Climateby Month

South Lake Tahoe, CA climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 6,238 ft elevation

Summers in South Lake Tahoe are warm; winters are chilly and snowy. Highs peak at 80°F in July and fall to 43°F in January. The wettest month is December (about 11 wet days) and the driest is July (about 1). Normal snowfall is about 179 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is June.

Warmest month
80°F
July normal high
Coldest month
18°F
December normal low
Wet days a year
73
33.6 in of precipitation
Snow a year
179.0 in
normal snowfall

How warm is South Lake Tahoe?

Normal highs range from 43°F in January to 80°F in July.

0°20°40°60°80° January: normal high 43°F (6°C), low 18°F (-8°C) 43° 18° February: normal high 43°F (6°C), low 19°F (-7°C) March: normal high 48°F (9°C), low 24°F (-4°C) April: normal high 53°F (12°C), low 28°F (-2°C) May: normal high 62°F (17°C), low 33°F (1°C) June: normal high 72°F (22°C), low 38°F (3°C) July: normal high 80°F (27°C), low 43°F (6°C) 80° 43° August: normal high 80°F (27°C), low 41°F (5°C) September: normal high 73°F (23°C), low 35°F (2°C) October: normal high 62°F (17°C), low 29°F (-2°C) November: normal high 51°F (11°C), low 23°F (-5°C) December: normal high 43°F (6°C), low 18°F (-8°C) JFMAMJJASOND

Bars run from the normal low to the normal high for each month.

How rainy is South Lake Tahoe?

December has the most wet days (about 11); the year brings about 34 in of precipitation.

January: 10 wet days February: 10 wet days March: 10 wet days April: 7 wet days May: 5 wet days June: 3 wet days July: 1 wet days 1 August: 2 wet days September: 2 wet days October: 4 wet days November: 7 wet days December: 11 wet days 11 JFMAMJJASOND

Wet day: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow, counted from daily records 1991-2020.

How much does it snow?

Normal snowfall is 179.0 in a year, most of it in February.

January: 37.9 in of snow February: 41.3 in of snow 41.3 March: 34.7 in of snow April: 14.0 in of snow May: 2.8 in of snow June: 0.2 in of snow July: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 August: 0.0 in of snow September: 0.1 in of snow October: 2.4 in of snow November: 9.4 in of snow December: 36.2 in of snow JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is South Lake Tahoe?

Muggy days (dew point 65°F or higher) are rare in any month.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days April: 0 muggy days May: 0 muggy days June: 0 muggy days July: 0 muggy days August: 0 muggy days September: 0 muggy days October: 0 muggy days November: 0 muggy days December: 0 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Lake Tahoe Airport, 2.5 mi SSW of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.5 hours in December to 14.9 hours in June.

January: 9.8 hours of daylight February: 10.8 hours of daylight March: 12.0 hours of daylight April: 13.2 hours of daylight May: 14.3 hours of daylight June: 14.8 hours of daylight 14.8 July: 14.6 hours of daylight August: 13.7 hours of daylight September: 12.4 hours of daylight October: 11.2 hours of daylight November: 10.1 hours of daylight December: 9.5 hours of daylight 9.5 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for South Lake Tahoe, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 43°F18°F 6.0 in10 37.9 in 0 9.8 h
February 43°F19°F 5.6 in10 41.3 in 0 10.8 h
March 48°F24°F 4.6 in10 34.7 in 0 12.0 h
April 53°F28°F 2.1 in7 14.0 in 0 13.2 h
May 62°F33°F 1.5 in5 2.8 in 0 14.3 h
June 72°F38°F 0.6 in3 0.2 in 0 14.8 h
July 80°F43°F 0.3 in1 0.0 in 0 14.6 h
August 80°F41°F 0.3 in2 0.0 in 0 13.7 h
September 73°F35°F 0.5 in2 0.1 in 0 12.4 h
October 62°F29°F 2.1 in4 2.4 in 0 11.2 h
November 51°F23°F 3.5 in7 9.4 in 0 10.1 h
December 43°F18°F 6.5 in11 36.2 in 0 9.5 h

High and low: NOAA 1991-2020 normal daily high and low. Wet days: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow. Muggy days: daily mean dew point 65°F or higher.

Best months to visit South Lake Tahoe

By our comfort score, the best month is June.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 3201011
Feb 3301010
Mar 411107
Apr 54574
May 721450
Jun 842030
Jul 731211
Aug 731420
Sep 792120
Oct 651541
Nov 41274
Dec 3001111

Score = 40 × share of comfortable days + 25 × share of days without notable rain + 20 × share of days neither hot (90°F+) nor cold (high 40°F or below) + 15 × daylight. How the score works.

Frost dates in South Lake Tahoe

The last spring frost typically comes around Jun 5, and the first fall frost around Oct 9, leaving 126 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for South Lake Tahoe
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Jun 5after Jun 22
First fall frost (32°F)Oct 9before Sep 24
Last hard freeze (28°F)May 12after Jun 10
First hard freeze (28°F)Oct 24before Oct 4
Frost-free season126 daysunder 103 days

"Typical" is the date with a 50% chance of a later spring frost (or earlier fall frost). Planting after the "1 year in 10" spring date gives a 90% chance of no further frost. The Old Farmer's Almanac publishes 30% dates, which fall between our typical and 1-in-10 dates.

Station: Glenbrook (USC00263205), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in California.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 93°F (July 10, 2002); the lowest was -21°F (January 3, 1993).

From the temperature station's daily records with NOAA quality flags removed. Not an all-time record.

Near South Lake Tahoe

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature: South Lake Tahoe Airport (USW00093230), 2.5 mi SSW of the city center, 6,314 ft (76 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Rain: Fallen Leaf (USS0020L10S), 3.5 mi W of the city center, 6,236 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Snowfall and snow depth: Tahoe City (USC00048758), 18 mi NNW of the city center, 6,230 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Frost dates: Glenbrook (USC00263205), 10 mi NNE of the city center, 6,350 ft (112 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Humidity and wind by hour: Blue Canyon Airport (USW00023225), 46 mi WNW of the city center, 5,276 ft (962 ft lower than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Lake Tahoe Airport (725847-93230), 2.5 mi SSW of the city center, 6,257 ft . Hourly observations, 1991-2020.
  • Not available for this location: cloud cover (no station close enough or similar enough in elevation).

Distances from the city center (USGS). Methodology · Report an error