Lake Urmia has seen a 62–68 centimeter rise in water level compared with last year, reaching approximately 1,270.12–1,270.18 meters.

Axar.az, citing Mehr news agency, reports that the lake’s surface area expanded from around 481 square kilometers to between 870 and 900 square kilometers.

Ahmad Baybordi, head of East Azarbaijan’s Research and Training Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources, attributed the increase to rainfall exceeding long-term averages by 70–115% and river inflow of about 22 cubic meters per second.

Despite the improvement, the lake remains roughly four meters below its long-term average, meaning full structural recovery has yet to be achieved.