MASSIVE Flooding Just Changed Lake Powell..

Did the recent Southwest floods help Lake Powell? After months of drought and falling water levels, heavy September rainfall across the Colorado River Basin brought a surprising change. Lake Powell started rising again. Between September 15 and October 7, 2026, Lake Powell gained approximately 133,000 acre feet of water and rose about 2.4 feet. That’s a larger rise than the lake experienced during the 2026 spring snowmelt season. But where did all that water come from? And did the recent storms make a real difference? In this Lake Powell drought update, we follow the San Juan River, Green River, and Colorado River to see how recent rainfall affected the region. We also look at flash floods in the desert washes and side canyons around Lake Powell. Using real USGS river gauge data, rainfall reports, and Lake Powell water level records, we examine how the rivers responded to the September 2026 storms and what happened to the reservoir. Despite the recent rise, Lake Powell remains around 22% full. The Southwest received much needed rain, but the Colorado River water shortage is far from over. * Lake Powell water level update — October 2026 * Southwest flooding and heavy rainfall * San Juan River, Green River, and Colorado River * Flash floods Lake Powell’s side canyons * How much water is in Lake Powell * Why is Lake Powell so low * What the recent storms mean for the Colorado River drought Sources and water data: USGS River Gauges: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ Bureau of Reclamation — Lake Powell Water Levels: https://www.usbr.gov/rsvrWater/rsv40Day.html?reservoirtype=Reservoir&siteid=919 Western Water Assessment: https://wwa.colorado.edu/resources/intermountain-west-dashboard Subscribe to Desert Rat Explorations for more Lake Powell water level updates, Colorado River news, Lake Mead drought coverage, Southwest geology, and on the ground exploration. #LakePowell #ColoradoRiver #SouthwestFlooding