Cheney Lake Water Level
Water level now
Below normal1,420.21ft
−1.39 ft vs normal pool (1,421.60) · −0.15 ft vs typical for Oct 18
Reading taken Oct 18, 2026, 7:00 AM CDT
Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa 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 Cheney Lake
Cheney Lake is 1.39 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, Tulsa District near Saint Joe, KS, and compared with normal pool (the top of the conservation pool, 1,421.60 ft above sea level (NGVD 29)) and with the typical level for this date.
Since January 2016 the daily level has ranged from 1,412.79 ft (Oct 29, 2024) to 1,430.14 ft (May 23, 2019). The highest pool on record listed by the Corps of Engineers is 1,429.41 ft.
Over those years the lake has usually been highest in May and lowest in November; in the past 365 days it was at or above normal pool on 76% of days.
Cheney Lake by the numbers
| Normal pool (top of conservation) | 1,421.60 |
|---|---|
| Top of flood pool | 1,429.00 |
| Pool of record (USACE) | 1,429.41 |
| Highest since 2016 | 1,430.14 (May 23, 2019) |
| Lowest since 2016 | 1,412.79 (Oct 29, 2024) |
| Typical for Oct 18 | 1,420.36 |
| Oct 18, 2025 | 1,423.08 |
| Conservation storage now | 154,143 acre-ft |
Typical level by month
| Month | Median | vs normal | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,420.43 | −1.17 ft | 1,414.07 | 1,423.09 |
| February | 1,420.58 | −1.02 ft | 1,414.02 | 1,422.35 |
| March | 1,420.84 | −0.76 ft | 1,413.77 | 1,422.91 |
| April | 1,421.30 | −0.30 ft | 1,413.45 | 1,424.13 |
| May | 1,421.55 | −0.05 ft | 1,413.53 | 1,430.14 |
| June | 1,421.53 | −0.07 ft | 1,415.46 | 1,428.61 |
| July | 1,421.30 | −0.30 ft | 1,414.62 | 1,426.64 |
| August | 1,421.10 | −0.50 ft | 1,414.12 | 1,422.91 |
| September | 1,420.57 | −1.03 ft | 1,413.53 | 1,423.13 |
| October | 1,420.48 | −1.12 ft | 1,412.79 | 1,427.81 |
| November | 1,420.26 | −1.34 ft | 1,412.83 | 1,424.20 |
| December | 1,420.46 | −1.14 ft | 1,414.02 | 1,423.21 |
Highs and lows by year
| Year | High | Date | Low | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | 1,425.64 | Jun 30 | 1,420.01 | Sep 24 |
| 2025 | 1,423.26 | Oct 29 | 1,413.45 | Apr 16 |
| 2024 | 1,416.46 | Mar 8 | 1,412.79 | Oct 29 |
| 2023 | 1,418.40 | Feb 22 | 1,415.41 | Nov 19 |
| 2022 | 1,422.11 | Jun 12 | 1,418.10 | Dec 1 |
| 2021 | 1,422.49 | Mar 25 | 1,419.47 | Dec 15 |
| 2020 | 1,422.53 | Apr 12 | 1,419.67 | Nov 18 |
| 2019 | 1,430.14 | May 23 | 1,420.99 | Nov 13 |
| 2018 | 1,427.81 | Oct 14 | 1,420.42 | Jan 4 |
| 2017 | 1,425.43 | May 23 | 1,420.38 | Sep 24 |
| 2016 | 1,424.29 | May 30 | 1,421.37 | Apr 16 |
Weather at the dam, next 3 days
- Today: Sunny, wind 13 to 20 mph S63°F
- Tonight: Mostly Clear, wind 12 to 15 mph S49°F
- Monday: Mostly Sunny, wind 14 mph SSE67°F
- Monday Night: Partly Cloudy, wind 12 mph SSE52°F
- Tuesday: Mostly Sunny, wind 9 to 14 mph SSE68°F
- Tuesday Night: Mostly Clear, wind 12 mph SSE57°F
Forecast: National Weather Service, issued Oct 18, 2026, 6:11 AM CDT. Conditions on the water can change quickly.
Questions about Cheney Lake
- What is the normal pool level of Cheney Lake?
- 1,421.60 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 1,429.00 ft, is flood storage that the Corps releases over time.
- Is Cheney Lake full right now?
- As of Oct 18, 2026, 7:00 AM CDT, the lake was 1.39 ft below normal pool.
- What is the lowest level Cheney Lake has reached recently?
- In our daily record since January 2016, the lowest was 1,412.79 ft on Oct 29, 2024, 8.81 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.