Oct. 25, 2019 Update
The Engineering Division is monitoring lake levels and the potential to flood year round. To keep our community informed, we’re sharing a weekly update with you, and as frequently as needed, should a major rain event happen. We are not sending these to elevate concern, this is just a communication option for us to keep you informed as flooding deeply impacted our community last summer, and may be top of mind when rain moves through our area.
Unless conditions change dramatically, this will be our last lake level update for the year.
The Yahara Lakes are managed by Dane County and up-to-date information on lake levels can be found at the County’s Lake Levels Webpage.
Current Lake levels: Oct. 25, 2019
- Lake Mendota
- Current elevation: 851.22 feet
- Down 0.37 feet from last week
- 1.58 feet below the 100-year flood (which is 852.80 feet)
- 1.52 feet below historic high (Historic High is 852.74, June 6, 2000)
- Lake Monona
- Current elevation: 846.91 feet
- Down 0.18 feet from last week
- 0.79 feet below 100-year flood (which is 847.7 feet)
- 1.62 feet below the historic high (which is 848.53 feet, Sept. 6, 2018)
All lakes are continuing to come down in spite of some rain this past week. Monona is now below 847.00 feet and we are moving into a season where the risk of thunderstorm actively is lower.
Risk assessment:
The weather forecast calls for rain late Saturday afternoon and into the overnight hours and the rain is not expected to be heavy. If the forecast holds, this should not cause us flash flooding in the isthmus area. If, however, the rain event includes thunderstorm activity, low-lying areas on and adjacent to the isthmus will be subject to increased risk of flash flooding due to the reduced capacity of the storm water system resulting from high lake levels.
We recommend that you avoid parking in areas know to have flooded in the past when heavy rains are predicted. If flash flooding does occur, do not drive into flooded areas.
Some areas of potential concern for flash flooding during intense rain events are show on our flood website: