Experts speak on Central Texas lake levels amid dry springtime

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - The springtime in Central Texas is known for having some decent rainfall, but Central Texas hasn’t seen as much as we should.

KWTX took a look into how this dry spring can affect the lake levels in the area.

News 10′s First Alert Meteorologist Sean Bellafiore said the rain shortage for this year is running close to four inches right now.

But since May of 2024 was the rainiest month in history, we’ve added a lot of water to all of our area lakes, which means they’re ok for now.

“We’re ok, but if we keep going deeper and deeper into the season with a lack of rainfall, that’s when the concern will really start to pick up, especially if we get through May and June without much rain because then we’re in summer. That’s when really where we’ll start to dig ourselves into a big hole,” said Bellafiore.

Stillhouse Hallow Lake currently sits at 89% capacity and Lake Belton is at 91%.

Lake manager for Lake Waco, Michael Champagne said crews check lake levels every day with a gage inside of the dam that’s updated by the hour.

He said Lake Waco is two feet below normal levels, but it’s still in the average stage.

“Two feet low is always concerning because it’s a lack of water, but it also provides that extra two feet of compacity in case we do all of a sudden have these rainy months that might come up,” said Champagne.

Jarod Briscoe, lead Park Ranger at Whitney Lake, said the lake level is an inch higher than normal levels.

He shared a chart displaying the lake has either been in flood stage or just 14 inches under normal lake level within the last year, showing the levels can vary.

“Concerning isn’t the word I would use. It kind of just is. Right now, we’ve had maybe less precipitation than some people would want, but not enough to drop our levels in a significant way.”

Copyright 2025 KWTX. All rights reserved.