Falls Lake Water Level
USGS gauge 02087182 · above Dam near Falls, NC · USACE
Latest reading Oct 26, 12:30 PM · elevation
Falls Lake is 5.8 ft below normal pool today (245.74 ft vs 251.50 ft) — much lower than normal for late October. It is 54% full. It has fallen 0.05 ft since yesterday and is down 0.41 ft over 7 days.
Water level chart
ft above sea levelNormal pool (251.5 ft) is 5.8 ft above the latest reading, off this chart
ReadingNormal range for the date (25th–75th pct.)Median for the date
Falls Lake fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 12:50 PM ETWater 68°F and warming, lake 5.8 ft below normal pool and steady, calm wind, pressure falling — excellent fall fishing day (9/10), best window 7:34 AM–8:34 AM (moonset near sunrise).
- Water temp68°Fmeasured Oct 26, 12:30 PM · this gauge · +2° in 24 h
- Air temphigh 72°F / low 41°FSunny
- WindCalm0–4 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 7
- PressureFalling-0.13 inHg 6 AM → 6 PM
- Level5.8 ft below normal poolLevel steady (−0.05 ft in 24 h)
Official North Carolina fishing info: NC Wildlife Resources Commission — Where to fish
Best fishing times today
Today is an excellent fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
9/10
Full moon · 99% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:31 AM · Sunset 6:24 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon underfoot12:21 PM–2:21 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset7:34 AM–8:34 AMSunrise
- Moonrise6:00 PM–7:00 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 9/10Excellent | Major 12:21 PM–2:21 PM Minor 7:34 AM–8:34 AM · 6:00 PM–7:00 PM Calm wind 0–4 mph · pressure falling |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 5/10Fair | Major 12:49 AM–2:49 AM · 1:19 PM–3:19 PM Minor 8:49 AM–9:49 AM · 6:43 PM–7:43 PM Calm wind 1–5 mph · pressure steady |
| WedOct 28 | 5/10Fair | Major 1:50 AM–3:50 AM · 2:21 PM–4:21 PM Minor 10:03 AM–11:03 AM · 7:37 PM–8:37 PM Light wind 4–6 mph · pressure falling |
| ThuOct 29 | 4/10Fair | Major 2:54 AM–4:54 AM · 3:26 PM–5:26 PM Minor 11:13 AM–12:13 PM · 8:40 PM–9:40 PM Calm wind 2–4 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 3/10Poor | Major 3:58 AM–5:58 AM · 4:30 PM–6:30 PM Minor 12:13 PM–1:13 PM · 9:50 PM–10:50 PM Calm wind 0–2 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 4/10Fair | Major 5:00 AM–7:00 AM · 5:30 PM–7:30 PM Minor 1:03 PM–2:03 PM · 11:02 PM–12:02 AM Calm wind 0–5 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 5/10Fair | Major 4:58 AM–6:58 AM · 5:25 PM–7:25 PM Minor 12:44 PM–1:44 PM · 11:14 PM–12:14 AM Light wind 4–5 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)
| 4 |
| Today | 9, rounded | 9/10 |
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; water temperature measured at this gauge. 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 35.94, -78.58 (moon times from astronomical equations, Falls Lake local time).
Weather & wind at Falls Lake
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- Today72° / 41°SunnyWind N 3 mphRain 0%
- Tuesday74° / 48°SunnyWind N 1 to 5 mphRain 0%
- Wednesday72° / 52°Mostly SunnyWind NE 6 mphRain 2%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 35.941, -78.583 (grid RAH), issued Oct 26, 5:40 AM 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
19 years of level records- Today245.74 ft
- Same date last year249.85 ft2025
- Median250.14 ft
- Normal range249.16 ft – 251.54 ft25th–75th percentile
- Highest since 2008256.31 ft2017
- Lowest since 2008243.07 ft2008
Last 10 days
| Date | Level (ft) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 245.74 | −0.05 |
| Sun Oct 25 | 245.79 | −0.05 |
| Sat Oct 24 | 245.84 | −0.07 |
| Fri Oct 23 | 245.91 | −0.06 |
| Thu Oct 22 | 245.97 | −0.06 |
| Wed Oct 21 | 246.03 | −0.06 |
| Tue Oct 20 | 246.09 | −0.06 |
| Mon Oct 19 | 246.15 | −0.05 |
| Sun Oct 18 | 246.20 | −0.05 |
| Sat Oct 17 | 246.25 | −0.02 |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
Nearby lakes & rivers
- Shelley Lake7 mi · Lake · Shelley Lake Park at Raleigh251.08 ft24h ±0.00 ft
- Lake Lynn8 mi · Lake · Dam at Raleigh333.15 ft24h −0.01 ft
- Richland Lake11 mi · Lake · Dam near Raleigh300.16 ft24h −0.01 ft
- Lake Crabtree13 mi · Lake · Dam above Interstate 40 near Cary275.27 ft24h −0.03 ft
- Brier Creek Reservoir14 mi · Lake · Dam at Rdu Airport305.57 ft24h −0.01 ft
- Lake Johnson14 mi · Lake · Dam at Raleigh343.18 ft24h ±0.00 ft
About this data
- Gauge
- USGS 02087182 — Falls Lake Above Dam Nr Falls, Nc
- Location
- 35.9411, -78.5833 · North Carolina
- Measures
- Reservoir water-surface elevation above datum
- Daily statistics
- 2008–2026 (approved daily values)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 12:30 PM local time (provisional)
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 12:50 PM ET
- Normal pool
- 251.50 ft — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District
- Storage
- 70,733 of 131,395 acre-ft (Top of Conservation)
- Also from
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- Flood stages
- NWS gauge NUDN7 — National Water Prediction Service
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.