Lake Shasta is rising after a series of atmospheric rivers dumped up to a foot of rain in the area.
Not counting runoff, storms dropped 7 to 12 inches of rain across all areas of the Lake District from Dec. 19, the start of a series of wet winter storms, through Christmas Eve afternoon, said Katrina Hand, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento. If you put a rain gauge out on December 20, she said, this is what you would see.
Rainwater also drains from land into the lake, and water levels rose 8.74 feet in four days: from just over 994 feet on Dec. 19 to nearly 1,003 feet on Tuesday, Dec. 23, according to the California Department of Water Resources.
Hand said forecasters expect another 3-4 inches of water levels to increase between Christmas Eve and Friday, Dec. 26, so water will continue to flow into Lake Shasta.
According to the California Department of Water Resources, there is still plenty of room in the state’s largest reservoir. On Tuesday, Lake Shasta reached 64 percent water level, an increase of 5 percent from before the storm began to roll through Shasta County. The water level in Shasta Lake must rise to 1,061 feet to reach the summit.
But December is Redding’s wettest month on average, and the lake is fuller than usual, according to the weather service. Water data shows that reservoirs held 11% more water on December 23 than usual.
Aerial view of Shasta Lake and dam on May 9, 2024 in Shasta County, California. At this time, the reservoir storage capacity is 4,380,600 acre feet (AF), accounting for 96% of total capacity. Operated by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation, Shasta Dam carries water from the Sacramento River over 35 miles to form lakes and control floods, while providing water for irrigation, municipal and industrial use, wildlife habitat maintenance and power generation.
How much water is there in Trinity Lake Reservoir?
Trinity Lake is a body of water that is filling slowly, with the water level reaching 77% on Tuesday.
That’s 130% of the historical average on Dec. 23, according to water department data.
On December 19, Trinity’s ratings were 74%, which was 126% of the day’s normal ratings.
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How much water are held in other Northern California reservoirs?
Here’s a look at the storage levels in some other Northern California state reservoirs as of midnight Tuesday, Dec. 23, compared to Dec. 19.
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Lake Oroville: The occupancy rate was 59%, which was 111% of the historical average — higher than the occupancy rate of 51%, which was 97% of the historical average.
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Folsom Lake: The occupancy rate is 50%, which is 124% of the historical average – higher than the occupancy rate of 48%, which is 118% of the historical average.
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New Bullard’s Bar (Yuba County): The occupancy rate is 70%, which is 114% of the historical average. It is higher than the occupancy rate of 60%, which is 100% of the average.
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Lake Sonoma: The occupancy rate was 61%, which was 112% of the historical average – higher than the occupancy rate of 57%, which was 106% of the historical average.
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San Luis Reservoir (San Joaquin Valley): 65% full load, 108% of historical capacity — higher than 62% full load, 107% of average capacity
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Camanche Reservoir (southeast of Stockton): 78% full, 128% of historical capacity — higher than average 74% full, 125% average
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new guanes reservoir (East of Stockton) remains unchanged: 69% full, 126% of historical capacity.
Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for Record Searchlight/USA TODAY Network. She covers science, art, social issues and news coverage. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica’s Record Searchlight Facebook Group Get Out! NorCal, in Shasta County today and shaping the future of Redding. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thanks.
This article originally appeared in the Redding Record Searchlight: California’s Lake Shasta reservoir rises with new atmospheric river
