Friday, October 16, 2026

Incline Village News

Lake Tahoe, Nevada

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Lake Tahoe water temperature and level

Lake Tahoe is 22 miles long, 12 miles wide and 1,645 feet deep at its deepest point. Its legal maximum is 6,229.1 feet above sea level. The natural rim is 6,223 feet. The surface peaks in the upper 60s°F to low 70s°F each summer. In winter it bottoms out in the 40s°F to low 50s°F.

Checked Newest data Data freshness

The lake

USGS gauge
Surface temperatureNearest buoy. Refresh every 3 h 59° F NASA JPL and UC Davis buoy,
Lake levelFeet above sea level 6,226.65 ftUSGS 10337000 Tahoe City gauge,
Change over 7 days -0.18 ftUSGS, to
Room to the legal maximum3.65 ft above the natural rim 2.45 ftUSGS, Truckee River Operating Agreement,
Gauge height 6.65 ftUSGS,
Wind at Sand Harbor 4 mph, gusts 10 Nevada DOT,

Creeks and river

All three gauges
Incline Creeknear Crystal Bay 2.3 cfsUSGS 10336700,
Third Creeknear Crystal Bay 2.1 cfsUSGS 10336698,
Truckee Riverat Tahoe City, the lake's only outlet 75 cfsUSGS 10337500,

Flow in cubic feet per second.

Water temperature, last 30 days

°F, daily average
Water temperature, last 30 daysLine chart of the daily surface water temperature in degrees Fahrenheit for the last 30 days.58606264Sep 17: 62.1Sep 18: 62.2Sep 19: 62.3Sep 20: 62.7Sep 21: 62.7Sep 22: 62.8Sep 23: 63.1Sep 24: 62.8Sep 25: 62.6Sep 26: 62.2Sep 27: 62.0Sep 28: 61.6Oct 2: 61.8Oct 3: 62.3Oct 4: 62.2Oct 5: 62.1Oct 6: 62.4Oct 7: 62.9Oct 8: 62.6Oct 9: 62.1Oct 10: 61.5Oct 11: 60.9Oct 12: 60.3Oct 13: 59.8Oct 14: 59.7Oct 15: 59.4Oct 16: 58.858.8Sep 17Sep 25Oct 3Oct 11
See the numbers
Water temperature, last 30 days
Day°F
Sep 1762.1
Sep 1862.2
Sep 1962.3
Sep 2062.7
Sep 2162.7
Sep 2262.8
Sep 2363.1
Sep 2462.8
Sep 2562.6
Sep 2662.2
Sep 2762.0
Sep 2861.6
Sep 29no reading
Sep 30no reading
Oct 1no reading
Oct 261.8
Oct 362.3
Oct 462.2
Oct 562.1
Oct 662.4
Oct 762.9
Oct 862.6
Oct 962.1
Oct 1061.5
Oct 1160.9
Oct 1260.3
Oct 1359.8
Oct 1459.7
Oct 1559.4
Oct 1658.8

Lake level, last 30 days

Feet above sea level, daily average
Lake level, last 30 daysLine chart of the daily lake level in feet above sea level for the last 30 days.6,226.66,226.86,227.06,227.2Sep 17: 6,227.07Sep 18: 6,227.05Sep 19: 6,227.04Sep 20: 6,227.04Sep 21: 6,227.01Sep 22: 6,227.01Sep 23: 6,227.01Sep 24: 6,226.98Sep 25: 6,226.98Sep 26: 6,226.94Sep 27: 6,226.92Sep 28: 6,226.90Sep 29: 6,226.89Sep 30: 6,226.89Oct 1: 6,226.88Oct 2: 6,226.88Oct 3: 6,226.87Oct 4: 6,226.87Oct 5: 6,226.86Oct 6: 6,226.86Oct 7: 6,226.85Oct 8: 6,226.85Oct 9: 6,226.84Oct 10: 6,226.82Oct 11: 6,226.79Oct 12: 6,226.76Oct 13: 6,226.73Oct 14: 6,226.72Oct 15: 6,226.70Oct 16: 6,226.676,226.67Sep 17Sep 25Oct 3Oct 11
See the numbers
Lake level, last 30 days
DayFeet
Sep 176,227.07
Sep 186,227.05
Sep 196,227.04
Sep 206,227.04
Sep 216,227.01
Sep 226,227.01
Sep 236,227.01
Sep 246,226.98
Sep 256,226.98
Sep 266,226.94
Sep 276,226.92
Sep 286,226.90
Sep 296,226.89
Sep 306,226.89
Oct 16,226.88
Oct 26,226.88
Oct 36,226.87
Oct 46,226.87
Oct 56,226.86
Oct 66,226.86
Oct 76,226.85
Oct 86,226.85
Oct 96,226.84
Oct 106,226.82
Oct 116,226.79
Oct 126,226.76
Oct 136,226.73
Oct 146,226.72
Oct 156,226.70
Oct 166,226.67

Why the lake stays cold

Tahoe holds a huge amount of water, and it is deep. A hot week warms the top few feet. It barely changes the rest. Wind mixes the layers, and the water cools back down. Most days the water feels colder than the air tells you.

How warm does it get?

The surface warms all summer. July is the warmest month on average, at 65.3°F. Warm spells can run into August. By late winter it drops to the low 40s°F. The live reading at the top of the page shows the water now, with the time we read it.

A beach in the sun can feel warmer than open water. Wind can also stir up cold water from below in a few hours.

How high is the lake?

The natural rim is 6,223 feet. Below that line, no water leaves the lake by the Truckee River. The legal maximum is 6,229.1 feet. The 6.1 feet between those two lines is the lake's storage.

The level can swing fast. In Oct 2022 the lake sat near 6,222.8 feet, just below the rim, after dry years. The big winter of 2023 lifted it past 6,228 feet. It peaked at 6,229.0 feet in 2024 and 6,228.7 feet in spring 2026. The live reading at the top of the page shows where it sits today.

The lowest level since 1957 was 6,220.3 feet, in Nov 1992. The highest was 6,229.4 feet, in Jan 1997.

Swimming and paddling

  • Water in the 60s°F is cold but fine for a short swim.
  • Water in the 40s°F and 50s°F can shock your body. Wear a life jacket.
  • Mornings are calm. A west wind builds most summer afternoons. Check the weather page before you launch.
  • Beach choices are on the beaches page and in the Sand Harbor guide.

History

Our lake log holds the daily level and water temperature, year after year.

Questions people ask

What is the water temperature of Lake Tahoe today?
The surface is warmest in July and drops to the low 40s°F by late winter. Our live reading is from the lake itself, not a beach, and shows the time we read it.
What is the Lake Tahoe water level?
It is measured in feet above sea level. The legal maximum is 6,229.1 feet. The natural rim is 6,223 feet. Below the rim, no water flows out to the Truckee River.
How deep is Lake Tahoe?
1,645 feet at its deepest point. The lake is 22 miles long and 12 miles wide.
When is Lake Tahoe warmest?
July, on average. UC Davis buoys put the July surface at 65.3°F over the last 26 years. Warm spells can run into August. In 2025 the hottest day reached 72.8°F on August 12.
A cove on the north shore of Lake Tahoe near Incline Village, with docks and snowy mountains behind.
Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
The north shore of Lake Tahoe with piers and boathouses along the water and forested hills above.
Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0

How to read this page

Each row shows the time of its own data. Where the numbers come from is in "How we know" at the end of the page.

Feeds on this page