Lake Nantahala, NC

As of 2026-10-13, Lake Nantahala sits at 2997.80 ft, which is about average for this time of year. That is 14.40 ft below full pool of 3012.20 ft. Over the past 30 days the level has fallen 6.10 ft.

The most recent reading at Lake Nantahala is 2997.80 ft (2026-10-13), sourced from Duke Energy. Readings on this page refresh automatically as the agency publishes new data.

The highest level for Lake Nantahala in our records is 3011.40 ft on 2025-05-17. The lowest is 2989.50 ft on 2024-01-04. Our record covers about 4 years of readings.

Compared with every October in our records, the current level is higher than 57% of them, which we classify as about average for this time of year. Seasonal comparison matters more than the raw number, because most reservoirs draw down predictably through late summer and refill over winter and spring.

Reservoir levels move for four main reasons: rainfall and runoff into the basin, releases through the dam for downstream water supply, power generation or flood control, evaporation during hot months, and seasonal drawdown schedules set by the operating agency. Lake Nantahala has fallen 6.10 ft over the past 30 days. For the operational reason on any given week, check Duke Energy directly.

Lake Nantahala is +3.30 ft compared with this date last year (2997.80 ft today). The full-history chart above covers 4 years, with a record high of 3011.40 ft and a record low of 2989.50 ft.