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Heaven on Earth: The Lake Tahoe Weather

December 11th, 2010 categories: About this Blog, For Buyers, For Sellers, Lake Tahoe Beauty, Lake Tahoe Real Estate, South Lake Tahoe Weather, South Lake Tahoe, CA, Stateline, NV, Video Seminar Series

Think 240 Cloudless South Lake Tahoe Days Per Year… and Counting.

(what follows is the dialogue in the video)

The beauty of Lake Tahoe has been legend since its discovery in 1844, though native americans certainly discovered it way before that.

What we are talking about here is one of the world's most enjoyable climates. It's as though the weather gods programmed sunshine and snow to merge heaven onto earth.

Few places can claim a climate of such majesty, variety and year-round enchantment. Sunshine is the major ingredient of all four Tahoe seasons.

In over 60 years of the weather here in the Tahoe Basin, 80 percent of the days have come with a shining sun.

In the winter, 75% of our days are sunny, in the stunning Lake Tahoe summer its 93%. Any given year has some 240 cloudless days and another 75 days with both sunshine and clouds.

That leaves about 50 days a year where the famous Sierra snow pack falls…and a wee few days of rain.

High Sierra snow is unique. It falls from late November to early April, on a ratio of one day of snowfall for every four days of sunshine. The average winter snow pack is nearly 20 feet.

Even the crystalline structure of Sierra Snow is rare. It is unusually reflective and it retains its fluffy perfection on the ski slopes. We're talking powder folks, lots of it!

Average high temperature in December is 40 degrees. In January it's 37, and the February average high is 39 degrees. However these figures are somewhat misleading. Because the climate is so dry, it never feels as cold here as one might think.

In fact, direct sunlight readings often approach 90 to 100 degrees on western exposed snow fields.

The Lake Tahoe summer season is extraordinary. Though as dry and sunny as the desert Southwest, daytime highs rarely exceed 80 degrees. Anybody who tells you they like winter best has probably never spent a summer here.

Because of our heavy pine forests and the influence of the 193 square miles of Lake surface, summer evenings do not turn cold.

The summer averages about one day of rain each month. Sun probability is 93% for the entire 90-days of June, July and August. We think September and October are always the most beautiful months of the year.

It usually rains about 14-days throughout the Spring, and 13 days each the Autumn. The average daytime high in the Spring is 56 degrees. The fall daytime high averages about 60 degrees, though the September average high is warmer than that.

Perhaps the most significant feature of the Sierra climate is its ability to quickly change. Wait ten minutes is often more of a reality than a cliche.

Historically, virtually every Lake Tahoe summer day has recorded freezing temperatures, while the Winter has seen temperature highs in the 60's and 70's. One winter brought a total snowfall of 74 feet, and April has had a record high of 74 degrees and a low of one-degree.

In the summer the surface temperature of the lake is about 67 degrees. In the shallows along the beaches, it's much warmer, where swimming and beach frolic is enjoyed by thousands.

We hope this has helped you understand that Lake Tahoe is where weather heaven meets earth.

Other Lake Tahoe Real Estate Blog videos you may enjoy:

Dec 9, 2010: How to find and use our Bolero Button… and why you should.
Oct 20, 2010: Bijou Neighborhood video
Sep 28, 2010: A South Lake Tahoe Indian Summer
Sep 23, 2010: Emerald Bay Treetops… and a Bald Eagle
Sep 16, 2010: Walking on Water… South Lake Tahoe Style
Sep 11, 2010: Al Tahoe Neighborhood video