The rain paused midday Sunday, but more could be on the way before this weather system moves on.  Since the beginning of May, about four and a half inches have fallen.

Photo: John Deming

What has that done for the level of the lake?

It’s up, as you can see in the photo above, taken today about 3 pm.  But observers have seen a lot more water falling over the dam than this in the past. Below is a video of the dam from early summer 2015.

People watch how much water flows over the dam to measure approximate lake level.  In addition they create a benchmark of where water stands on the supports of their dock or a neighbor’s.  That measure tends to confirm the current lake level is not as high as some past occasions.

With so much recent rain, why isn’t the lake higher? It could be this.  Except for short bursts, the recent rainfall has been light but extended over long periods.  That has given the water a chance to soak into the ground. When a big storm blows through with torrents of water, water from surrounding land immediately heads to the lowest point, the lake.  

May is one of the wettest months. While individual stats don’t exist for Clark Lake, the graph below for Jackson provides context–left scale high and low temperature; right scale, precipitation. The average for May is 3.31 inches.  We’re already well over the average.

You can always get the latest forecast and a live look of the lake from the DamCam on the main page of this website.

Here is how the lake looked today at about 3 pm.

Photos:  Rick Belcher

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