Lake Tahoe: depth and elevation
EPA also gives the lake's elevation as 6,223 ft at its natural rim. That makes Tahoe the second-deepest lake in our ranking, after Crater Lake.
Lake depth: 1,645 ft. deep
Applies to: Lake Tahoe, California and Nevada
From U.S. EPA, About Lake Tahoe. Page read on 2026-09-28.
Elevation: 6,223 ft. (natural rim)
Applies to: Lake Tahoe natural rim, not the day-to-day water level
From U.S. EPA, About Lake Tahoe. Page read on 2026-09-28.
Size of watershed: 501 sq. miles Lake surface area: 192 sq. miles
Applies to: Lake Tahoe; watershed given separately as 501 sq mi
From U.S. EPA, About Lake Tahoe. Page read on 2026-09-28.
EPA's elevation figure is labelled "natural rim". It is not a reading of the water surface on any given day.
Snowfall
Monthly average snowfall at the TAHOE CITY weather station (station elevation 6,230 ft), from NOAA’s 1991–2020 climate normals. Figures are in inches.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37.9 | 41.3 | 34.7 | 14.0 | 2.8 | 0.2 |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 2.4 | 9.4 | 36.2 |
The twelve monthly averages add up to 179.0 inches. Months with an average above zero: January, February, March, April, May, June, September, October, November, December.
The station is not at the same spot as the EPA elevation figure above, so its elevation is different. Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, data retrieved through the Regional Climate Centers’ ACIS service (station USC00048758 query), 2026-09-28.