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<blockquote data-quote="KPRC2" data-source="post: 54684" data-attributes="member: 148">I’ve had a number of viewers asking me about the lakes given the drought situation and that is a legitimate concern. On the face of it, our regional lakes are not looking too bad, about 5% below capacity.<img src="https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/3ONjuZXUm15NAtruU6TLqKWQrG0=/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/57XBMI6QANDGNPKOACCGOFRXZM.JPG" alt="Running 5% below capacity" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />But the Hill Country lakes are not faring nearly as well. First, look at the current picture of Lake Buchanan just yesterday. This lake is about 60 miles northwest of Austin and what you see below is a pier that used to have water under it!<img src="https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/Le5GfJ1cYD0ajHnpwm5ThN1yDV4=/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/JVY7AHUPWBHNNGIIL7LRFV4AYY.JPG" alt="courtesy Stephen Regian" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />The Hill Country lakes are falling quickly, not just Lake Buchanan.<img src="https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/WVv2ajo9WKJXa_qtMZI9fEsFezg=/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/RIIRHP4PNNHAFLPIY6W4JNHRE4.JPG" alt="As low as 50% below normal" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />Lake Austin isn’t looking so low, but Lake Travis is nearly half the normal and Lake Buchanan is dropping by the day. I’ve had a number of picture from the 2011 drought. The cover picture of Lake Conroe was in September 2011 as was this picture of Lake Houston:<img src="https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/jyK5ZvKszx7MyWqy-2PjZ4fTEgY=/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/F3RCO4YJV5BITNXFYGKKJXBBRU.jpg" alt="coourtesy Steven Jones" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />Here is Lake Livingston at the same time:<img src="https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/AkiiLSzig0F5m_us2ptXh789ecY=/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/FOCH2SPZCRESPNDPRS4KLJA24M.jpg" alt="courtesy Vickie Gunter Brewster" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />And keep in mind that some of the lakes lowest levels don’t occur during summer. The effects of the drought can show up in the fall and even winter as they did in 2011:<img src="https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/4EDIInD6Na9lunn_uJzI84pj3-w=/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/E7YSJQ46TRHKRNASMTMKMIQBMA.JPG" alt="Clearly, the drought effects can take hold later than just summer" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />While I’ve done a lot of comparison to 2011, I did get this two-year example of our current drought. A pond in Liberty in 2020 and now:<img src="https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/HjeGDrH8AN_16oMit4kw3czx2nE=/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/BL3SRFCNN5DJ7MYSUMPGRU26EM.jpg" alt="courtesy Ashley Windemiller" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />You can see the pier on the right side in 2020 and to the left in 2022. Not a lick of water today.So we don’t have to go back very far to see these dramatic changes. Get ready, they may have just started.Frank<a href="mailto:frank@kprc.com">Email me</a> and follow me on <a href="https://facebook.com/frankbillingsley" target="_blank">Facebook</a>!<a href="https://www.click2houston.com/weather/2022/07/22/lakes-get-lower/" target="_blank">Continue reading...</a></blockquote>

[QUOTE="KPRC2, post: 54684, member: 148"] I’ve had a number of viewers asking me about the lakes given the drought situation and that is a legitimate concern. On the face of it, our regional lakes are not looking too bad, about 5% below capacity. [IMG alt="Running 5% below capacity"]https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/3ONjuZXUm15NAtruU6TLqKWQrG0=/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/57XBMI6QANDGNPKOACCGOFRXZM.JPG[/IMG] But the Hill Country lakes are not faring nearly as well. First, look at the current picture of Lake Buchanan just yesterday. This lake is about 60 miles northwest of Austin and what you see below is a pier that used to have water under it! [IMG alt="courtesy Stephen Regian"]https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/Le5GfJ1cYD0ajHnpwm5ThN1yDV4=/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/JVY7AHUPWBHNNGIIL7LRFV4AYY.JPG[/IMG] The Hill Country lakes are falling quickly, not just Lake Buchanan. [IMG alt="As low as 50% below normal"]https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/WVv2ajo9WKJXa_qtMZI9fEsFezg=/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/RIIRHP4PNNHAFLPIY6W4JNHRE4.JPG[/IMG] Lake Austin isn’t looking so low, but Lake Travis is nearly half the normal and Lake Buchanan is dropping by the day. I’ve had a number of picture from the 2011 drought. The cover picture of Lake Conroe was in September 2011 as was this picture of Lake Houston: [IMG alt="coourtesy Steven Jones"]https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/jyK5ZvKszx7MyWqy-2PjZ4fTEgY=/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/F3RCO4YJV5BITNXFYGKKJXBBRU.jpg[/IMG] Here is Lake Livingston at the same time: [IMG alt="courtesy Vickie Gunter Brewster"]https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/AkiiLSzig0F5m_us2ptXh789ecY=/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/FOCH2SPZCRESPNDPRS4KLJA24M.jpg[/IMG] And keep in mind that some of the lakes lowest levels don’t occur during summer. The effects of the drought can show up in the fall and even winter as they did in 2011: [IMG alt="Clearly, the drought effects can take hold later than just summer"]https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/4EDIInD6Na9lunn_uJzI84pj3-w=/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/E7YSJQ46TRHKRNASMTMKMIQBMA.JPG[/IMG] While I’ve done a lot of comparison to 2011, I did get this two-year example of our current drought. A pond in Liberty in 2020 and now: [IMG alt="courtesy Ashley Windemiller"]https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/HjeGDrH8AN_16oMit4kw3czx2nE=/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/BL3SRFCNN5DJ7MYSUMPGRU26EM.jpg[/IMG] You can see the pier on the right side in 2020 and to the left in 2022. Not a lick of water today. So we don’t have to go back very far to see these dramatic changes. Get ready, they may have just started. Frank [EMAIL='frank@kprc.com']Email me[/EMAIL] and follow me on [URL='https://facebook.com/frankbillingsley']Facebook[/URL]! [url="https://www.click2houston.com/weather/2022/07/22/lakes-get-lower/"]Continue reading...[/url] [/QUOTE]

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