Lake Tahoe Facts
Facts and Figures About Lake Tahoe
Elevation: The average surface of Lake Tahoe is 6,222 feet
above sea level. The highest peak rising directly from the shoreline
is Mt. Tallac at 9,735 feet. The highest point in the Tahoe Basin is
Freel Peak at 10,881 feet.
Location: Lake Tahoe covers the Nevada/California border. It
is 198 miles northeast of San Francisco, 100 miles northeast of
Sacramento, and 58 miles southwest of Reno.
Size: Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake on the North
American continent. It is 22 miles long and 12 miles wide, with a
surface area of 122,200 acres or 193 sq. miles.
Depth: The average depth of Lake Tahoe is 989 feet. The
deepest point is 1,685 feet. It is the third deepest lake in North
America. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation controls the top 6.1 feet of
the lake as a reservoir.
Temperature: During the summer months, the upper 12 feet of
the lake can warm to 68 degrees F. Below depths of 600 feet and in
winter months, the temperature remains a constant 39 degrees F. The
lake does not freeze over in winter.
Volume: Lake Tahoe contains an estimated 39.75 trillion
gallons or 122 million acre feet of water. That's enough water to
cover the entire state of California to a depth of 14.5 inches. The
water that evaporates daily is 1.4 million tons, enough to supply
the needs of 3.5 million people on a daily basis.
Purity: The water in Lake Tahoe is 99.7 percent pure, about
the same as distilled water. It's so clear that a white dinner plate
can be seen at 78 feet below the surface.
Climate: The sun shines at Lake Tahoe during 75 percent of
the year, or 274 days. Weather in the Sierra can be unpredictable
and snowfall has been recorded in every month of the year.
| Jan. | Apr. | July | Oct. | Annual Avg. |
| Average High | 36° F | 51° F | 78° F | 58° F | 55° F |
| Average Mean | 27° F | 29° F | 61° F | 45° F | 43° F |
| Average Low | 18° F | 27° F | 44° F | 32° F | 30° F |
| Rain Inches (w/snowpack) | 6.1 | 2.1 | .26 | 1.9 | 31 |
| Percent Humidity at Noon | 75% | 70% | 35% | 54% | 54% |