2025 Compare Climate & Weather:
Traverse City, MI vs South Lake Tahoe, CA

Highlights

On average, there are 249 sunny days per year in South Lake Tahoe. Traverse City averages 163 sunny days per year. The US average is 205 sunny days.

South Lake Tahoe, California gets 23.3 inches of rain, on average, per year. Traverse City, Michigan gets 32.6 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38.1 inches of rain per year.

South Lake Tahoe averages 142.4 inches of snow per year. Traverse City averages 117.6 inches of snow per year. The US average is 27.8 inches of snow per year.

Weather Highlights

South Lake Tahoe, California
Summer High: the July high is around 79.5 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 21.1
Rain: averages 23.3 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 142.4 inches of snow a year

Traverse City, Michigan
Summer High: the July high is around 79.9 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 15.6
Rain: averages 32.6 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 117.6 inches of snow a year

BestPlaces Comfort Index

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for South Lake Tahoe is 6.7 (10=best), which means it is one of the least comfortable places in California.

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for Traverse City is 6.2 (10=best), which means it is less comfortable than most places in Michigan.

Today's Weather - Traverse City, MI

46°F

Today's Weather - South Lake Tahoe, CA

55°F

Average Monthly High / Low (°F)

Hot, Freezing, Rainy, Snowy Days: Traverse City / South Lake Tahoe

July is the hottest month for Traverse City with an average high temperature of 79.9°, which ranks it as cooler than most places in Michigan. In Traverse City, there are 4 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Traverse City are August, July and June.

July is the hottest month for South Lake Tahoe with an average high temperature of 79.5°, which ranks it as cooler than most places in California. In South Lake Tahoe, there are 4 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for South Lake Tahoe are August, July and September.

February has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Traverse City with an average of 15.4°. This is about average compared to other places in Michigan.

January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for South Lake Tahoe with an average of 21.1°. This is one of the coldest places in California.

In Traverse City, there are 3.8 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is cooler than most places in Michigan.

In South Lake Tahoe, there are 1.0 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is one of the coolest places in California.

In Traverse City, there are 151.0 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is colder than most places in Michigan.

In South Lake Tahoe, there are 182.7 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is one of the coldest places in California.

In Traverse City, there are 5.7 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is warmer than most places in Michigan.

In South Lake Tahoe, there are 2.2 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is one of the coldest places in California.

September is the wettest month in Traverse City with 3.7 inches of rain, and the driest month is February with 1.5 inches. The wettest season is Winter with 30% of yearly precipitation and 18% occurs in Spring, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 32.6 inches in Traverse City means that it is drier than most places in Michigan.


December is the wettest month in South Lake Tahoe with 3.7 inches of rain, and the driest month is July with 0.3 inches. The wettest season is Spring with 46% of yearly precipitation and 6% occurs in Autumn, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 23.3 inches in South Lake Tahoe means that it is wetter than most places in California.

January is the rainiest month in Traverse City with 16.5 days of rain, and July is the driest month with only 8.9 rainy days. There are 141.6 rainy days annually in Traverse City, which is rainier than most places in Michigan. The rainiest season is Spring when it rains 31% of the time and the driest is Autumn with only a 20% chance of a rainy day.

January is the rainiest month in South Lake Tahoe with 8.2 days of rain, and July is the driest month with only 1.3 rainy days. There are 60.6 rainy days annually in South Lake Tahoe, which is about average compared to other places in California. The rainiest season is Spring when it rains 39% of the time and the driest is Autumn with only a 10% chance of a rainy day.

An annual snowfall of 117.6 inches in Traverse City means that it is one of the snowiest places in Michigan.

An annual snowfall of 142.4 inches in South Lake Tahoe means that it is one of the snowiest places in California.

January is the snowiest month in Traverse City with 35.3 inches of snow, and 6 months of the year have significant snowfall.

February is the snowiest month in South Lake Tahoe with 31.3 inches of snow, and 8 months of the year have significant snowfall.