Bull Shoals Lake Water Level
Water level now
Below normal653.30ft
−5.70 ft vs normal pool (659.00) · −2.37 ft vs typical for Oct 18
78.6% of conservation storage
Reading taken Oct 18, 2026, 7:00 AM CDT
Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock District (provisional data)
Level in feet above sea level (NGVD 29)
Daily levelNormal poolTypical for the date (2016 to last year)
Provisional data from USACE, as reported at Oct 18, 2026, 7:00 AM CDT. Readings can be delayed or wrong. Not for navigation, flood or safety decisions; follow local authorities and posted signs.
About Bull Shoals Lake
Bull Shoals Lake is 5.70 ft below normal pool, as of Oct 18, 2026, 7:00 AM CDT. The level on this page is reported by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock District near Flippin, and compared with normal pool (the top of the conservation pool, 659.00 ft above sea level (NGVD 29)) and with the typical level for this date.
Since January 2016 the daily level has ranged from 649.46 ft (Jan 13, 2017) to 695.11 ft (May 29, 2020).
Over those years the lake has usually been highest in June and lowest in November; in the past 365 days it was at or above normal pool on 21% of days.
Bull Shoals Lake by the numbers
| Normal pool (top of conservation) | 659.00 |
|---|---|
| Top of flood pool | 695.00 |
| Highest since 2016 | 695.11 (May 29, 2020) |
| Lowest since 2016 | 649.46 (Jan 13, 2017) |
| Typical for Oct 18 | 655.67 |
| Oct 18, 2025 | 657.07 |
| Conservation storage now | 3,016,500 acre-ft |
Typical level by month
| Month | Median | vs normal | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 657.95 | −1.05 ft | 649.46 | 685.23 |
| February | 658.83 | −0.17 ft | 650.33 | 678.14 |
| March | 659.14 | +0.14 ft | 651.06 | 677.89 |
| April | 664.06 | +5.06 ft | 654.57 | 683.92 |
| May | 676.38 | +17.38 ft | 658.05 | 695.11 |
| June | 685.35 | +26.35 ft | 660.03 | 694.93 |
| July | 681.11 | +22.11 ft | 658.71 | 692.22 |
| August | 667.66 | +8.66 ft | 655.95 | 686.42 |
| September | 660.04 | +1.04 ft | 652.96 | 677.71 |
| October | 656.15 | −2.85 ft | 650.64 | 667.66 |
| November | 654.43 | −4.57 ft | 650.72 | 671.65 |
| December | 655.43 | −3.57 ft | 650.61 | 679.02 |
Highs and lows by year
| Year | High | Date | Low | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | 665.38 | Jun 26 | 652.16 | Feb 5 |
| 2025 | 692.35 | Jun 20 | 653.47 | Nov 14 |
| 2024 | 667.81 | Jun 13 | 650.64 | Oct 30 |
| 2023 | 675.31 | Apr 6 | 651.49 | Dec 18 |
| 2022 | 688.97 | Jun 2 | 654.19 | Nov 22 |
| 2021 | 689.41 | Jun 14 | 652.72 | Nov 21 |
| 2020 | 695.11 | May 29 | 657.53 | Oct 26 |
| 2019 | 688.24 | Jul 2 | 658.72 | Jan 3 |
| 2018 | 672.45 | May 27 | 652.34 | Feb 13 |
| 2017 | 692.98 | May 29 | 649.46 | Jan 13 |
| 2016 | 685.23 | Jan 16 | 650.61 | Dec 31 |
Weather at the dam, next 3 days
- Today: Sunny, wind 0 to 5 mph SE68°F
- Tonight: Mostly Clear, wind 0 mph 42°F
- Monday: Sunny, wind 0 to 5 mph ESE73°F
- Monday Night: Mostly Clear, wind 0 mph 45°F
- Tuesday: Mostly Sunny, wind 0 mph 75°F
- Tuesday Night: Mostly Clear, wind 0 mph 47°F
Forecast: National Weather Service, issued Oct 18, 2026, 7:35 AM CDT. Conditions on the water can change quickly.
Questions about Bull Shoals Lake
- What is the normal pool level of Bull Shoals Lake?
- 659.00 ft above sea level (NGVD 29). This is the top of the conservation pool as listed by the Corps of Engineers; water above it, up to the top of the flood pool at 695.00 ft, is flood storage that the Corps releases over time.
- Is Bull Shoals Lake full right now?
- As of Oct 18, 2026, 7:00 AM CDT, the lake was 5.70 ft below normal pool, at 78.6% of conservation storage.
- What is the lowest level Bull Shoals Lake has reached recently?
- In our daily record since January 2016, the lowest was 649.46 ft on Jan 13, 2017, 9.54 ft below normal pool.
- How often is this page updated?
- We check the Corps of Engineers every hour and show each reading with its own time. If no new reading arrives for 6 hours, the page says so instead of showing an old value as current. See how we calculate.