Truckee in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Truckee sees average daytime highs around 38°F and overnight lows near 24°F, with 20.5 in of precipitation over about 35 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 38°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Truckee's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Truckee's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 38°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 24°F
- Precipitation
- 20.5 in
- 35 wet days
- Avg wind
- 6 mph
- Travel score
- 0.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Truckee in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 38°F.
A typical winter day in Truckee reaches about 38°F and drops to 24°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
How winter really feels in Truckee
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.
Truckee 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° | 7.0 | 11.6 | 11.2 | 9.5 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 40° / 24° | 6.6 | 11.7 | 11.5 | 10.5 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 43° / 26° | 6.2 | 12 | 11.6 | 11.7 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 47° / 29° | 3.5 | 9.9 | 8.4 | 13 | 1.6 |
| May | 57° / 35° | 2.6 | 9.3 | 4.4 | 14.1 | 4.2 |
| Jun | 69° / 44° | 1.0 | 4.8 | 0.9 | 14.7 | 7.7 |
| Jul | 78° / 52° | 0.5 | 3.2 | 0 | 14.5 | 8.6 |
| Aug | 77° / 52° | 0.5 | 3.2 | 0 | 13.5 | 8.7 |
| Sep | 71° / 46° | 0.7 | 3.7 | 0.4 | 12.3 | 8.2 |
| Oct | 60° / 37° | 2.0 | 5.2 | 2.2 | 11 | 5.7 |
| Nov | 46° / 28° | 3.9 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 9.8 | 1.3 |
| Dec | 37° / 24° | 7.0 | 11.6 | 11.1 | 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
Truckee gets around 20.5 in of rain and snow over 35 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 6 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 24 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 2.8 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Truckee
In winter, Truckee overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Truckee's rainy season runs November–April, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Truckee?
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 Truckee.
What to pack for Truckee in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Truckee sees daytime highs around 38°F and nights near 24°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 35 days see rain.
UV index in Truckee 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 Truckee peaks around June 21 at about 11 (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 9 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Very high | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 4 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5 | Moderate |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 10 | Very high |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | High |
| Oct | 5 | High |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Moderate |
Air quality in Truckee 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 Truckee 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 Truckee?
Truckee sits at 39.3°N, 120.2°W, 5,817 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Reno, 24 mi away.
Topography around Truckee
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Truckee.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Truckee has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 994 ft around an average of 6,066 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,799 ft; within 50 miles, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 10,062 ft.
The land around Truckee is covered by trees (75%) within 2 miles, trees (85%) within 10 miles, and trees (60%) and grassland (30%) 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 Truckee (39.328°, -120.1833°, elevation 5,817 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.