Cheoah Lake lake and shoreline

Cheoah Lake Water Level

Officially Cheoah Lake (Little Tennessee River)

North CarolinaTennessee

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Cheoah Lake

Cheoah Lake is currently 128.0 feet below full pool, with a water-surface elevation of 1149.0 feet.

1148.98 ft · Updated 5 hours ago · NOAA National Water Prediction Service

Current level

1,148.98ft

−128.02 ft vs full pool

Low

Vs full pool

Since last reading

Down 0.18 ft

Previous readingNov 81,149.32 ft

7-day change

Up 0.06 ft

7-day trend: Falling

8 daily readings in the last 7 days

30-day change

Down 1.59 ft

30 daily readings in the last 30 days

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Water Level History

Current
1148.98 ft
24h
-0.18 ft
7d
+0.06 ft
30d
-1.59 ft

Elevation (ft) MSL

Reference line is designed full pool.

Water Temperature

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Lake Level Context

Level remains below the full pool

Cheoah Lake is currently 1148.98 ft, 128.02 ft below its full pool. The lake has risen 0.06 ft over the past 7 days and fallen 1.59 ft over the past 30 days.

Cheoah Lake Level Details

Reference elevations, recent daily readings, data sources, and answers to common questions.

Conditions & Reference

Level status

128.02 ft below full pool

Current level
1,148.98 ft
Full pool
1,277 ft
DatumVertical reference for published pool and stage elevations at this lake (from the lake catalog).
Not available
Elevation reference
MSL
Source
NOAA

Reference levels

  • Full pool1,277 ft

Surrounding county drought

Moderate Drought

100% of surrounding county in official drought (D1–D4).

Severity

NoneExtreme
Trend
Stable

Surrounding county drought

Swain County, NC

Moderate Drought

Moderate Drought. The largest share of Swain County, NC is in Moderate Drought (D1), an official USDM drought category. These figures describe the surrounding county from the lake location, not the lake itself.. Trend: Stable compared with last week. Official drought (D1–D4) yes

Severity

NoneExtreme

Weekly trend

Stable

Compared with last week

Official drought (D1–D4)

Yes

100% of the surrounding county is in official drought categories (D1–D4). Dominant category remains Moderate Drought.

Typical county impacts (USDM guidance)

  • Streamflows in the surrounding county may run below normal
  • Soils and vegetation can dry between rain events
  • Water managers may begin to watch supply more closely

U.S. Drought Monitor · map date Nov 3, 2026. Updated weekly. Official drought means U.S. Drought Monitor categories D1–D4 (Moderate through Exceptional). Abnormally Dry (D0) is not counted as official drought. droughtmonitor.unl.eduView drought map for Swain County, NC

Daily level summary

DateLevelChange
Nov 9, 20261,149.14-0.18
Nov 8, 20261,149.32+0.32
Nov 7, 20261,149+0.53
Nov 6, 20261,148.47-0.25
Nov 5, 20261,148.72-1.56
Nov 4, 20261,150.28+0.69
Nov 3, 20261,149.59+0.51

Common questions about Cheoah Lake’s water level

  • The current water level at Cheoah Lake is 1,148.98 ft (updated 5 hours ago). You can track the Cheoah Lake lake level on the interactive chart and daily history above.

  • Full pool for Cheoah Lake is 1,277 ft — the normal conservation target elevation when the reservoir is at its designed summer or operating pool.

  • The current 7-day trend for the Cheoah Lake lake level is falling — falling about 0.06 ft over the past week. See the history chart above for the full picture.

  • Based on the latest gauge reading, Cheoah Lake is currently 128.02 ft below full pool.

Lake level glossary

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

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