Wildfire, smoke, avalanche and snowpack

Right now. Official feeds (NIFC, Cal Fire, NLTFPD) list 1 active fire and 0 evacuation items within 75 miles of Incline Village as of 5:18 PM, Oct 16. Air quality is 40 AQI at 5 PM, Oct 16. Every card shows its source and time.

Fire season here runs June through October. Avalanche season runs November through April. Smoke days vary a lot: the Tahoe City monitor, 12 miles away, counted 22 in 2021 and none in 2023. Evacuation orders come from the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District and Washoe County. In an emergency, call 911.

Checked 5:45 PM, Oct 16 Newest data 16 min ago Data freshness

1active fires within 75 miles

NIFC, Cal Fire and NLTFPD, 5:18 PM, Oct 16.

Nearest fire: Old wildfire, 53.2 mi W of Incline VillageWildfire feed, 5:18 PM, Oct 16.
Evacuation orders: 0 listedWildfire feed, 5:18 PM, Oct 16.

Air quality: 40 AQI, GoodAirNow, 5 PM, Oct 16.
Avalanche danger: No rating right nowSierra Avalanche Center, 5:11 PM, Oct 16.

Wildfire and evacuations

5:18 PM, Oct 16

1 active fire

Old wildfire, 53.2 mi W of Incline Village, since 12:53 AM, Oct 16

Wildfires and evacuationsHow we know

Smoke and air quality

5:44 PM, Oct 16

40AQI

Good at 5 PM, Oct 16.

Weather, air quality and NWS alertsHow we know

Avalanche danger

5:11 PM, Oct 16

No rating right now

Off season or no forecast issued today.

Sierra Avalanche Center dangerHow we know

Snowpack, Mt Rose SNOTEL

3:14 PM, Oct 16

0.0in water

Snow water equivalent at 8,810 ft, Oct 15.

SNOTEL snowpackHow we know

Fire

Fires within 75 miles of town show up here with their distance, direction, size in acres and how much is contained. Evacuation orders come from the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District and Washoe County. For an emergency, call 911. For evacuation orders, follow the agency, not this page.

Smoke days

Smoke can arrive from fires hundreds of miles away. We count a smoke day when the daily average passes the level where the EPA says air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups. Our record starts in 2019. It comes from the EPA monitor at Tahoe City, about 12 miles from town. It is the closest monitor that reads smoke particles, and smoke can differ in Incline.

2019: 1 smoke day (the record starts in March).
2020: 20 smoke days.
2021: 22.
2022: 7.
2023: 0.
2024: 1.
2025: 0.
2026: 1 so far.

One bad summer changes the whole picture. Check the air before a big hike or paddle in August and September.

Avalanche

The Sierra Avalanche Center rates backcountry danger each day in winter. The rating is for terrain outside ski area boundaries. Ski areas manage their own slopes. Read the full forecast before you leave the ski area.

Snowpack

Snow gauges near town sit between 6,500 and 8,810 feet. Each measures the water held in the snow. That is the best single number for how much water the winter has stored. We use the Mt Rose gauge.

The gauge at the Mt Rose ski area, 8,810 feet and 6 miles from town in a straight line (about 12 by road), has run since 1980. Last winter was one of the thin ones. The snow report has the peak for each recent winter.

Be ready

Know two ways out of your neighborhood. Mt Rose Highway and SR 28 can both close in a fire.
Check roads and weather on smoky days before you drive.
Sign up for Washoe County emergency alerts.

Questions people ask

Are there wildfires near Incline Village?

Fire season runs June through October. NIFC, Cal Fire and the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District track fires near Lake Tahoe. Orders to leave come from the fire district and Washoe County. Sign up for county alerts and know two ways out.

How often is the air smoky in Incline Village?

It depends on the year. Since 2019 the Tahoe City monitor, 12 miles away, has counted from 0 to 22 smoke days a year. August and September carry the most risk.

What do I do in an evacuation?

Follow the order from the fire district and Washoe County, not this page. Call 911 in an emergency. Know two ways out of your neighborhood.

When is avalanche season at Lake Tahoe?

November through April. The Sierra Avalanche Center rates backcountry danger each day in winter. Ski areas manage their own slopes.