Warm-summer continental (dry summer)
South Lake Tahoe, California
El Dorado County, California · Population 21k · 6,240 ft elevation
Living in South Lake Tahoe
South Lake Tahoe has a warm-summer continental (dry summer) climate: hot summers (July highs around 81°F) and cold winters (January lows around 19°F).
Precipitation is dry at about 20″ a year, and it is a snowy place (72″ a season).
Skies are exceptionally sunny (77% of possible sunshine). It never gets truly muggy.
Air quality is moderate: a median AQI of 40, with about 1 unhealthy-air day in the latest year.
South Lake Tahoe is an outdoor hub: about 66% of the land within 30 miles is public (parks, national forest and the like), and the terrain rises and falls about 3,900 ft around town.
South Lake Tahoe at a glance
- Population
- 21k
- Elevation
- 6,240 ft
- Average daily high
- 60°F18th percentile
- Average daily low
- 29°F1th percentile
- Annual precipitation
- 20″14th percentile
- Annual snowfall
- 72″95th percentile
- Sunshine hours per year
- 3,493 hrs90th percentile
- Median AQI
- 4038th percentile
- Median home value
- $630k89th percentile
- Median rent
- $1,467/mo66th percentile
- Median household income
- $74k49th percentile
- Property tax rate
- 0.57%14th percentile
- Top state income-tax rate
- 13.3%
- Sales tax (state + local)
- 8.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.0%
- Homes with broadband
- 90%43th percentile
- Walkability index
- 12.682th percentile
- Average commute
- 16 min
- Math proficiency (8th grade)
- 27%19th percentile
- Reading proficiency (8th grade)
- 37%
- Violent crime rate
- 731 per 100k95th percentile
- Property crime rate
- 1,419 per 100k
- Overall natural-hazard risk
- 9151th percentile
- Outdoor access
- 9897th percentile
- Public land within 10 miles
- 58%
- Public land within 30 miles
- 66%
- Mountain relief within 30 miles
- 3,904 ft
Climate by month
| Month | High | Low | Precipitation | Snow | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43°F | 19°F | 2.8″ | 11.9″ | 195 hrs |
| Feb | 44°F | 20°F | 3.8″ | 15.8″ | 196 hrs |
| Mar | 48°F | 24°F | 2.9″ | 11.6″ | 260 hrs |
| Apr | 53°F | 28°F | 1.3″ | 4.2″ | 299 hrs |
| May | 62°F | 33°F | 1.3″ | 1.7″ | 350 hrs |
| Jun | 72°F | 38°F | 0.6″ | 0.1″ | 394 hrs |
| Jul | 81°F | 43°F | 0.4″ | — | 407 hrs |
| Aug | 80°F | 41°F | 0.4″ | — | 385 hrs |
| Sep | 74°F | 36°F | 0.3″ | 0.1″ | 333 hrs |
| Oct | 62°F | 29°F | 1.4″ | 3.7″ | 287 hrs |
| Nov | 51°F | 24°F | 1.9″ | 7.8″ | 217 hrs |
| Dec | 43°F | 18°F | 3.5″ | 14.8″ | 172 hrs |
Near South Lake Tahoe
- Truckee, CA · 17k
- Pollock Pines, CA · 6.1k
- Buckhorn, CA · 3.5k
- Georgetown, CA · 2.6k
- Placerville, CA · 11k
- Diamond Springs, CA · 13k
- Pine Grove, CA · 3.3k
- Auburn Lake Trails, CA · 3.9k
Largest places in California
- Los Angeles, CA · 3.9M
- San Diego, CA · 1.4M
- San Jose, CA · 990k
- San Francisco, CA · 836k
- Fresno, CA · 544k
- Sacramento, CA · 525k
- Long Beach, CA · 458k
- Oakland, CA · 438k
Sources: NOAA climate normals, NASA POWER, EPA air quality, U.S. Census Bureau, FEMA, FBI, EPA walkability and EDFacts. Methodology