For the first time in five years, the level of Lake Tahoe has dropped to the official natural rim of 6223 feet above sea level.

On Friday, October 8th, the lake level gauge operated by the US Geological Survey, located at the U.S. Coast Guard station in Lake Forest, just east of Tahoe City, indicated that the lake had fallen to it's natural rim level of 6223 feet above sea level.

Water flow in the Truckee River, the lake's only outlet, is now at a trickle, flowing at only 5.2 cubic feet per second (CFS).

The last time the lake fell to its rim was in September, 2004, followed by it's lowest point in this millennium in December, 2004, when it reached 6222.5 feet. The following two winters' snowpack was ample enough to raise the lake to its highest level since 2000, 6229.06, in late June 2006.