Weather on Mt Whitney varies greatly during the year and can certainly be unpredictable at times. Temperatures at the lower elevations are generally warm. At higher elevations in the night, even in the summer months temperatures can fall below freezing. Typical winter temperatures above 9,500 feet range from -14 degrees F to 12 degrees at night and from 15 - 50 degrees F during the day.
Ninety five percent of total precipitation (which includes both rain and snow) falls between the months of October and May, with more than half falling in January, February, and March. The frequency of summer showers increase at higher elevations and correspondingly there are more cloudy days. But even though these thundershowers are of short duration they are still a danger to the hiker/climber on the summit or high ridges on Mt Whitney and other Sierra Peaks. That being said, if you detect a thunderstorm developing, vacate the summit and high ridges at once. The
first recorded fatality on Mt Whitney was due to lightning.
Snow is one of the most spectacular features in the Sierra Nevada (the second snowiest mountain range on the continent) but due to the fact that Mt Whitney resides in the southern portion of the Sierra Nevada, it does not get nearly the amount of snow pack that the Palisade or Mammoth Lakes region do.
Latest Trail Conditions as of October 6th
The trail is in good condition (with only a slight snow dusting here and there) and still lots of people are going to the Summit without any problems. Permits are in force, so make sure you have one so you don't get turned around.
MT WHITNEY AERIAL VIEW - If you get a chance, check out the following link that will take you to a mixed slide-show showing many key features of Mt Whitney and the surrounding areas from both the ground and the air. Mt Whitney Aerial Slide-show also check out our Mt Whitney Aerial Flight Video (a moving view that takes you full circle around Mt Whitney and its surrounding neighbors).
TRAIL GUIDE - for an in-depth write up on hiking from the Trailhead at Whitney Portal to the Summit, please check out our page on the Mt Whitney Trail.
THE FOLLOWING IS THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR THE WHITNEY PORTAL AREA AT 8,300 FT
The Whitney Portal Hosts the Trail-head for Hikers, Backpackers and Climbers on Mt Whitney
| Thursday 10/8 Sunny, with a high near 71. Light and variable wind becoming east 5 to 10 mph in the morning. |
| Thursday Night 10/8 Mostly clear, with a low around 52. West southwest wind 3 to 6 mph. |
| Friday 10/9 Mostly sunny, with a high near 69. West southwest wind 5 to 11 mph becoming east southeast in the afternoon. |
| Friday Night 10/9 Mostly clear, with a low around 48. West southwest wind 5 to 8 mph. |
| Saturday 10/10 Sunny, with a high near 62. Southwest wind 8 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. |
| Saturday Night 10/10 A 40 percent chance of showers after 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42. |
| Sunday 10/11 Showers likely, mainly after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 53. Chance of precipitation is 60%. |
| Sunday Night 10/11 A chance of rain showers before 11pm, then a chance of rain and snow showers. Some thunder is also possible. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36. Breezy. |
| Columbus Day 10/12 A chance of rain and snow showers. Some thunder is also possible. Partly sunny, with a high near 46. |
| Monday Night 10/12 A chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. |
| Tuesday 10/13 A chance of rain and snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 48. |
| Tuesday Night 10/13 A slight chance of showers. Mostly clear, with a low around 35. |
| Wednesday 10/14 Sunny, with a high near 54. |
The Photo Above Shows Trail Camp on Mt Whitney at an elevation of 12,000 ft.
Most backpackers/climbers on Mt Whitney use this as a base camp for Summit day.
Plenty of great sites already established so it makes for easy setup.2,496 feet of elevation left to gain before
THE FOLLOWING IS THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WHITNEY Trail Camp AT 12,000 FTAs mentioned above, most backpackers/climbers set up camp here before going for the summit.
| Thursday 10/8 Increasing clouds, with a high near 50. East southeast wind 6 to 9 mph. |
| Thursday Night 10/8 Mostly clear, with a low around 36. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 8 mph in the evening. |
| Friday 10/9 Mostly sunny, with a high near 48. West southwest wind 7 to 11 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. |
| Friday Night 10/9 Mostly clear, with a low around 32. West southwest wind 6 to 9 mph. |
| Saturday 10/10 Sunny, with a high near 41. Southwest wind 16 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. |
| Saturday Night 10/10 A 40 percent chance of snow showers after 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. |
| Sunday 10/11 Snow showers likely, mainly after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 32. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible. |
| Sunday Night 10/11 A chance of snow showers. Some thunder is also possible. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 20. Breezy. |
| Columbus Day 10/12 A chance of snow showers, mainly after 11am. Some thunder is also possible. Partly sunny, with a high near 25. |
| Monday Night 10/12 A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 17. |
| Tuesday 10/13 A chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 27. |
| Tuesday Night 10/13 A slight chance of snow showers. Mostly clear, with a low around 19. |
| Wednesday 10/14 Sunny, with a high near 34. |
THE FOLLOWING IS THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WHITNEY'S SUMMIT AT 14,508 FT
| Thursday 10/8 Increasing clouds, with a high near 42. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. |
| Thursday Night 10/8 Mostly clear, with a low around 30. Southwest wind 3 to 8 mph. |
| Friday 10/9 Mostly sunny, with a high near 39. West southwest wind 7 to 11 mph becoming east southeast in the afternoon. |
| Friday Night 10/9 Mostly clear, with a low around 26. West southwest wind 6 to 8 mph. |
| Saturday 10/10 Sunny, with a high near 32. Southwest wind 14 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. |
| Saturday Night 10/10 A 40 percent chance of snow showers after 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 20. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. |
| Sunday 10/11 Snow showers likely, mainly after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 24. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible. |
| Sunday Night 10/11 A chance of snow showers. Some thunder is also possible. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 14. |
| Columbus Day 10/12 A chance of snow showers. Some thunder is also possible. Partly sunny, with a high near 17. |
| Monday Night 10/12 A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 11. |
| Tuesday 10/13 A chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 18. |
| Tuesday Night 10/13 A slight chance of snow showers. Mostly clear, with a low around 13. |
| Wednesday 10/14 Sunny, with a high near 25. |
Email Sign Up
|
Join the Adventure! Sign up here for Timberline Trails Monthly Newsletter |
Join us on Instagram
Matt 7:24-27 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
©2006-2026 TimberlineTrails. All Rights Reserved.
....