Lakes on the Central Coast are filling up fast, but most—at least as of press time—were still far below full. Lake Nacimiento jumped to 41 percent from 34 percent in four days, an impressive increase for such a massive lake. Monterey County is releasing water from the lake to recharge groundwater for the Salinas Valley.

Whale Rock Reservoir in Cayucos is
at 52.2 percent. Lopez Lake is up to
61.6 percent, and Santa Margarita Lake is full.

According to county officials, these figures are only a snapshot of a rapidly changing situation. Even after the rain moves on, water will continue to tumble down the hills to the lakes. ∆