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BREAKDOWN

Lake Of The Ozarks Water Level Is Nearly 3 Feet Lower Than Normal For December

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  • 1 min to read
Lake of the Ozarks in the winter

If you live on Lake of the Ozarks, you won't be surprised to hear it, and you've probably said it throughout the fall: the water level is really low right now.

As of Monday morning, Dec. 11, the Lake's water level was measuring approximately 656.2 feet of elevation above sea level, measured at Bagnell Dam. That's still within the tolerances set by the Guide Curve, which Ameren (the utility company that owns and operates the dam) uses as a target throughout the year. However, the water level is closer to the low-level limit than it has been in a decade. The low-level limit tracks at three feet below the Guide Curve, which has a target of 658 feet for this time of year. (The high-level limit is always set at 660. In December of 2015, catastrophic flooding took the Lake level up to 663.83, only a few months later after destructive summertime flooding took it to 662.55.)

December 2015 Flood Coverage - LakeExpo

July 2015 Flood Coverage - LakeExpo

View the Guide Curve

Here's a look at Lake of the Ozarks water levels on Dec. 11 over the past decade, according to Ameren's records.

Lake Of The Ozarks Water Levels Over A Decade - Dec. 11

(displayed in feet of elevation above sea level, approximate average level for the day)

• 2023 - 656.2

• 2022 - 657.19

• 2021 - 659.5

• 2020 - 659

• 2019 - 659.25

• 2018 - 659

• 2017 - 657.5

• 2016 - 657.9

• 2015 - 658.3

• 2014 - 659.4

The low water levels result in many boaters being unable to launch from their docks — particularly those in shallow-water coves. And while December is far from the busiest boating month, boaters who don't need to winterize their vessels often enjoy taking advantage of the occasional warmer days to get on the water, in addition to anglers, who never met a month when they didn't want to go fishing.

Could a low-water winter be in store for the Lake? Possibly, as Ameren is constrained not only by water level limits but also minimum-flow requirements, to keep the Osage River running. There may be some hope in the "Super El Niño" conditions, however, which meteorologists say could bring wetter, warmer weather through the winter.

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