Great Slave Lake at Yellowknife Bay water level

Name: Great Slave Lake at Yellowknife Bay water level (Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada)
Creator: Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada
License: https://open.canada.ca/en/open-government-licence-canada

Lake, Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Surface elevation

156.55m Up 0.04 m over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 03:25 AM MDT (1 hour ago)

History

What this means

Nothing unusual at Great Slave Lake at Yellowknife Bay right now: the water level of 156.55 m is in the normal range for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 156.43 m, based on 11 years of readings, so the water level is 0.11 m above typical. On the same day last year the reading was 156.14 m, a difference of +0.41 m.

The water is rising: up 0.04 m over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 156.45 m and 156.73 m.

Lakes and reservoirs often sit lower in fall after a summer of evaporation and use, and recover with winter rain and spring snowmelt.

Compared with 11 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 156.43 m0.11 m above the median for this date
Normal for this date: 156.01 m – 156.90 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (11 years of records)
Same day last year: 156.14 m+0.41 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 156.45 m – 156.73 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 155.95 m – 156.67 m

Swimming and boating at Great Slave Lake at Yellowknife Bay

At a normal level, ramps and marinas generally run as usual, and fishing tends to follow the season more than the water level.

If you swim, pick a spot with an easy way out, and remember that drop-offs move as the level changes.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 1.0 mm.

20 Tue 5° -2° – Wind 21 km/h

21 Wed 8° 1° – Wind 21 km/h

22 Thu 1° -2° – Wind 12 km/h

23 Fri 0° -2° – Wind 12 km/h

24 Sat 0° -3° – Wind 8 km/h

25 Sun 2° -3° – Wind 15 km/h

26 Mon 1° -1° 0.5 mm Wind 14 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 08:37 AM Sunset 06:08 PM Daylight 9 hr, 31 min First quarter 67%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Baker Creek at Outlet of Lower Martin LakeRiver gauge, Baker Creek	28.95 m	Low	±0	8.6 km
Prosperous Lake near McMeekan BayLake, Prosperous Lake	158.09 m	Low	±0	15 km
Prelude Lake near YellowknifeLake, Prelude Lake	169.05 m	Normal	±0	25 km
Yellowknife River at Inlet to Prosperous LakeRiver gauge, Yellowknife River	152.73 m	Normal	+0.01 m	26 km
Bluefish Lake near YellowknifeLake, Bluefish Lake	185.81 m	Normal	+0.04 m	27 km
Cameron River below Reid LakeRiver gauge, Cameron River	1.85 m	Normal	+0.01 m	43 km
Duncan Lake near YellowknifeLake, Duncan Lake	212.14 m	Normal	±0	44 km
Beaulieu River near Great Slave LakeRiver gauge, Beaulieu River	2.86 m	Normal	±0	73 km

Questions and answers

Is Great Slave Lake at Yellowknife Bay higher than last year?

Yes, it is 0.41 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 156.14 m.

What is a normal level for Great Slave Lake at Yellowknife Bay in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 156.43 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 156.01 m and 156.90 m, based on 11 years of records.

Is Great Slave Lake at Yellowknife Bay really 156.55 m deep?

No. 156.55 m is the height of the water surface above sea level (or the agency's vertical datum), not the depth of the water.

What is the water level of Great Slave Lake at Yellowknife Bay today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 03:25 AM MDT, the surface elevation was 156.55 m. Up 0.04 m over the last 24 hours.

Is Great Slave Lake at Yellowknife Bay rising or falling?

Up 0.04 m over the last 24 hours. Down 0.02 m over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Great Slave Lake at Yellowknife Bay normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 11 years of daily readings for this time of year.

How often is this data updated?

Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada publishes a new reading every hour. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada
Station code: eccc:07SB001 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 62.44156, -114.34981 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: GEODETIC SURVEY OF CANADA DATUM (LOCAL 1968 ADJ.)
Update interval: every hour
Licence: Open Government Licence – Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Surface elevation	156.55 m	2026-10-20 09:25	Provisional

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How to cite

Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada: Great Slave Lake at Yellowknife Bay (eccc:07SB001). Accessed October 20, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/canada/northwest-territories/great-slave-lake-at-yellowknife-bay

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer