Lake Tuscaloosa Water Level
USGS gauge 02464800 · near Tuscaloosa, AL
Latest reading Oct 26, 2:15 PM · elevation
Lake Tuscaloosa is at 220.80 ft today — much lower than normal for late October. It has fallen 0.03 ft since yesterday and is down 0.25 ft over 7 days.
Water level chart
ft above sea levelReadingNormal range for the date (25th–75th pct.)Median for the date
Lake Tuscaloosa fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 4:13 PM ETLake 2.3 ft below normal for the date and steady, light ENE wind — good fall fishing day (7/10), best window 7:06 AM–8:06 AM (moonset near sunrise).
- Water temp—no water-temperature sensor on this water yet
- Air temphigh 76°F / low 48°FMostly Sunny
- WindLight ENE1–9 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 16
- Level2.3 ft below normal for the dateLevel steady (−0.03 ft in 24 h)
Main species
- Alabama spotted bass
- Largemouth bass
- Bluegill
- Redear sunfish
- White crappie
Source: Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries — “most common sport fish” on the Outdoor Alabama reservoir page, as published on the Outdoor Alabama Lake Tuscaloosa page.
Official Alabama fishing info: Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources — Reservoir fishing & management info
Best fishing times today
Today is a good fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
7/10
Full moon · 99% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:03 AM · Sunset 6:03 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon underfoot11:58 AM–1:58 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset7:06 AM–8:06 AMSunrise
- Moonrise5:43 PM–6:43 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 7/10Good | Major 11:58 AM–1:58 PM Minor 7:06 AM–8:06 AM · 5:43 PM–6:43 PM Light wind 1–9 mph |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 4/10Fair | Major 12:26 AM–2:26 AM · 12:56 PM–2:56 PM Minor 8:19 AM–9:19 AM · 6:28 PM–7:28 PM Calm wind 2–4 mph |
| WedOct 28 | 2/10Poor | Major 1:27 AM–3:27 AM · 1:59 PM–3:59 PM Minor 9:32 AM–10:32 AM · 7:23 PM–8:23 PM Calm wind 4–5 mph |
| ThuOct 29 | 5/10Fair | Major 2:31 AM–4:31 AM · 3:03 PM–5:03 PM Minor 10:41 AM–11:41 AM · 8:26 PM–9:26 PM Light wind 4–6 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 4/10Fair | Major 3:36 AM–5:36 AM · 4:07 PM–6:07 PM Minor 11:42 AM–12:42 PM · 9:36 PM–10:36 PM Light wind 5–7 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 5/10Fair | Major 4:38 AM–6:38 AM · 5:07 PM–7:07 PM Minor 12:32 PM–1:32 PM · 10:47 PM–11:47 PM Light wind 5–7 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 5/10Fair | Major 4:35 AM–6:35 AM · 5:02 PM–7:02 PM Minor 12:15 PM–1:15 PM · 10:57 PM–11:57 PM Light wind 4–6 mph |
How this rating works
Solunar theory says fish feed more when the moon is overhead or underfoot (major periods, about 2 hours) and around moonrise and moonset (minor periods, about 1 hour). On a lake or river there is no tide, so instead of tide changes we score the local conditions anglers watch: the barometric pressure trend, the wind, whether the lake level is steady, and the water temperature where it is measured.
| Base | every day starts at 1 | 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Sunrise / sunset | a period overlaps sunrise or sunset ±1 h: major +2, minor +1 (max 3) (Moonset × sunrise +1; Moonrise × sunset +1) | 2 |
| Moon phase | within 2 days of a new or full moon +2, within 4 days +1 (today: 0.5 days) | 2 |
| Local conditions | pressure 6 AM→6 PM: falling +2, steady or slowly rising +1, rising fast 0 · daytime wind 4–15 mph +1, over 20 mph (or gusts over 30) −1 · level within ±0.25 ft in 24 h +1 · water 55–75°F +1, below 45°F or above 85°F −1 (0 to 4 in total)
| 2 |
| Today | 7, rounded | 7/10 |
1–3 poor · 4–5 fair · 6–7 good · 8–10 excellent. Pressure and wind are the NOAA National Weather Service hourly forecast for this spot; the level/flow trend is the latest 24 hours of readings on this page. Days 2–7 score sun, moon, forecast pressure and forecast wind only (level and water temperature aren’t forecast). Solunar times are a rule of thumb, not a guarantee.
Solunar periods calculated for 33.27, -87.51 (moon times from astronomical equations, Lake Tuscaloosa local time).
Weather & wind at Lake Tuscaloosa
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- This Afternoon76° / 48°Mostly SunnyWind NE 5 mphRain 0%
- Tuesday77° / 50°SunnyWind E 0 to 5 mphRain 0%
- Wednesday78° / 48°Mostly SunnyWind E 5 mphRain 0%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 33.267, -87.506 (grid BMX), issued Oct 26, 1:27 PM local time. High / low are air temperatures; water temperature is in the fishing section above. The “Air temp & weather” tile at the top refreshes live.
October 26 in history
41 years of level records- Today220.80 ft
- Same date last year221.62 ft2025
- Median223.13 ft
- Normal range222.13 ft – 223.45 ft25th–75th percentile
- Highest since 1983223.99 ft2020
- Lowest since 1983219.69 ft2001
Last 10 days
| Date | Level (ft) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 220.81 | −0.02 |
| Sun Oct 25 | 220.83 | −0.03 |
| Sat Oct 24 | 220.86 | −0.04 |
| Fri Oct 23 | 220.90 | −0.04 |
| Thu Oct 22 | 220.94 | −0.04 |
| Wed Oct 21 | 220.98 | −0.04 |
| Tue Oct 20 | 221.02 | −0.03 |
| Mon Oct 19 | 221.05 | −0.04 |
| Sun Oct 18 | 221.09 | −0.06 |
| Sat Oct 17 | 221.15 | −0.06 |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
About this data
- Gauge
- USGS 02464800 — Lake Tuscaloosa Near Tuscaloosa, Alabama
- Location
- 33.2673, -87.5061 · Alabama
- Measures
- Lake/reservoir water-surface elevation above NGVD 1929
- Daily statistics
- 1983–2023 (approved daily values)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 2:15 PM local time (provisional)
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 4:13 PM ET
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Water Data for the Nation (USGS monitoring location page). Readings every 15–60 minutes; the newest values are provisional. Percentiles compare today’s reading with every past year’s daily mean for the same calendar date. Weather: NOAA National Weather Service.