South Lake Tahoe weather in January
Temperature, rain and sunshine in January: long-term averages from 30 years of weather data, not a forecast.
Holiday weather in January
Poor
Best time to visit: May – October
Best for skiing: January – March
What is the weather like in South Lake Tahoe in January?
In January, South Lake Tahoe is cold: daytime highs average 3 °C, and nights often drop below freezing (−3 °C). Expect around 5 hours of sunshine a day. Precipitation, often as snow, falls on about 9 days, totalling 96 mm. Snow falls on about 8 days. All in all, January is not an ideal month for a holiday in South Lake Tahoe.
January compared
How the weather changes from December to February. Tap a month to open it.
| DecemberDec | JanuaryJan | FebruaryFeb | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Score | 23 | 26 | 27 |
| Day | 3° | 3° | 3° |
| Night | −4° | −3° | −4° |
| Sun | 4 h | 5 h | 6 h |
| Rain days | 10 | 9 | 10 |
More details for January
- Daylight
- 9 h 43 min07:17 – 17:00
- UV index
- 2 · lowclear sky, noon (estimate)All months
- Muggy days
- 0 daysdew point 18 °C or moreAll months
- Wind
- 9 km/haverage daily peakAll months
- Cloud cover
- 63 %on averageAll months
- Hot days
- 0 days30 °C or moreAll months
- Snow days
- 8 days1 cm or more of fresh snowAll months
- Time zone
- UTC−8America/Los_Angeles
How the score comes together
- Temperatureweight 50 %0 %
- Sunshineweight 20 %32 %
- Few rainy daysweight 30 %64 %
Each factor is rated from 0 to 100 % and weighted for the travel style “Mountain air”.
What to pack in January
- Warm jacket
- Hat, scarf & gloves
- Rain jacket or umbrella
South Lake Tahoe in January: quick answers
Is South Lake Tahoe hot in January?
No. In January, South Lake Tahoe is cold: daytime highs average 3 °C and nights drop to about −3 °C.
Does it rain much in South Lake Tahoe in January?
Rain is frequent, with about 9 rainy days and 96 mm in total.
South Lake Tahoe month by month
The whole year in South Lake TahoeAll destinations: USAWhere to go in January
Climate averages 1996–2025, not a forecast. Data: Copernicus ERA5 / ERA5-Land via Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0), NOAA OISST, WMO 1991–2020 (NOAA NCEI), GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Sources & licences