Reelfoot Lake is managed by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency / U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Lake Insights displays its latest available elevation from U.S. Geological Survey. Published reference elevations are listed below.
0.49 feet below full pool
−0.49 ft vs full pool
Reelfoot Lake is currently 0.49 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.
Obion County, TN · surrounding county from lake location
Abnormally Dry
The surrounding county is abnormally dry, which is not official drought.
Severity
Weekly trend
Worsening
Compared with last week
Official drought
Yes
0.3% of the watershed is currently classified as official drought (D1+).
U.S. Drought Monitor · map date Sep 29, 2026. Updated weekly. droughtmonitor.unl.eduView drought map for Obion County, TN
Managing authority
Waterbody / project type
Full pool
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.
Published reference elevation. Not necessarily a fixed year-round target for every project.
Managing authority: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency / U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Observation source used by Lake Insights: U.S. Geological Survey
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.
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 U.S. Geological Survey, 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.
281.51 ft
RisingMostly Clear · 0 mph N
Datum
Current-level source
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.
Good
Best window: 4:30 PM–5:30 PM
Level Sep 22 · Weather 55 minutes ago · Union City - Everett-Stewart Regional Airport