Bighorn Lake lake and shoreline

Bighorn Lake Water Level

MontanaWyoming

Make Home Lake
Favorite

Bighorn Lake is currently 17.0 feet below full pool, with a water-surface elevation of 3623.0 feet.

3622.98 ft · Updated 2 hours ago · USACE NWO District

Current level

3,622.98ft

−17.02 ft vs full pool

Low

Vs full pool

Since last reading

Down 0.12 ft

Previous readingSep 93,623.28 ft

7-day change

Down 0.16 ft

7-day trend: Falling

4 daily readings in the last 7 days

30-day change

Down 0.16 ft

4 daily readings in the last 30 days

Share feedback or correction

Water Level History

Elevation (ft) NGVD29 · MSL

3625 ft3632 ft3638 ftFULL POOL 3640.00 ftSep 8Sep 11

Level status

17.02 ft below full pool

Current level
3,622.98 ft
Full pool
3,640 ft
DatumElevation referenced to National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929.
NGVD29
Elevation reference
MSL
Source
USACE NWO District

Reference levels

  • Full pool3,640 ft

Watershed drought

Severe Drought

100% of watershed in official drought (D1+).

Severity

NoneExtreme
Trend
Worsening

Watershed drought conditions

Big Horn County, MT

Severe Drought

Severe Drought. Severe drought conditions are present.. Trend: Worsening compared with last week. Official drought yes

Severity

NoneExtreme

Weekly trend

Worsening

Compared with last week

Official drought

Yes

100% of the watershed is currently classified as official drought (D1+).

Expected impacts

  • Lower stream inflows
  • Lake levels may decline faster
  • Vegetation is becoming drier
  • Minor increase in wildfire risk

U.S. Drought Monitor · map date Sep 8, 2026. Updated weekly. droughtmonitor.unl.eduView drought map for Big Horn County, MT

Daily level summary

  • Sep 10, 2026

    3,623.16 ft

    -0.12 ft

  • Sep 9, 2026

    3,623.28 ft

    0 ft

  • Sep 8, 2026

    3,623.28 ft

    -0.04 ft

  • Sep 7, 2026

    3,623.32 ft

    —

Common questions about Bighorn Lake’s water level

  • The current water level at Bighorn Lake is 3,622.98 ft (updated 2 hours ago). You can track the Bighorn Lake lake level on the interactive chart and daily history above.

  • Full pool for Bighorn Lake is 3,640 ft — the normal conservation target elevation when the reservoir is at its designed summer or operating pool.

  • The current 7-day trend for the Bighorn Lake lake level is falling — falling about 0.16 ft over the past week. See the history chart above for the full picture.

  • Based on the latest gauge reading, Bighorn Lake is currently 17.02 ft below full pool.

Lake level glossary

Definitions for pool targets, datums, and how elevation readings are labeled.

Privacy preferences

Ads and analytics are not optional. You can still choose optional functional cookies. Essential cookies stay on so the site works.

  • Essential

    Required for sign-in, security, and core site features. These cannot be turned off because the service would not work without them.

  • Functional & preferences

    Remembers optional choices such as display preferences beyond what essential cookies require. Most preference storage today is essential for signed-in features.