Nantahala Lake Water Level
Duke Energy · North Carolina
Latest reading Oct 26, 12:52 PM · elevation · daily report
Nantahala Lake is 19.2 ft below normal full pond today (2,993.00 ft vs 3,012.20 ft), 1.1 ft higher than a year ago. It has fallen 0.30 ft since yesterday and is down 2.30 ft over 7 days.
Water level chart
ft above sea levelNormal full pond (3,012.2 ft) is 19.2 ft above the latest reading, off this chart
Normal full pond (3,012.2 ft) is 19.2 ft above the latest reading, off this chart
Reading
Nantahala Lake fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 6:49 PM ETLake 19.2 ft below normal full pond, level falling, calm wind — fair fall fishing day (5/10), best window 7:54 AM–8:54 AM (moonset near sunrise).
Lake 19.2 ft below normal full pond, level falling, calm wind, pressure steady — fair fall fishing day (5/10), best window 7:07 PM–8:07 PM (moonrise near sunset).
- Water temp—no water-temperature sensor on this water yet
- Air temphigh 71°F / low 42°FPatchy Fog then Sunny
- WindCalm0–1 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 5
- Level19.2 ft below normal full pondLevel falling 0.30 ft in 24 h
Official North Carolina fishing info: NC Wildlife Resources Commission — Where to fish
Best fishing times today
Today is a fair fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
5/10
Full moon · 99% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:50 AM · Sunset 6:46 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon overhead12:14 AM–2:14 AM
- Moon underfoot12:42 PM–2:42 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset7:54 AM–8:54 AMSunrise
- Moonrise6:22 PM–7:22 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 5/10Fair | Major 12:14 AM–2:14 AM · 12:42 PM–2:42 PM Minor 7:54 AM–8:54 AM · 6:22 PM–7:22 PM Calm wind 0–1 mph |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 5/10Fair | Major 1:10 AM–3:10 AM · 1:40 PM–3:40 PM Minor 9:08 AM–10:08 AM · 7:07 PM–8:07 PM Calm wind 0–1 mph · pressure steady |
| WedOct 28 | 3/10Poor | Major 2:11 AM–4:11 AM · 2:43 PM–4:43 PM Minor 10:22 AM–11:22 AM · 8:01 PM–9:01 PM Calm wind 1–1 mph · pressure steady |
| ThuOct 29 | 6/10Good | Major 3:15 AM–5:15 AM · 3:47 PM–5:47 PM Minor 11:31 AM–12:31 PM · 9:04 PM–10:04 PM Calm wind 0–0 mph · pressure falling |
| FriOct 30 | 5/10Fair | Major 4:20 AM–6:20 AM · 4:51 PM–6:51 PM Minor 12:32 PM–1:32 PM · 10:14 PM–11:14 PM Calm wind 0–0 mph · pressure falling |
| SatOct 31 | 6/10Good | Major 5:22 AM–7:22 AM · 5:51 PM–7:51 PM Minor 1:22 PM–2:22 PM · 11:26 PM–12:26 AM Calm wind 0–2 mph · pressure falling |
| SunNov 1 | 6/10Good | Major 5:19 AM–7:19 AM · 5:46 PM–7:46 PM Minor 1:03 PM–2:03 PM · 11:37 PM–12:37 AM Calm wind 0–2 mph · pressure falling |
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)
| 0 |
| Today | 5, rounded | 5/10 |
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 35.18, -83.67 (moon times from astronomical equations, Nantahala Lake local time).
Best fishing times today
Today is a fair fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
5/10
Waning gibbous · 97% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:51 AM · Sunset 6:44 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon overhead1:10 AM–3:10 AM
- Moon underfoot1:40 PM–3:40 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset9:08 AM–10:08 AM
- Moonrise7:07 PM–8:07 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 27 | 5/10Fair | Major 1:10 AM–3:10 AM · 1:40 PM–3:40 PM Minor 9:08 AM–10:08 AM · 7:07 PM–8:07 PM Calm wind 0–1 mph · pressure steady |
|---|---|---|
| WedOct 28 | 3/10Poor | Major 2:11 AM–4:11 AM · 2:43 PM–4:43 PM Minor 10:22 AM–11:22 AM · 8:01 PM–9:01 PM Calm wind 1–1 mph · pressure steady |
| ThuOct 29 | 6/10Good | Major 3:15 AM–5:15 AM · 3:47 PM–5:47 PM Minor 11:31 AM–12:31 PM · 9:04 PM–10:04 PM Calm wind 0–0 mph · pressure falling |
| FriOct 30 | 5/10Fair | Major 4:20 AM–6:20 AM · 4:51 PM–6:51 PM Minor 12:32 PM–1:32 PM · 10:14 PM–11:14 PM Calm wind 0–0 mph · pressure falling |
| SatOct 31 | 6/10Good | Major 5:22 AM–7:22 AM · 5:51 PM–7:51 PM Minor 1:22 PM–2:22 PM · 11:26 PM–12:26 AM Calm wind 0–2 mph · pressure falling |
| SunNov 1 | 6/10Good | Major 5:19 AM–7:19 AM · 5:46 PM–7:46 PM Minor 1:03 PM–2:03 PM · 11:37 PM–12:37 AM Calm wind 0–2 mph · pressure falling |
| MonNov 2 | 4/10Fair | Major 6:12 AM–8:12 AM · 6:37 PM–8:37 PM Minor 1:37 PM–2:37 PM Calm wind 0–2 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) (Moonrise × sunset +1) | 1 |
| Moon phase | within 2 days of a new or full moon +2, within 4 days +1 (today: 1.5 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)
| 1 |
| Today | 5, rounded | 5/10 |
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 35.18, -83.67 (moon times from astronomical equations, Nantahala Lake local time).
Weather & wind at Nantahala Lake
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- Tonight42°Mostly Cloudy then Patchy FogWind 0 mphRain 0%
- Tuesday71° / 42°Patchy Fog then SunnyWind SW 1 mphRain 0%
- Wednesday68° / 42°Partly SunnyWind ESE 1 mphRain 0%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 35.178, -83.669 (grid GSP), issued Oct 26, 6:28 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.
Operator notice
Beginning Nov. 2, 2026, the generating unit at the Nantahala hydro station will be offline for approximately six weeks to complete necessary improvements to maintain reliable and efficient energy service for our customers. Nantahala Lake requires a drawdown to 78.5 ft to prepare for the outage. Duke Energy is slowly lowering the lake and is expected to reach that level by Nov. 2nd. During the outage, the lake will slowly fill and rise above the normal target level. Spillway gate releases will be made if needed for lake management. Duke Energy will provide updates if the schedule changes signif
Past 12 months
daily readings from Duke Energy- Today2,993.00 ft
- Same date last year2,991.90 ft+1.1 ft change
- 12-month high3,010.50 ftJan 12, 2026
- 12-month low2,990.50 ftNov 1, 2025
- Normal full pond3,012.20 ftDuke Energy
Last 10 days
| Date | Level (ft) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 2,993.10 | −0.20 |
| Sun Oct 25 | 2,993.30 | −0.30 |
| Sat Oct 24 | 2,993.60 | −0.40 |
| Fri Oct 23 | 2,994.00 | −0.30 |
| Thu Oct 22 | 2,994.30 | −0.30 |
| Wed Oct 21 | 2,994.60 | −0.30 |
| Tue Oct 20 | 2,994.90 | −0.40 |
| Mon Oct 19 | 2,995.30 | −0.30 |
| Sun Oct 18 | 2,995.60 | −0.30 |
| Sat Oct 17 | 2,995.90 | −0.40 |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
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Nearby lakes & rivers
- Queens Creek Lake7 mi · Lake3,016.30 ft−7.90 ft vs normal full pond
- Nantahala River near Hewitt9 mi · River222 cfs60% of normal
- Lake Chatuge13 mi · Lake1,918.84 ft−7.06 ft vs summer pool
- Fontana Lake20 mi · Lake1,669.33 ft−33.67 ft vs summer pool
- Lake Nottely28 mi · Lake1,763.34 ft−13.56 ft vs summer pool
- Hiwassee Lake29 mi · Lake1,490.64 ft−30.26 ft vs summer pool
Guides
All guides →About this data
- Source
- Duke Energy
- Location
- 35.1775, -83.6688 · North Carolina
- Measures
- Reservoir water-surface elevation, feet above sea level (NGVD29)
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 12:52 PM local time (daily report)
- History
- 1827 days on file since 2021-10-26
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 6:49 PM ET
- Normal full pond
- 3,012.20 ft — Duke Energy (Normal full pond elevation published by Duke Energy)
Source: Duke Energy (official page). Operator data is preliminary and may be revised. Duke Energy reports this lake on a local scale where 100.0 ft = normal full pond (3,012.2 ft above sea level); today’s Duke reading is 80.80 ft, Duke’s target is 83.8 ft. Levels here are converted to feet above sea level. Weather: NOAA National Weather Service.