Lake Tahoe dips to near-freezing temperatures on Labor Day weekend

Unseasonably rainy weather pelted Lake Tahoe over Labor Day weekend during one of the region’s most popular times for tourists, and forecasters predicted a significant dip in temperatures at the beginning of the week.

Near-freezing temperatures were in the forecast for Monday morning, which Mark Deutschendorf, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Reno station, said “has happened [before], but it’s still well below average.”

Tourists who were planning to soak up the sun one last time before summer ends were set to wake up to temperatures near the 30s and 40s Monday morning.

Nearly an inch of rain fell in Tahoe on Friday and Saturday, and the cool, cloudy weather continued on Sunday, with showers and potentially a thunderstorm expected through the night. The weather came from a low-pressure system originating in British Columbia that made its way down to the region.

This weekend is the polar opposite to last year’s heat wave at Lake Tahoe, Deutschendorf said. In 2022, the lake saw some of its highest temperatures of the summer over Labor Day weekend, reaching 93 degrees.

The average temperature for this time of year is around 70 degrees, Deutschendorf said.

“It’s definitely 30 to 40 degrees cooler, compared to the highs we had just one year ago, on the same holiday weekend,” Deutschendorf said.

Labor Day draws lots of campers and other visitors for one last summer vacation. Tahoe State Recreation Area campsites close for the season on Sept. 5.