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.
Quick summary of Mt Whitney weather and road access:Chance of snow showers and cold temperatures Tuesday through Thursday otherwise sunny and clear on Mt Whitney.
The Whitney Portal access Road is currenty closed.
Latest Trail Conditions as of March 20th
Plenty of snow from top to bottom. Winter mountaineering skills a must for any attempt on 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
| Sunday 3/26 Sunny, with a high near 27. Wind chill values as low as -7. Breezy, with a northwest wind 16 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph. |
| Sunday Night 3/26 Mostly clear, with a low around 13. Wind chill values as low as -2. West northwest wind 10 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. |
| Monday 3/27 Sunny, with a high near 31. Wind chill values as low as -1. West northwest wind 10 to 16 mph becoming east southeast in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 23 mph. |
| Monday Night 3/27 Partly cloudy, with a low around 21. Breezy, with a west southwest wind 16 to 21 mph increasing to 23 to 28 mph after midnight. |
| Tuesday 3/28 A 30 percent chance of snow showers after 11am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 37. Windy, with a southwest wind 23 to 33 mph, with gusts as high as 49 mph. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. |
| Tuesday Night 3/28 Snow showers. Low around 21. Windy. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible. |
| Wednesday 3/29 Snow showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 30. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible. |
| Wednesday Night 3/29 Snow showers likely, mainly before 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18. |
| Thursday 3/30 Snow showers likely, mainly after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 30. |
| Thursday Night 3/30 Mostly clear, with a low around 17. |
| Friday 3/31 Sunny, with a high near 34. |
| Friday Night 3/31 Mostly clear, with a low around 21. |
| Saturday 4/1 Sunny, with a high near 38. |
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.
| Sunday 3/26 Sunny and cold, with a high near 9. Wind chill values as low as -29. Windy, with a west northwest wind 25 to 30 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. |
| Sunday Night 3/26 Mostly clear, with a low around -3. Wind chill values as low as -22. West wind 14 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. |
| Monday 3/27 Sunny, with a high near 15. Wind chill values as low as -19. Southwest wind 11 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. |
| Monday Night 3/27 Partly cloudy, with a low around 6. Wind chill values as low as -12. West wind 16 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. |
| Tuesday 3/28 A 30 percent chance of snow showers after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 19. Very windy, with a west southwest wind 21 to 26 mph increasing to 35 to 40 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 55 mph. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible. |
| Tuesday Night 3/28 Snow showers. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 5. Very windy. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 8 to 12 inches possible. |
| Wednesday 3/29 Snow showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 12. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible. |
| Wednesday Night 3/29 Snow showers likely, mainly before 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 2. |
| Thursday 3/30 Snow showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 11. |
| Thursday Night 3/30 A slight chance of snow showers before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 1. |
| Friday 3/31 Mostly sunny, with a high near 16. Breezy. |
| Friday Night 3/31 Partly cloudy, with a low around 5. |
| Saturday 4/1 Mostly sunny, with a high near 21. |
THE FOLLOWING IS THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WHITNEY'S SUMMIT AT 14,508 FT
| Sunday 3/26 Sunny and cold, with a high near 1. Wind chill values as low as -37. Windy, with a west northwest wind 30 to 33 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. |
| Sunday Night 3/26 Mostly clear, with a low around -9. Wind chill values as low as -31. Blustery, with a west wind 17 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. |
| Monday 3/27 Sunny, with a high near 8. Wind chill values as low as -29. South southwest wind 15 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. |
| Monday Night 3/27 Partly cloudy, with a low around 0. Wind chill values as low as -19. Breezy, with a west wind 17 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph. |
| Tuesday 3/28 A 30 percent chance of snow showers after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 11. Very windy, with a west southwest wind 22 to 27 mph increasing to 36 to 41 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 55 mph. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible. |
| Tuesday Night 3/28 Snow showers. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around -1. Very windy. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 9 to 13 inches possible. |
| Wednesday 3/29 Snow showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 5. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible. |
| Wednesday Night 3/29 Snow showers likely, mainly before 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around -4. |
| Thursday 3/30 Snow showers likely. Mostly cloudy and cold, with a high near 4. |
| Thursday Night 3/30 A slight chance of snow showers before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around -5. |
| Friday 3/31 Mostly sunny, with a high near 8. Breezy. |
| Friday Night 3/31 Partly cloudy, with a low around -1. |
| Saturday 4/1 Mostly sunny, with a high near 13. |
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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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