One lake tops its tipping point; Wylie and others inch higher from Florence rains

Lake Wylie was inching upward, but still well ahead of its tipping point as the first lake in the Catawba River system reached capacity.

Just before 11 a.m. Sunday, Lake Dearborn in Great Falls measured a lake level above its full pond. Full pond is the point where excess water spills outside the lake or floods.

Dearborn is a small lake between Fishing Creek Lake and Cedar Creek/Rock River Reservoir in Great Falls, north of the much larger Lake Wateree. Dearborn has been within a foot of full pond since Friday. There are several public access areas to the north and south, but not on Dearborn itself.

The larger lakes in the Catawba River chain still show plenty of room for water as rain lingers from Tropical Storm Florence, downgraded from hurricane status in recent days.

The water level on Lake Wylie was dropped two feet in less than a week to make way for incoming rain. As of Sunday morning, Wylie was several inches higher than its low point Saturday. The lake still sits more than four feet below full pond.

In North Carolina, Lakes Norman, more than three feet below, and James, more than five feet below, still showed capacity for more rain, as did Lake Wateree, more than four feet below, in South Carolina.

Fishing Creek sat less than a foot below its full pond. Fishing Creek has a park and an access area on it. Lake Rhodhiss in North Carolina, the second lake in the chain after James, sat less than three feet below its full pond.

Lake levels are expected to rise for several more days, as rain continues both in this area and upstream in the North Carolina mountains.

Flooding has been reported on social media and elsewhere from streams on the North Carolina side of the river basin.

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