State · United States · USGS · BOR · USACE · CDEC
California
59% average fill
Measured
76
Volume stored
24,020 hm³
Measured capacity
40,702 hm³
Critical
8
Low level
11
Below month average
46 of 75
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Drought Monitor · 20 October 2026
Weekly map · area in each categoryDrought status
23.3%
of the area in drought (D1 or worse)
Worst category: D1 moderate drought
unchanged on the week
Severe or worse (D2+)
0.0%
Extreme or worse (D3+)
0.0%
DSCI
950–500
People in drought
2.4 million
Reservoirs (reservoirs.earth)
59.0% full76 tracked
Reservoirs on drought ground
4 of 76
As of the 20 October 2026 U.S. Drought Monitor map, 23.3% of California was in drought (D1 or worse). The 76 reservoirs we track in California were 59.0% full on their latest readings. 4 of 76 tracked reservoir sites sit inside the drought area.
The Drought Monitor maps where conditions are dry this week — rainfall, soil moisture, streamflow — not how much water is stored. Reservoir storage lags it by months, so a region can be in drought with full reservoirs, or out of drought with empty ones. Source: droughtmonitor.unl.edu. The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.
Reservoirs
Sorted by capacitySHASTA DAM
Updated 2026-10-27· 94% of month avg· D0
OROVILLE DAM
Updated 2026-10-27· 83% of month avg· D0
NEW MELONES RESERVOIR
Updated 2026-10-27· 102% of month avg· D0
TRINITY LAKE
Updated 2026-10-27· 121% of month avg· D0
DON PEDRO RESERVOIR
Updated 2026-10-26· 103% of month avg· D0
SAN LUIS RESERVOIR
Updated 2026-10-27· 126% of month avg
BERRYESSA
Updated 2026-10-27· 110% of month avg· D0
LAKE ALMANOR
Updated 2026-10-27· 103% of month avg· D0
NEW EXCHEQUER-LK MCCLURE
Updated 2026-10-25· 94% of month avg· D0
NEW BULLARDS BAR
Updated 2026-10-27· 102% of month avg· D0
FOLSOM LAKE
lowUpdated 2026-10-27· 87% of month avg· D0
DIAMOND VALLEY
Updated 2026-10-22· 114% of month avg· D0
PINE FLAT DAM
lowUpdated 2026-10-27· 57% of month avg· D0
ISABELLA DAM
lowUpdated 2026-10-27· 82% of month avg· D0
FRIANT DAM (MILLERTON)
Updated 2026-10-27· 91% of month avg· D0
CAMANCHE RESERVOIR
Updated 2026-10-26· 108% of month avg· D0
HETCH HETCHY
Updated 2026-10-26· 93% of month avg· D0
CASTAIC
Updated 2026-10-27· 116% of month avg
CLEAR LK - CACHE CREEK
lowUpdated 2026-10-26· 78% of month avg· D0
CHERRY VALLEY DAM
Updated 2026-10-26· 98% of month avg· D0
INDIAN VALLEY
Updated 2026-10-26· 127% of month avg· D0
WARM SPRINGS (LAKE SONOMA)
Updated 2026-10-27· 113% of month avg
WHISKEYTOWN DAM
Updated 2026-10-27· 98% of month avg· D0
STAMPEDE
Updated 2026-10-23· 90% of month avg· D1
NEW HOGAN LAKE
Updated 2026-10-27· 105% of month avg· D0
HELL HOLE
Updated 2026-10-27· 103% of month avg· D0
UNION VALLEY
Updated 2026-10-27· 84% of month avg· D0
PARDEE
Updated 2026-10-27· 96% of month avg· D0
NEW SPICER MEADOW
Updated 2026-10-27· 95% of month avg· D0
TERMINUS DAM
criticalUpdated 2026-10-27· 118% of month avg· D0
LAKE CROWLEY
Updated 2026-10-26· 83% of month avg· D0
CACHUMA LAKE (BRADBURY DAM)
Updated 2026-10-27· 112% of month avg
PYRAMID
Updated 2026-10-27· 98% of month avg
SALT SPRINGS
lowUpdated 2026-10-27· 77% of month avg· D0
FRENCH MEADOWS
Updated 2026-10-27· 86% of month avg· D0
PERRIS
Updated 2026-10-27· 113% of month avg
WISHON
Updated 2026-10-27· 124% of month avg· D0
COURTRIGHT (PG&E)
criticalUpdated 2026-10-20· 18% of month avg· D0
BUCHANAN DAM
criticalUpdated 2026-10-27· 25% of month avg· D0
BLACK BUTTE
lowUpdated 2026-10-27· 72% of month avg· D0
BUCKS LAKE STORAGE
Updated 2026-10-27· 79% of month avg· D0
BEARDSLEY LAKE
Updated 2026-10-27· 89% of month avg· D0
CALAVERAS
Updated 2026-10-26· 75% of month avg
SUCCESS DAM
criticalUpdated 2026-10-27· 49% of month avg· D0
BEAR RIVER AT CAMP FAR WEST DAM
criticalUpdated 2026-10-26· 82% of month avg· D0
LITTLE GRASS VALLEY
Updated 2026-10-26· 80% of month avg· D0
HIDDEN DAM (HENSLEY)
criticalUpdated 2026-10-27· 60% of month avg· D0
HUNTINGTON LAKE
Updated 2026-10-26· 101% of month avg· D0
LAKE DAVIS
Updated 2026-10-27· 109% of month avg· D0
LAKE PILLSBURY NR POTTER VLY 24HR AVG
lowUpdated 2026-10-27· 98% of month avg· D0
DEL VALLE
lowUpdated 2026-10-27· 85% of month avg
LAKE SILVERWOOD
Updated 2026-10-27· 105% of month avg
COYOTE (LAKE MENDOCINO)
Updated 2026-10-27· 87% of month avg· D0
ENGLEBRIGHT
Updated 2026-10-27· 100% of month avg· D0
TULLOCH
Updated 2026-10-27· 91% of month avg· D0
SLY CREEK
Updated 2026-10-26· 82% of month avg· D0
DONNELLS
lowUpdated 2026-10-27· 52% of month avg· D0
FRENCHMAN DAM
Updated 2026-10-27· 103% of month avg· D1
LOON LAKE
Updated 2026-10-27· 96% of month avg· D0
EAST PARK RESERVOIR
Updated 2026-10-27· 113% of month avg· D0
SAN ANTONIO RESERVOIR, ALAMEDA CO
Updated 2026-10-26· 91% of month avg
STONY GORGE RESERVOIR
Updated 2026-10-27· 115% of month avg· D0
BUTT VALLEY
Updated 2026-10-20· 101% of month avg· D0
ICE HOUSE
Updated 2026-10-27· 101% of month avg· D0
BOCA RESERVOIR
lowUpdated 2026-10-23· 68% of month avg· D1
PROSSER CREEK RESERVOIR
Updated 2026-10-23· 95% of month avg· D1
LAKE ELEANOR
Updated 2026-10-27· 85% of month avg· D0
MOUNTAIN MEADOWS
criticalUpdated 2026-10-26· 74% of month avg· D0
ANTELOPE LAKE
Updated 2026-10-27· 99% of month avg· D0
CAPLES LAKE
Updated 2026-10-27· 84% of month avg· D0
INDEPENDENCE LAKE NEAR TRUCKEE
Updated 2026-10-27· 96% of month avg· D0
STRAWBERRY
Updated 2026-10-27· 80% of month avg· D0
SLAB CREEK
Updated 2026-10-27· 113% of month avg· D0
RELIEF
lowUpdated 2026-10-27· 80% of month avg· D0
LAKE MC SWAIN
Updated 2026-10-27· 104% of month avg· D0
BEAR
criticalUpdated 2026-10-27· D0
Storage from official US gauges (USGS, USACE, Bureau of Reclamation, CDEC) and, in Texas, the Texas Water Development Board. Fill % uses design capacity from the National Inventory of Dams where available; Water Data for Texas lakes use that board's conservation capacity; a few sites without a match fall back to the 5-year maximum. "% of month avg" compares the current fill with the reservoir’s own average for this calendar month over its readings on record. D0–D4 is the U.S. Drought Monitor category of the ground at the reservoir’s coordinates on the latest weekly map — local conditions, not storage.
About reservoirs in California
As of October 27, 2026, the reservoirs we track across California that report live levels hold roughly 24,020 hm³ of water — about 59.0% of their combined capacity. Taken together, California's reservoirs are within their normal operating range.
Across the region, 8 reservoirs are at critically low levels and 11 are low. LAKE MC SWAIN is the fullest at 105.0%, while BEAR is the lowest at 0.0%.
Over the most recent week on record, 7 reservoirs rose and 29 reservoirs fell across California.
Storage figures for California come from USGS · USACE · BOR · CDEC; the most recent reading is from October 27, 2026. Each reservoir below links to its own page with full history and seasonal context.
California at a glance
- Reservoirs tracked
- 76
- Average fill
- 59.0%
- Water stored
- 24,020 hm³
- Combined capacity
- 40,702 hm³
- At critically low levels
- 8
- Fullest
- LAKE MC SWAIN (105.0%)
- Lowest
- BEAR (0.0%)
- Last updated
- October 27, 2026