ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Now that summer is officially here and its we’re living in 100°+ heat outside, people are looking for any solution to cool off. Lakes, pools, splash pads, are all great solutions. But lake levels are not as high as they need to be.
Given the amount of rain that has accumulated over the past couple of months, many of you would think that would correlate with an increase in lake levels. Unfortunately, that has not been the case for the lakes here around the Big Country.
Of course, there has been some increase in lake levels. Some lakes have filled up more than others.
According to the Water Data for Texas, Lake Ft. Phantom is about 77% full as of Tuesday morning. That is one of the fuller lakes around the area.
On the other end of that, Lake Abilene is only 25% full. A list of other lake levels around the Big Country is included in the clip attached at the top. The question is why the lake levels aren’t rising as much?
The answer to that question is due to the severe to extreme drought conditions before we started receiving all this rain.
The grounds and surfaces around some of these lakes were so dry that they absorbed a lot of the initial rainfall, sort of like a sponge. That also limited the runoffs from roads and creeks into the lakes.
The plus side of that is the drought conditions have improved tremendously around the area. So, if we do get rain, we can expect lake levels to rise a little better without the grounds soaking up all the rain.
For those planning trips to the lakes check the Water Data for Texas before going out.
As triple digits continue to scorch the region, it’s very important to stay hydrated and cool off any chance you get.
Above are some heat safety precautions to help you protect yourself and others during summer heat waves. It is important to practice these habits wherever possible.
The good news is temperatures will slowly decrease heading into the weekend. A cold front will cool us off down to the low 90s, with some showers and storms and cooler air.
