Lake Tahoe in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Lake Tahoe sees average daytime highs around 39°F and overnight lows near 24°F, with 16.5 in of precipitation over about 33 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 39°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Lake Tahoe's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Lake Tahoe's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 39°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 24°F
- Precipitation
- 16.5 in
- 33 wet days
- Avg wind
- 4 mph
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Lake Tahoe in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 39°F.
A typical winter day in Lake Tahoe reaches about 39°F and drops to 24°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
How winter really feels in Lake Tahoe
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 90 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Lake Tahoe weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) 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 Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Lake Tahoe gets around 16.5 in of rain and snow over 33 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 4 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 min in early December to 11 hours by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.9 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Lake Tahoe
In winter, 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 winter a good time to visit Lake Tahoe?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Lake Tahoe.
What to pack for Lake Tahoe in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Lake Tahoe sees daytime highs around 39°F and nights near 24°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 33 days see rain.
UV index in Lake Tahoe in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3 — 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 Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter 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.