that September low. These are reporting periods, not a claim that the full rise happened in one storm.
The star marks the approximate Lake Powell area on the Utah-Arizona border, not a specific measurement site.
Associated Press via WRAL · Bureau of Reclamation reservoir records · Associated Press on regional floods.
Hero and thumbnail: conceptual editorial illustration, not a photograph. Map data: OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
