Hilary Boosts Lake Mead's Water Levels for Second Day Running

Storm Hilary, which has battered California and other parts of the southwestern U.S., has boosted Lake Mead's water levels for the second day running.

Before it hit, the lake's water levels stood at 1063.49 feet. On August 20, they rose to 1063.62 feet and on August 21, the second day of the storm, water levels stood at 1063.78 feet.

As the storm made its way north from Mexico, forecasters warned of potential flash floods around Lake Mead.

While the increases in water levels are not huge, any rise in the drought-stricken reservoir is noteworthy.

Lake Mead lies between Arizona and Nevada near the border of California, and has been in a dire state after years of severe drought. Experts have been worried after water levels in the lake, which provides water for around 25 million people living around the Colorado River basin, plummeted to a record-low level last year of 1040 feet.

There are concerns that if "dead pool" levels are reached, the southwest could be plunged into a serious water crisis. Dead pool occurs when the amount of water stored in a reservoir is so low, water can no longer flow downstream.

Climate change has been blamed as the main cause for the decline in water levels and as it worsens, extreme weather periods like drought are increasing.

However, Lake Mead has seen a sharp increase in its water levels this year, which has been one of the wettest on record.

At the beginning of 2023, the lake's water levels stood at 1,044 feet following a bone dry summer. But since spring, water levels have risen rapidly. Over the winter, the area saw intense rain and snow storms that built up snowpack. As this melted in the springtime, Lake Mead's water levels rose from 1,047 feet on April 25, to 1,054 feet at the end of May.

The further rises in the wake of Storm Hilary, which started as a hurricane, are also encouraging. However, experts have warned that rises this year will probably not provide a long-term solution to the southwest's water crisis.

"It is really natural to see the storms associated with Hurricane Hilary and to imagine these rains are helping to solve our drought problem in the Colorado River basin. If only it were that easy," Andrea K. Gerlak, a director of the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy and a professor in the School of Geography, Development & Environment at the University of Arizona, recently told Newsweek.

"Rain falling over our reservoirs can certainly help with lake levels and water supplies but it is small in the grand scheme of things," Gerlak said. "What Hurricane Hilary reveals for me is that storms and weather patterns can provide an opportunity for the public to better understand where our water supplies come from and the causes associated with drought and shortage in the larger basin. This is a necessary first step to finding sustainable, long-term solutions."

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