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:
Scattered snow showers today, then mostly sunny and clear on Mt Whitney.
Latest Trail Conditions as of April 14th
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
| Friday 4/26 Scattered snow showers, mainly between noon and 5pm. Some thunder is also possible. Partly sunny, with a high near 42. Very windy, with a west wind 31 to 36 mph increasing to 41 to 46 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. |
| Friday Night 4/26 Isolated snow showers before 7pm. Mostly clear, with a low around 28. Windy, with a northwest wind 28 to 33 mph decreasing to 14 to 19 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 10%. |
| Saturday 4/27 Sunny, with a high near 48. North wind 10 to 14 mph. |
| Saturday Night 4/27 Mostly clear, with a low around 34. West wind 10 to 17 mph. |
| Sunday 4/28 Sunny, with a high near 52. West wind 8 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the morning. |
| Sunday Night 4/28 Mostly clear, with a low around 38. |
| Monday 4/29 Sunny, with a high near 56. |
| Monday Night 4/29 Clear, with a low around 41. |
| Tuesday 4/30 Sunny, with a high near 58. |
| Tuesday Night 4/30 Mostly clear, with a low around 41. |
| Wednesday 5/1 Sunny, with a high near 58. |
| Wednesday Night 5/1 Mostly clear, with a low around 41. |
| Thursday 5/2 Sunny, with a high near 58. |
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 4/26 Scattered snow showers, mainly between 11am and 5pm. Some thunder is also possible. Partly sunny, with a high near 20. Wind chill values as low as -6. Very windy, with a west wind 37 to 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. |
| Friday Night 4/26 Isolated snow showers before 7pm. Mostly clear, with a low around 10. Wind chill values as low as -10. Windy, with a northwest wind 24 to 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 10%. |
| Saturday 4/27 Sunny, with a high near 29. Wind chill values as low as -8. Blustery, with a north northwest wind 20 to 25 mph becoming north northwest 14 to 19 mph in the afternoon. |
| Saturday Night 4/27 Partly cloudy, with a low around 18. West southwest wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. |
| Sunday 4/28 Sunny, with a high near 33. South wind 9 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. |
| Sunday Night 4/28 Mostly clear, with a low around 21. |
| Monday 4/29 Sunny, with a high near 36. |
| Monday Night 4/29 Mostly clear, with a low around 23. |
| Tuesday 4/30 Sunny, with a high near 39. |
| Tuesday Night 4/30 Mostly clear, with a low around 23. |
| Wednesday 5/1 Sunny, with a high near 39. |
| Wednesday Night 5/1 Mostly clear, with a low around 23. |
| Thursday 5/2 Sunny, with a high near 38. |
THE FOLLOWING IS THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WHITNEY'S SUMMIT AT 14,508 FT
| Friday 4/26 Scattered snow showers, mainly between 11am and 5pm. Some thunder is also possible. Partly sunny, with a high near 13. Wind chill values as low as -14. Strong and damaging winds, with a west wind 43 to 50 mph, with gusts as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible. |
| Friday Night 4/26 Isolated snow showers before 7pm. Mostly clear, with a low around 4. Wind chill values as low as -17. Windy, with a northwest wind 28 to 34 mph. Chance of precipitation is 10%. |
| Saturday 4/27 Sunny, with a high near 21. Wind chill values as low as -15. Blustery, with a north wind 23 to 28 mph decreasing to 14 to 19 mph in the afternoon. |
| Saturday Night 4/27 Mostly clear, with a low around 12. West southwest wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. |
| Sunday 4/28 Sunny, with a high near 26. West southwest wind 10 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. |
| Sunday Night 4/28 Mostly clear, with a low around 15. |
| Monday 4/29 Sunny, with a high near 29. |
| Monday Night 4/29 Mostly clear, with a low around 18. |
| Tuesday 4/30 Sunny, with a high near 31. |
| Tuesday Night 4/30 Mostly clear, with a low around 17. |
| Wednesday 5/1 Sunny, with a high near 31. |
| Wednesday Night 5/1 Mostly clear, with a low around 17. |
| Thursday 5/2 Sunny, with a high near 30. |
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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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