South Dakota lake levels today: South Dakota lakes

4 of 7 South Dakota lakes are below full pool today. Lake Francis Case is the lowest for the date, Lewis and Clark Lake the highest.

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Data as of November 4, 2026. Pictured: Lake Francis Case.

South Dakota at a glance

Pictured: Lewis and Clark Lake, which is 3.7 ft above full today.

7 South Dakota lakes trackedFederal reservoirs and lakes with a live agency gauge.
4 Below full poolOut of 7 with a published full pool; 3 are at or above it.
2 Lower than usual for the dateOut of 7 with five or more years of history; 2 are higher than usual.
4 Lower than a year agoOut of 7 lakes with a reading from the same date last year.

Every South Dakota lake, lowest first

Measured against full pool, Lake Francis Case is the emptiest South Dakota lake today (12.1 ft below full) and Lewis and Clark Lake the fullest (3.7 ft above full).

Compared with a year ago, Pactola Reservoir has dropped the most (10.3 ft lower) and Lake Sharpe has gained the most (0.6 ft higher).

2 of 7 lakes are lower than usual for early November, measured against each lake's own past years on today's date.

Select a column heading to sort the table. Each lake links to its own page with a 12-month chart and the dock check.

South Dakota lake levels. Select a column heading to sort.

Lake Francis Case	1,337.88	−12.1 ft	7th pct	−5.76	−4.92
Pactola Reservoir	4,559.51	71.3%	10th pct	−15.71	−10.34
Lake Oahe	1,592.70	−14.8 ft	27th pct	−8.87	−7.78
Shadehill Reservoir	2,264.95	58.0%	40th pct	−2.86	−3.02
Lake Traverse	976.94	Full	63rd pct	+0.07	+0.10
Lake Sharpe	1,421.18	+1.2 ft	100th pct	+0.54	+0.64
Lewis and Clark Lake	1,208.17	+3.7 ft	100th pct	+0.58	+0.63

More South Dakota lakes

South Dakota lake questions

Which South Dakota lake is the fullest right now?

Lewis and Clark Lake: 3.7 ft above full.

Which South Dakota lake is the lowest?

Measured against full pool, Lake Francis Case (12.1 ft below full). Measured against its own normal for the date, Lake Francis Case (much lower than usual).

How is this ranking made?

Lakes that publish storage are ranked by percent of conservation storage. The rest are placed by their distance from full pool. Natural lakes without a full pool sit at the end, compared only with their normal for the date.