The lake that vanishes and reappears without warning

Just north of Tallahassee, there’s a lake that disappears. Lake Jackson is huge & stretches across thousands of acres, but every so often, the water just drains away without any warning. Then it fills up again months later, like nothing happened. Let’s find out the truth about what’s going on.

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Where is it?

Lake Jackson is in Leon County, about ten minutes north of downtown Tallahassee, and covers over 4,000 acres when it’s full. The lake is on top of a soft layer of limestone that’s easy for water to carve through, which has created sinkholes at the bottom. Two of the biggest ones are called Porter Hole Sink & Lime Sink. These two are rather important.

The moments when it disappears

The first time anyone wrote down what happened was back in 1829. Since then, the lake has disappeared again & again, including in 1907, 1932, 1957, the early 2000s, 2012, and most recently in 2021. But it’s not on schedule. Some years it’s fine, other times it just gives out, and a dry spell is usually what sets things up.

How fast it can go

When the final stage kicks in, it gets surprisingly quick. The water level drops and shallow areas shrink first, then channels appear & guide water toward the sinkholes. It happens mostly at Porter Hole Sink, and anyone standing nearby can actually hear the rush of the water disappearing.

Where the water actually goes

So what happens? It’s all because the water slips through the sinkholes and then moves underground through the Upper Floridan Aquifer. This is a giant natural plumbing system beneath northern Florida. Tracer studies have found that the water from Lake Jackson shows up at Wakulla Spring, nearly 19 miles away, taking just over a month to arrive.

Why the lake comes back

Rain is the main reason why the water comes back. The basin collects water from storms & when there’s enough of it, the lake refills. Sometimes, the lake comes back within months, while at other times, it’s a slower process. But it does come back eventually.

What stays wet when most of it is dry

But even when the lake seems completely gone, there are still patches that hold water. These are the lower-lying coves & deeper pockets, with Church Cove and Rhoden Cove usually being the last wet spots. Animals often crowd into these places until the rains return. For a short time, the exposed lakebed becomes a wide, flat plain with scattered pools.

A recent drain-out

As of 2025, the last time the lake disappeared was during the summer of 2021. The water at Porter Hole Sink started spiraling down in June of that year, and within weeks, a huge chunk of the lakebed was exposed. It took until late 2022 for there to be enough rain to bring the water back & for the lake to look familiar again.

How researchers study this lake

Scientists rush to take advantage every time the lake drains. After all, the lack of water means they can get a clear look at the sinkholes & map the lake floor, while also taking measurements that aren’t possible when it’s full. They’ve learned a lot about how water snakes through underground channels this way, and it’s the best time to study the lake’s plumbing.

The following sources were consulted in the preparation of this article: