A 12-billion-gallon Florida lake vanished overnight, leaving stunned residents staring at a giant muddy hole. The massive Lake Jackson basin suddenly drained completely as its natural plumbing gave way.
Lake Jackson, a 4,000-acre lake just outside Tallahassee, Florida, drained into underground caves through a sinkhole in its floor over the course of several months. The lake, which once held about 12 billion gallons of water, is now largely exposed mud and sediment. The drain began in late November 2025, after months of drought in the region, and continued into early 2026. By March, vegetation was…