Lake Tahoe Water Temperature & Level Today

Live surface water temp (40.4°F), pool elevation (6228.23 ft MSL), dam outflow, and 30-day hydrological history.

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Current Elevation
6228.23 ft MSL
-0.87 ft vs normal pool
Surface Water Temp
40.4°F
Thermal protection advised
Dam Release (Outflow)
967 cfs
Controlled spillway / hydro discharge
Reservoir Inflow
880 cfs
Upstream basin river drainage
Normal Conservation Pool
6229.1 ft
Flood pool: 6229.1 ft

What Today's Conditions (40.4°F • 6228.2 ft) Mean

Boat Ramps & Navigation

At 6228.2 ft MSL, main public concrete ramps remain fully functional with sufficient trailer draft. Boaters should exercise standard vigilance around shallow sandbars when straying outside marked navigation channels.

Private Docks & Shorelines

Water line is situated 0.9 ft below normal conservation pool. Floating docks and gangways are operating at optimal gangway slope without mud grounding.

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Water Temperature & Recreation

Surface water temperature of 40.4°F provides chilly immersion conditions requiring cold-water awareness. Safety status is currently rated CLEAR.

Copernicus Sentinel-2 MSI Telemetry

Spaceborne Satellite Observation & Water Clarity

Fresh multi-spectral overhead Earth observation from the European Space Agency (ESA) Sentinel-2 constellation (10m spatial resolution).

Latest Pass: 2026-09-07 (0.1% Clouds)
Copernicus Sentinel-2 true-color satellite capture of Lake Tahoe
True-Color Natural Optical Spectrum (RGB B04/B03/B02)
Resolution: 10m/px • Atmospheric correction L2A Open Full Imagery ↗

Satellite imagery and indices processed via Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem (CDSE) / Sentinel Hub API. Data reflects actual surface conditions at the time of orbital passage.

Water Clarity & TurbidityCrystal Clear (High Secchi Depth)

Derived from Band 4 red reflectance across open water pixels. Low reflectance indicates minimal suspended silt and high underwater visibility for angling and navigation.

Spaceborne Cyanobacteria / Algae RiskLow / Safe (Normal Chlorophyll-a)

Normalized Difference Chlorophyll Index (NDCI: -0.006) measures phytoplankton concentration using Red-Edge (B05) and Red (B04) bands to detect early bloom development before surface scums appear.

Shoreline & Emergent Island DelineationNDWI Active

Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) contrasts Green and Near-Infrared spectra to map shallow shoals, sandbars, and exposed islands (like Sometimes Island on Travis or Wood Island on Texoma).

Reservoir Pool Benchmarks & Historical Records

Pool Benchmark Elevation (ft MSL) Difference from Current Notes / Historical Significance
Current Level (Today) 6228.23 ft Live observation from USGS / TRPA / Federal Water Master
Normal Conservation Pool 6229.10 ft -0.87 ft Target design storage pool for recreation & water supply
Flood Control Pool (Top of Gates) 6229.10 ft 0.87 ft remaining capacity Water above this stage triggers emergency spillway discharge
Record Historical High 6231.26 ft 3.03 ft above current Recorded on 1907-07-18
Record Historical Low 6220.26 ft 7.97 ft above record Recorded on 1992-11-30

30-Day Daily Water Level History

Official daily snapshots from USGS / TRPA / Federal Water Master

30 Observations
Date Elevation (ft MSL) Daily Change Inflow (cfs) Release / Outflow (cfs) Water Temp
2026-09-18 6228.23 ft -0.01 ft 880 967 65.1°F
2026-09-17 6228.24 ft +0.01 ft 810 909 65°F
2026-09-16 6228.23 ft -0.02 ft 864 844 64.6°F
2026-09-15 6228.25 ft -0.03 ft 734 944 64.6°F
2026-09-14 6228.28 ft -0.01 ft 704 890 65°F
2026-09-13 6228.29 ft +0.02 ft 925 894 64.9°F
2026-09-12 6228.27 ft +0.02 ft 788 891 64°F
2026-09-11 6228.25 ft -0.03 ft 834 919 63.3°F
2026-09-10 6228.28 ft -0.07 ft 692 906 63.8°F
2026-09-09 6228.35 ft -0.05 ft 789 845 64.9°F
2026-09-08 6228.40 ft +0.01 ft 931 974 65.4°F
2026-09-07 6228.39 ft +0.01 ft 748 871 65°F
2026-09-06 6228.38 ft -0.01 ft 807 840 64.4°F
2026-09-05 6228.39 ft -0.03 ft 693 1,017 64.5°F
2026-09-04 6228.42 ft 0.00 ft 876 814 64.8°F
2026-09-03 6228.42 ft +0.02 ft 888 880 64.4°F
2026-09-02 6228.40 ft -0.01 ft 710 1,016 63.7°F
2026-09-01 6228.41 ft -0.06 ft 800 774 63.5°F
2026-08-31 6228.47 ft -0.06 ft 729 938 64.4°F
2026-08-30 6228.53 ft -0.02 ft 931 972 65.4°F
2026-08-29 6228.55 ft +0.03 ft 808 780 65.5°F
2026-08-28 6228.52 ft +0.01 ft 698 973 64.7°F
2026-08-27 6228.51 ft -0.03 ft 817 916 64.1°F
2026-08-26 6228.54 ft -0.02 ft 776 826 64.3°F
2026-08-25 6228.56 ft 0.00 ft 938 962 64.6°F
2026-08-24 6228.56 ft +0.01 ft 720 886 64.2°F
2026-08-23 6228.55 ft -0.03 ft 727 880 63.7°F
2026-08-22 6228.58 ft -0.07 ft 845 913 64°F
2026-08-21 6228.65 ft -0.04 ft 811 903 65.1°F
2026-08-20 6228.69 ft +0.01 ft 899 904 65.7°F
2026-08-19 6228.68 ft 658 862 65.2°F
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