by Jay Lawson
On Saturday, May 30, rain started falling in the West-Central Adirondacks to initiate a rise in water level on the Fulton Chain of Lakes, which at that time stood 1.2 feet below its target level for summer on lakes one through five.
The rise continued gradually throughout the rainfall period and beyond, with runoff continuing to settle into the Fulton Chain reservoir. The water level eventually planed off on Thursday, June 4, having risen 9.6 inches.
That left it just 4.8 inches below target level for this time of year.
The Sixth and Seventh lakes of the Fulton Chain in the Town of Inlet, had been about nine inches below normal prior to last weekend’s rainfall, which raised them to beyond their historical average level.
Some of that water ventured downstream, helping to elevate the lower five lakes.
Additional rainfall is currently being forecast for early next week.