South DakotaReservoir, 309,913 acres
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1,592.24ft
Up 0.16 ft this week
Sailing
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Kayak and SUP
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Power boating
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Fishing
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Outlook. Monday: ENE wind 12 to 14 kt, gusts to 22 kt, high near 41°F, 98% chance of rain. Tuesday: SSE wind 7 to 17 kt, gusts to 25 kt, high near 58°F.
7-day wind forecastLoads when you scroll here
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Last hour of NOAA MRMS radar, 1 km resolution. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, OpenMapTiles, OpenFreeMap.
1,592.24ft NGVD29
+0.16 ft in 7 days16.56 ft below the October normal
Reading from Oct 26, 2026. Shaded band: range of October averages on record; dashed line is the typical level.
Lake Oahe was at 1,592.24 ft on October 26, rising 0.16 ft over the past week. That is well below normal for October: the typical October level is 1,608.80 ft, so the lake is 16.56 ft below its usual mark.
Background reading: Lake Oahe on Wikipedia
Set in South Dakota, Lake Oahe is a 309,913-acre reservoir. The reservoir dates to 1948. The surface sits about 1,647 ft above sea level and the deepest point is roughly 203 ft down.
Water level on this page comes from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reading at Oahe Dam & Reservoir, published through the Corps' CWMS data service. Wind, gusts and rain come from the National Weather Service forecast grid that covers the water.
On a lake this size the wind has miles of open water to work with, so a 15 kt breeze can stack up a steep chop in the main basin while sheltered coves stay flat. Reservoir levels move with releases and inflow, so ramps and beaches can change week to week. The water level page tracks that day by day.
The go or no-go calls above are a starting point, not a guarantee. Read how we score conditions, and always check local rules and posted warnings before you launch.
The National Weather Service forecast for the lake from October 26: Monday: ENE wind 12 to 14 kt, gusts to 22 kt, high near 41°F, 98% chance of rain. The panel at the top of this page refreshes the current wind, gusts and direction when you open it and turns them into a call for sailing, paddling, power boating and fishing.
Lake Oahe was at 1,592.24 ft on October 26, rising 0.16 ft over the past week. That is well below normal for October: the typical October level is 1,608.80 ft, so the lake is 16.56 ft below its usual mark.
Lake Oahe covers about 309,913 acres (484 square miles) of surface water.
The deepest point of Lake Oahe is roughly 203 ft.
The dam that forms Lake Oahe was completed in 1948.
If Oahe is blown out, these are the closest alternatives. Tap through for their conditions.