Lake Tahoe in Fall
In fall (September, October and November), Lake Tahoe sees average daytime highs around 60°F and overnight lows near 38°F, with 5.5 in of precipitation over about 16 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.
Over the season highs ease from about 76°F in early September to 41°F by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.
Fall is Lake Tahoe's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Lake Tahoe's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 60°F
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 38°F
- Precipitation
- 5.5 in
- 16 wet days
- Avg wind
- 4 mph
- Travel score
- 5.4
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Sep · Oct · Nov
Temperature in Lake Tahoe in Fall
Over the season highs ease from about 76°F in early September to 41°F by late November.
A typical fall day in Lake Tahoe reaches about 60°F and drops to 38°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is September, the coolest November.
How fall really feels in Lake Tahoe
Once humidity and wind are folded in, fall brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 37 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in fall is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Lake Tahoe weather by month
How the three fall months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38° / 24° | 5.7 | 10.7 | 10.2 | 9.6 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 40° / 25° | 5.2 | 11.2 | 11 | 10.5 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 44° / 27° | 4.9 | 11.1 | 10.7 | 11.7 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 49° / 29° | 2.7 | 8.9 | 7.4 | 13 | 2.0 |
| May | 59° / 36° | 2.1 | 8.4 | 3.6 | 14.1 | 4.8 |
| Jun | 70° / 44° | 0.8 | 4.3 | 0.7 | 14.7 | 7.9 |
| Jul | 79° / 51° | 0.4 | 3.1 | 0 | 14.4 | 8.4 |
| Aug | 79° / 52° | 0.5 | 3.1 | 0 | 13.5 | 8.5 |
| Sep | 72° / 47° | 0.6 | 3.2 | 0.3 | 12.3 | 8.5 |
| Oct | 61° / 38° | 1.7 | 4.8 | 2.1 | 11 | 6.0 |
| Nov | 47° / 28° | 3.2 | 7.9 | 6.7 | 9.9 | 1.6 |
| Dec | 38° / 23° | 5.6 | 10.6 | 10.2 | 9.3 | 0.0 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 60% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
Lake Tahoe gets around 5.5 in of rain and snow over 16 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Fall
Most of fall feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Fall
Winds average 4 mph across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
Daylight runs from about 12 h 54 min in early September to 9 h 30 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Fall
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 4.5 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Lake Tahoe
In fall, Lake Tahoe overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Lake Tahoe's rainy season runs November–April, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is fall a good time to visit Lake Tahoe?
Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
fall is a reasonable time to visit Lake Tahoe for sightseeing.
What to pack for Lake Tahoe in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, Lake Tahoe sees daytime highs around 60°F and nights near 38°F. Pack a warm layer and sun protection. Worth having: light clothes. About 16 days see rain.
UV index in Lake Tahoe in Fall
Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Lake Tahoe peaks around June 23 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 13 at about 2 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5 | High |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 10 | Very high |
| Jun | 12 | Extreme |
| Jul | 12 | Extreme |
| Aug | 10 | Extreme |
| Sep | 7 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Moderate |
Air quality in Lake Tahoe in Fall
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where fall falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Lake Tahoe is worst in August — around 85 µg/m³ PM2.5 (unhealthy), about 16.6× the cleanest month (December, 5 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 6 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 45 | 85 | 34 | 11 | 6 | 5 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Poor | Unhealthy | Moderate | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 6 | Good |
| Feb | 8 | Good |
| Mar | 9 | Good |
| Apr | 9 | Good |
| May | 9 | Good |
| Jun | 14 | Moderate |
| Jul | 45 | Poor |
| Aug | 85 | Unhealthy |
| Sep | 34 | Moderate |
| Oct | 11 | Good |
| Nov | 6 | Good |
| Dec | 5 | Good |
Where is Lake Tahoe?
Lake Tahoe sits at 38.9°N, 120.0°W, 6,237 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Carson City, 20 mi away.
Topography around Lake Tahoe
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Lake Tahoe.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Lake Tahoe has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 427 ft around an average of 6,270 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,181 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 10,850 ft.
The land around Lake Tahoe is covered by trees (50%) and water (29%) within 2 miles, trees (57%) and water (24%) within 10 miles, and trees (60%) and grassland (24%) within 50 miles.
United States travel facts
- Power plugs
- Type A / B
- 120 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 100% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $90,027
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.8 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 98%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 5.8
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 12.7
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Lake Tahoe (38.9332°, -119.9844°, elevation 6,237 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.