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 March 18th
Snow and ice are melting out at a fast rate at this point, but there is still a fair amount of snow covering the Trail, especially above outpost camp (10,000 feet). Need to get an early start to avoid as much post-holing as possible. Permits are there for the asking, but be prepared for plenty of hard work to reach the Summit.
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
| Friday 4/10 A slight chance of rain and snow showers before 1pm, then a slight chance of rain showers between 1pm and 2pm, then scattered rain and snow showers after 2pm. Some thunder is also possible. Mostly sunny, with a high near 50. Breezy, with a southwest wind 17 to 22 mph increasing to 23 to 28 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. |
| Friday Night 4/10 Scattered rain and snow showers before midnight, then scattered snow showers between midnight and 2am. Some thunder is also possible. Partly cloudy, with a low around 31. Breezy, with a west southwest wind 16 to 26 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Little or no snow accumulation expected. |
| Saturday 4/11 Isolated snow showers before 11am. Sunny, with a high near 47. Breezy, with a southwest wind 13 to 18 mph becoming southwest 21 to 26 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 37 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. |
| Saturday Night 4/11 Snow showers likely, mainly after 11pm. Some thunder is also possible. Increasing clouds, with a low around 27. Windy, with a southwest wind 26 to 30 mph, with gusts as high as 41 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible. |
| Sunday 4/12 Snow showers. Some thunder is also possible. High near 37. Breezy, with a southwest wind 25 to 28 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible. |
| Sunday Night 4/12 Scattered snow showers, mainly before 11pm. Some thunder is also possible. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. |
| Monday 4/13 Scattered snow showers. Some thunder is also possible. Partly sunny, with a high near 39. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. |
| Monday Night 4/13 Mostly clear, with a low around 27. |
| Tuesday 4/14 Sunny, with a high near 46. |
| Tuesday Night 4/14 Mostly clear, with a low around 32. |
| Wednesday 4/15 Sunny, with a high near 52. |
| Wednesday Night 4/15 Partly cloudy, with a low around 36. |
| Thursday 4/16 Mostly sunny, with a high near 51. |
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.
| Friday 4/10 Scattered snow showers, mainly after 4pm. Some thunder is also possible. Mostly sunny, with a high near 29. Windy, with a southwest wind 23 to 28 mph increasing to 32 to 37 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 50 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. |
| Friday Night 4/10 Scattered snow showers, mainly before 1am. Some thunder is also possible. Partly cloudy, with a low around 15. Wind chill values as low as -1. Windy, with a west southwest wind 21 to 30 mph, with gusts as high as 41 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. |
| Saturday 4/11 Isolated snow showers before 11am. Sunny, with a high near 27. Wind chill values as low as -3. Windy, with a southwest wind 21 to 26 mph increasing to 29 to 34 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 48 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. |
| Saturday Night 4/11 Snow showers likely, mainly after 11pm. The snow could be heavy at times. Some thunder is also possible. Increasing clouds, with a low around 11. Wind chill values as low as -9. Windy, with a southwest wind 30 to 34 mph, with gusts as high as 48 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible. |
| Sunday 4/12 Snow showers. The snow could be heavy at times. Some thunder is also possible. High near 17. Windy, with a west southwest wind 34 to 38 mph, with gusts as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible. |
| Sunday Night 4/12 Scattered snow showers. Some thunder is also possible. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 7. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible. |
| Monday 4/13 Scattered snow showers. Some thunder is also possible. Partly sunny, with a high near 20. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. |
| Monday Night 4/13 Mostly clear, with a low around 11. |
| Tuesday 4/14 Sunny, with a high near 27. |
| Tuesday Night 4/14 Mostly clear, with a low around 16. |
| Wednesday 4/15 Sunny, with a high near 32. |
| Wednesday Night 4/15 Partly cloudy, with a low around 20. |
| Thursday 4/16 Mostly sunny, with a high near 33. |
THE FOLLOWING IS THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WHITNEY'S SUMMIT AT 14,508 FT
| Friday 4/10 Scattered snow showers, mainly after 4pm. Some thunder is also possible. Mostly sunny, with a high near 21. Windy, with a southwest wind 26 to 31 mph increasing to 33 to 38 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. |
| Friday Night 4/10 Scattered snow showers, mainly before 1am. Some thunder is also possible. Partly cloudy, with a low around 9. Wind chill values as low as -8. Windy, with a west southwest wind 24 to 33 mph, with gusts as high as 47 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. |
| Saturday 4/11 Isolated snow showers before 11am. Sunny, with a high near 21. Wind chill values as low as -9. Windy, with a southwest wind 23 to 28 mph increasing to 32 to 37 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 50 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. |
| Saturday Night 4/11 Snow showers likely, mainly after 11pm. The snow could be heavy at times. Some thunder is also possible. Increasing clouds, with a low around 6. Wind chill values as low as -15. Very windy, with a southwest wind 34 to 40 mph, with gusts as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible. |
| Sunday 4/12 Snow showers. The snow could be heavy at times. Some thunder is also possible. High near 9. Very windy, with a west southwest wind 38 to 41 mph, with gusts as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible. |
| Sunday Night 4/12 Scattered snow showers. Some thunder is also possible. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 2. Windy. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible. |
| Monday 4/13 Scattered snow showers. Some thunder is also possible. Partly sunny, with a high near 13. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. |
| Monday Night 4/13 Mostly clear, with a low around 6. |
| Tuesday 4/14 Sunny, with a high near 20. |
| Tuesday Night 4/14 Mostly clear, with a low around 10. |
| Wednesday 4/15 Sunny, with a high near 25. |
| Wednesday Night 4/15 Partly cloudy, with a low around 15. |
| Thursday 4/16 Mostly sunny, with a high near 26. |
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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."
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