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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 for the next seven days on Mt Whitney.

Latest Trail Conditions as of September 24th
The Trail is clear up to Trail Camp at12,000 feet. Next, the 99 switchbacks going up to Trail Crest, have only a bit of snow and ice in the cables section, then a small snow patch at the end with a well worn boot path through it. On the backside of Whitney, things will go fine until near the end, where a bit of scrambling on rock will enable you to avoid a lingering snow field just before 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

Tuesday  10/3  Sunny, with a high near 56. Light and variable wind becoming northeast around 6 mph in the afternoon.
 
Tuesday Night 10/3  Mostly clear, with a low around 41. West northwest wind 6 to 10 mph.
 
Wednesday 10/4  Sunny, with a high near 60. North northeast wind around 9 mph.
 
Wednesday Night 10/4  Mostly clear, with a low around 44. Northwest wind 6 to 10 mph.
 
Thursday 10/5  Sunny, with a high near 62. Northwest wind around 8 mph becoming northeast in the afternoon.
 
Thursday Night 10/5  Mostly clear, with a low around 46.
 
Friday 10/6  Sunny, with a high near 64.
 
Friday Night 10/6  Mostly clear, with a low around 46.
 
Saturday 10/7  Sunny, with a high near 65.
 
Saturday Night 10/7  Mostly clear, with a low around 48.
 
Sunday 10/8  Sunny, with a high near 63.
 
Sunday Night 10/8  Partly cloudy, with a low around 47.
 
Columbus Day 10/9  Mostly sunny, with a high near 62.


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.

Tuesday  10/3  Sunny, with a high near 38. North northwest wind 7 to 10 mph.
 
Tuesday Night 10/3  Mostly clear, with a low around 25. North wind 10 to 13 mph.
 
Wednesday 10/4  Sunny, with a high near 40. North wind around 10 mph.
 
Wednesday Night 10/4  Mostly clear, with a low around 27. Northwest wind 6 to 10 mph.
 
Thursday 10/5  Sunny, with a high near 42. Northwest wind around 10 mph becoming north northeast in the afternoon.
 
Thursday Night 10/5  Mostly clear, with a low around 29.
 
Friday 10/6  Sunny, with a high near 44.
 
Friday Night 10/6  Mostly clear, with a low around 31.
 
Saturday 10/7  Sunny, with a high near 45.
 
Saturday Night 10/7  Mostly clear, with a low around 32.
 
Sunday 10/8  Sunny, with a high near 43.
 
Sunday Night 10/8  Partly cloudy, with a low around 30.
Whitney Summit Hut

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

Tuesday  10/3  Sunny, with a high near 28. Northwest wind 7 to 10 mph becoming north northeast in the afternoon.
 
Tuesday Night 10/3  Mostly clear, with a low around 19. Northwest wind 10 to 14 mph.
 
Wednesday 10/4  Sunny, with a high near 30. North wind 8 to 10 mph.
 
Wednesday Night 10/4  Mostly clear, with a low around 21. Northwest wind 6 to 10 mph.
 
Thursday 10/5  Sunny, with a high near 32. Northwest wind around 10 mph becoming north northeast in the afternoon.
 
Thursday Night 10/5  Mostly clear, with a low around 22.
 
Friday 10/6  Sunny, with a high near 34.
 
Friday Night 10/6  Mostly clear, with a low around 24.
 
Saturday 10/7  Sunny, with a high near 35.
 
Saturday Night 10/7  Mostly clear, with a low around 26.
 
Sunday 10/8  Sunny, with a high near 34.
 
Sunday Night 10/8  Partly cloudy, with a low around 24.


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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."


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