So I appear to have jumped the gun last week in pronouncing the end of Lake Mead’s seasonal decline for 2010. As I write this morning, the lake surface is at 1081.92 feet above sea level, having fluttered below the 1082 mark during the past week for the first time since 1937. It’s now more than a foot below its level when I was out in October watching it set its record. Rather than rising nearly a foot in November, as had been expected, it’s dropped slightly (with three days yet to go in the month).

The precip map is showing a classic La Niña pattern – dry south, wetter north, though California seems to be doing better than they might have hoped:

Percent normal precip since Oct. 1, courtesy WRCC

In terms of the coming season, the snotel map is showing some promise:

Snotel, Nov. 26 2010, courtesy WRCC