Heavy rainfall across the Texas Hill Country has given Medina Lake its biggest boost in years, raising water levels nearly 13 feet over the past eight days and pushing the drought-stricken reservoir to its highest elevation since 2022.
As of Monday, June 22, Medina Lake stood at 989.75 feet above sea level and was 8.4% full by volume, according to the Texas Water Development Board.
While the recent rise marks a dramatic turnaround from historic lows recorded in 2025, the reservoir remains more than 74 feet below its conservation pool elevation.
The gains came after several rounds of heavy rain across northeastern Medina County and eastern Bandera County, including storms late Friday that dropped 3 to 6 inches of rain over portions of the Medina River watershed.
The runoff flowed into the lake, adding nearly 7 feet of elevation since Friday alone.
Earlier this month, Medina Lake hovered near 4% capacity.
By June 17, it had climbed to 5.5% full after rainfall added more than 3,100 acre-feet of water. Continued storms over the past week accelerated the recovery.
The reservoir reached a historic low of about 2% capacity in 2025 and has remained below 10% full for nearly four years.
Despite recent improvements, officials say significantly more rainfall will be needed for a full recovery. Medina Lake's conservation capacity is approximately 254,823 acre-feet.
The increase comes amid one of the wettest starts to June in decades for South Texas. San Antonio had received 20.87 inches of rain for the year by mid-June, about 42% above normal.
Weather forecasters say the recent surge in lake levels is likely to slow. High pressure is expected to bring hot and mostly dry conditions across South-Central Texas through the remainder of June and possibly into early July.
Daily high temperatures are forecast to reach the upper 90s, with only limited chances for additional rainfall.
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