HydroStatus

Lake Mead Water Level

2026-09-14: 1,038.72 ft — the 3rd-lowest elevation for this calendar date in 92 years of daily record (back to Hoover Dam's first fill in 1935).

Elevation
1,038.72 ft
−0.21 ft in 7 d
Vs. one year ago
−18.22 ft
same date last year
Vs. yesterday
−0.06 ft
24-hour change
Release
7,054 cfs
USBR's Mead feed has no inflow series, so net flow can't be computed · 2026-09-15

Weather at the lake

Now / forecast · Boulder Basin
86°F
today 99° / 84° · tmrw 97° / 79°
Open-Meteo model forecast, fetched at build
Latest observed · Las Vegas (Harry Reid Intl)
114° / 94°
high / low on 2026-07-24 · NOAA GHCN station USW00023169 (~35 mi west of the lake; the lakeside stations (Callville Bay, Boulder City) stopped reporting in 2011/2004)
Storage
6.89 maf
as of 2026-09-14

Where it's headed: USBR projections

1,000 1,020 1,040 1,060 202620272028 Level 1 shortage trigger (1,075 ft) Level 2 shortage trigger (1,050 ft) Level 3 shortage trigger (1,025 ft) Observed Maximum Probable (May 2026)Most Probable (July 2026)Minimum Probable (Jul 2026)
USBR 24-Month Study end-of-month elevation scenarios — three separate model runs with different hydrologic assumptions and issue dates, not a statistical range. Dashed lines: shortage-tier triggers from the 2007 Interim Guidelines (in force through 2026).
MonthMaximum Probable (May 2026)Minimum Probable (Jul 2026)Most Probable (July 2026)
2026-10 1,040.141,036.731,037.26
2026-11 1,038.461,035.291,035.86
2026-12 1,039.621,037.11,037.31
2027-01 1,042.171,039.361,039.75
2027-02 1,043.641,041.411,041.68
2027-03 1,043.481,037.081,037.95
2027-04 1,040.471,029.961,031.61
2027-05 1,036.11,021.521,023.95
2027-06 1,034.61,015.121,018.3
2027-07 1,036.911,012.661,016.29
2027-08 1,041.081,012.621,016.57
2027-09 1,042.281,011.141,015.45

Projected end-of-month elevations (ft), next 12 months, from the USBR 24-Month Study. The shortage tier for each year is set by the projected January 1 elevation: below 1,075 ft triggers Level 1, below 1,050 Level 2, below 1,025 Level 3 (2007 Interim Guidelines, expiring after 2026 — successor rules are being negotiated now).

Last five years

1,040 1,060 20222023202420252026 Level 1 shortage trigger (1,075 ft) Level 2 shortage trigger (1,050 ft) Level 3 shortage trigger (1,025 ft) Dead pool (895 ft)
Daily pool elevation, USBR. Dashed lines are source-verified operating thresholds: shortage-tier triggers per the 2007 Interim Guidelines.

Full record, 1935–present

800 1,000 1,200 19361948196019721984199620082020 Level 1 shortage trigger (1,075 ft) Level 2 shortage trigger (1,050 ft) Level 3 shortage trigger (1,025 ft) Dead pool (895 ft)
Monthly mean elevation since Hoover Dam closure — 90+ years of daily data, computed from USBR records.

Boat access

Launch pointBasinOfficial NPS status
Hemenway HarborBoulder BasinOperable with delays (NPS status page, updated 2025-05-29); ramp-extension construction from June 2025 causes launch delays
South CoveGregg BasinOpen via 0.5-mile gravel road off the concrete ramp; 'the concrete launch ramp itself is out of the water due to currently low lake levels' (NPS listing)
Callville BayBoulder BasinMarina services operate; see NPS for current launch status
Echo BayOverton ArmPrimitive visitor access per the low-water access plan; see NPS for current launch status
Temple BarTemple BasinMarina services operate; see NPS for current launch status
Boulder HarborBoulder BasinClosed to launching and retrieval due to low water levels (NPS place page)

NPS's Sustainable Low Water Access Plan (finding issued 2023-11-16) focuses boat launching at Hemenway Harbor, Callville Bay, Echo Bay, Temple Bar and South Cove, with the stated goal of maintaining 'recreational motorboat access in the event water declines to 950 feet.' Statuses snapshotted 2026-07-28 from NPS Lake Mead NRA. Unlike Glen Canyon, NPS publishes no per-ramp minimum elevations for Lake Mead, so we show official status only — always check NPS before towing a boat out.

Records

DefinitionElevation (ft)Date
full-series daily min6701935-02-02
full-series daily max1,225.831983-07-24
since-2000 daily min1,038.652026-09-11
since-2000 daily max1,214.412000-02-06

Every record states its definition; full-series extremes include the 1935–1941 initial fill. Deep-dive features (projections, thresholds, boat ramps) arrive on this page after Lake Powell — see methodology.