Lake Lanier at highest level since 1977

ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Lake Lanier, Georgia's largest lake, is at its highest level in 42 years. That is thanks to a very soggy week last week.

"The ground is just saturated. If we get any more rain, it has nowhere to go. We saw that kind of into the weekend on your Saturday into Sunday night and we're going to see more rain down the pike. So, areas like Lake Lanier, that are well above full pool, will continue to be that way until we can get a string of dryer air in here," said FOX 5 Storm Team Chief Meteorologist David Chandley.

SKYFOX 5 flew over Lake Lanier Monday afternoon and spotted beaches, parks, picnic areas, docks, and tree lines underwater. There also was a considerable amount of debris in the water.

"So, if you're out and about, you just need to be careful on Lake Lanier," Chandley said.

The official level for Lake Lanier was 1,076.02 feet. That's more than 5 feet above full pool.

Lake Lanier is a manmade lake created in 1956 with the completion of Buford Dam along the Chattahoochee River. The record high was set April 14, 1964, at 1077.15, and the record low was set Dec. 26, 2007 at 1050.79. Full pool is considered at 1,071 feet.

"How about February rainfall? Yeah, you look at the calendar and you count how many days we didn't have any measurable precipitation and you can almost do it on one hand. There have only been seven days out of the month," Chandley said. "And you think 'Well, it's been a rainy month!' Well, it has, but here in Atlanta, actually, we're still below normal with the rainfall. Yeah, that's odd, isn't it?"

Chandley said Atlanta is nearly four-tenths of an inch below normal in Atlanta measuring only 3.81 inches, but not in extreme North Georgia where they are well over their normal yearly rainfall.

Elsewhere across the state, Allatoona Lake is 6.54 feet about the full pool at 845.54 feet as of Monday evening. Lake Blue Ridge is nearly 6 feet above full pool at 1,686.96 feet. And Lake Hartwell, along the Georgia-South Carolina line, is nearly 3 feet above full pool at 662.71 feet.

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