Lake Okeechobee is managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Lake Insights displays its latest available elevation from US Army Corps of Engineers. Published reference elevations are listed below.
Lake Status
4.3 feet below full pool
−4.30 ft vs full pool
- 7-day trend
- Rising
- 7-day change
- Up 0.27 ft
- 30-day change
- Up 0.75 ft
- Last updated
- 12 minutes ago
Lake Okeechobee is currently 4.3 feet below full pool and has risen slightly over the past week. Recent conditions indicate improving reservoir levels, although the lake remains below its normal operating elevation.
Watershed drought conditions
Hendry County, FL · surrounding county from lake location
Moderate Drought
Moderate drought is affecting the watershed.
Severity
Weekly trend
Worsening
Compared with last week
Official drought
Yes
74% of the watershed is currently classified as official drought (D1+).
Expected impacts
- Stream inflows may run below normal
- Lake levels can decline faster between rain events
- Vegetation stress may increase over time
U.S. Drought Monitor · map date Sep 15, 2026. Updated weekly. droughtmonitor.unl.eduView drought map for Hendry County, FL
Key Facts
Managing authority
Waterbody / project type
Full pool
Winter pool
Flood stage
Datum
Current-level source
Why the level can change
General factors for reservoirs like this
These are common influences for this type of lake. They do not identify the cause of a specific current change unless an operator update confirms it.
Rainfall & inflows
Rain and upstream river inflows can raise reservoir levels, especially after storms.
Downstream releases
When an operator releases water through a dam, reservoir storage can fall and downstream flows can rise.
Flood-risk operations
Some projects store or release water under flood-risk rules when conditions require it.
Water supply
Some reservoirs support municipal, industrial, irrigation, or regional water-supply needs.
Hydropower
Hydropower projects may pass water through turbines when generating electricity.
Seasonal weather
Dry periods, heat, evaporation, and seasonal rainfall patterns can affect storage over weeks and months.
Published reference elevations
- Full pool
- 16.00 ft
- Winter / seasonal pool
- 13.00 ft
- Flood stage
- 17.00 ft
Published reference elevation. Not necessarily a fixed year-round target for every project.
A winter / seasonal pool elevation is published, but Lake Insights does not have verified seasonal operating dates for this lake.
Flood stage is not interchangeable with flood pool.
Current data source
Managing authority: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Observation source used by Lake Insights: US Army Corps of Engineers
Who manages the lake and who publishes the reading Lake Insights displays can differ. Lake Insights does not invent a source label from the managing authority alone.
General education
Shared background — not lake-specific facts
Lake Insights aggregates water level information from authoritative public sources such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, NOAA, TVA, Bureau of Reclamation, power utilities, and other official lake operators. We preserve historical observations, calculate trends, and present lake conditions in a consistent format. For US Army Corps of Engineers, we link to the official source whenever it is available. Lake Insights does not predict future lake levels unless an official forecast has been published by the managing authority.
Common questions about Lake Okeechobee
- Who manages Lake Okeechobee?
- Lake Okeechobee is managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Lake Insights reports published gauge readings; it does not operate the waterbody.
- What is full pool at Lake Okeechobee?
- The published full-pool elevation for Lake Okeechobee is 16.00 ft (NGVD29). Full pool is a published reference elevation — not a prediction of today’s level.
- Does Lake Okeechobee have a published winter pool?
- Lake Okeechobee has a published winter / seasonal pool elevation of 13.00 ft. Lake Insights does not currently have verified seasonal operating dates for this lake.
- Where does Lake Insights get the level reading for Lake Okeechobee?
- Lake Insights displays the latest available elevation for Lake Okeechobee from US Army Corps of Engineers. The managing authority (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) may differ from the agency that publishes the observation used on this page.
- What datum is used for Lake Okeechobee?
- Elevations for Lake Okeechobee are referenced to NGVD29 (MSL).