Timberline Trails Logo
Mt Whitney

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.

Whitney Portal Sign Quick summary of Mt Whitney weather:
Mostly sunny and clear until this coming Saturday where we have a chance of snow showers on Mt Whitney.

Latest Trail Conditions as of March 12th
Still plenty of snow and ice cover the trail and very few (if any) are making it to the summit at this time. Those attempting it (for the most part) are turning back The quota period has ended, so permits are there for the asking at the Ranger Station in Lone Pine.

MT WHITNEY AERIAL VIEW - We are proud to have the following link added to our Mt Whitney lineup. It is a mixed slide-show showing many key features of Mt Whitney and the surrounding areas from both the ground and the air. So click on the following link, turn up the music, use the biggest monitor you got in full screen video mode, and enjoy high resolution photos of Mt Whitney.
Mt Whitney Aerial Slide-show also check out our Mt Whitney Aerial Flight Video (a moving view completely 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

Monday  3/18  Sunny, with a high near 42. North wind 10 to 16 mph.
 
Monday Night 3/18  Partly cloudy, with a low around 31. West northwest wind 9 to 14 mph.
 
Tuesday 3/19  Sunny, with a high near 45. West northwest wind 8 to 15 mph becoming north in the afternoon.
 
Tuesday Night 3/19  Mostly clear, with a low around 35. Breezy, with a west wind 14 to 22 mph.
 
Wednesday 3/20  Sunny, with a high near 49. West wind 7 to 15 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
 
Wednesday Night 3/20  Mostly clear, with a low around 34. Breezy.
 
Thursday 3/21  Mostly sunny, with a high near 48.
 
Thursday Night 3/21  Mostly clear, with a low around 34.
 
Friday 3/22  Mostly sunny, with a high near 48.
 
Friday Night 3/22  Partly cloudy, with a low around 33.
 
Saturday 3/23  A chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 43. Breezy.
 
Saturday Night 3/23  A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24.
 
Sunday 3/24  A chance of snow showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 36.


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 FT
As mentioned above, most backpackers/climbers set up camp here before going for the summit.

Monday  3/18  A 10 Mostly sunny, with a high near 23. Wind chill values as low as -2. Blustery, with a north northeast wind 21 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph.
 
Monday Night 3/18  Mostly cloudy, with a low around 15. Wind chill values as low as zero. North northeast wind 15 to 20 mph.
 
Tuesday 3/19  Sunny, with a high near 27. North wind around 14 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
 
Tuesday Night 3/19  Mostly clear, with a low around 18. West wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.
 
Wednesday 3/20  Sunny, with a high near 29. West wind 10 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
 
Wednesday Night 3/20  Mostly clear, with a low around 18.
 
Thursday 3/21  Mostly sunny, with a high near 29.
 
Thursday Night 3/21  Mostly clear, with a low around 18.
 
Friday 3/22  Mostly sunny, with a high near 29.
 
Friday Night 3/22  Partly cloudy, with a low around 16.
 
Saturday 3/23  A chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 23. Breezy.
 
Saturday Night 3/23  A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 8. Breezy.
 
Sunday 3/24  A chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 18. Breezy.
Whitney Summit Hut

THE FOLLOWING IS THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WHITNEY'S SUMMIT AT 14,508 FT

Monday  3/18  Mostly sunny, with a high near 15. Wind chill values as low as -7. Blustery, with a north northeast wind 21 to 25 mph.
 
Monday Night 3/18  Partly cloudy, with a low around 9. Wind chill values as low as -7. Blustery, with a north northeast wind 15 to 21 mph.
 
Tuesday 3/19  Sunny, with a high near 19. North wind around 14 mph.
 
Tuesday Night 3/19  Mostly clear, with a low around 13. West wind 11 to 14 mph.
 
Wednesday 3/20  Sunny, with a high near 22. West wind 10 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
 
Wednesday Night 3/20  Mostly clear, with a low around 12.
 
Thursday 3/21  Mostly sunny, with a high near 22.
 
Thursday Night 3/21  Mostly clear, with a low around 12.
 
Friday 3/22  Mostly sunny, with a high near 21.
 
Friday Night 3/22  Partly cloudy, with a low around 11.
 
Saturday 3/23  A chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 15. Breezy.
 
Saturday Night 3/23  A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 2. Breezy.
 
Sunday 3/24  A chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 11. Breezy.


Email Sign Up
Timberline Hike

Join the Adventure! Sign up here for Timberline Trails Monthly Newsletter

Your Email Address:




Join us on Instagram

Sunrise Mt Whitney


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."


©2006-2021 TimberlineTrails. All Rights Reserved.