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:Sunny and clear mixed with a chance of snow showers and cold temperatures off and on for the next seven days 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
| Friday 3/24 Sunny, with a high near 32. Wind chill values as low as -2. Windy, with a north northwest wind 26 to 36 mph decreasing to 16 to 26 mph in the afternoon. |
| Friday Night 3/24 Mostly clear, with a low around 16. Blustery, with a west northwest wind 16 to 21 mph. |
| Saturday 3/25 A 20 percent chance of snow showers after 11am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 27. West northwest wind 10 to 15 mph becoming north in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. |
| Saturday Night 3/25 A 20 percent chance of snow showers before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 12. Wind chill values as low as -5. Breezy, with a west wind 17 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. |
| Sunday 3/26 Sunny, with a high near 26. West wind 14 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. |
| Sunday Night 3/26 Mostly clear, with a low around 15. Breezy. |
| Monday 3/27 Sunny, with a high near 34. |
| Monday Night 3/27 Partly cloudy, with a low around 21. |
| Tuesday 3/28 Snow showers likely, mainly after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 33. Breezy. |
| Tuesday Night 3/28 Snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 17. |
| Wednesday 3/29 Snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 28. |
| Wednesday Night 3/29 A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 16. |
| Thursday 3/30 A chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 29. |
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 3/24 Sunny, with a high near 12. Wind chill values as low as -26. Windy, with a west northwest wind 31 to 38 mph, with gusts as high as 47 mph. |
| Friday Night 3/24 Mostly clear, with a low around 0. Wind chill values as low as -20. Blustery, with a west northwest wind 17 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. |
| Saturday 3/25 A 20 percent chance of snow showers after 11am. Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near 9. Wind chill values as low as -18. West wind 13 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. |
| Saturday Night 3/25 A 20 percent chance of snow showers before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around -5. Wind chill values as low as -28. Breezy, with a west wind 18 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. |
| Sunday 3/26 Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near 9. Breezy, with a west wind around 21 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. |
| Sunday Night 3/26 Partly cloudy, with a low around -1. |
| Monday 3/27 Mostly sunny, with a high near 15. |
| Monday Night 3/27 Mostly cloudy, with a low around 6. Breezy. |
| Tuesday 3/28 Snow showers likely, mainly after 11am. The snow could be heavy at times. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 15. Breezy. |
| Tuesday Night 3/28 Snow showers. The snow could be heavy at times. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 2. Breezy. |
| Wednesday 3/29 Snow showers. Mostly cloudy and cold, with a high near 10. Breezy. |
| Wednesday Night 3/29 A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 0. Breezy. |
| Thursday 3/30 A chance of snow showers. Partly sunny and cold, with a high near 10. Breezy. |
THE FOLLOWING IS THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WHITNEY'S SUMMIT AT 14,508 FT
| Friday 3/24 Sunny, with a high near 6. Wind chill values as low as -32. Very windy, with a west northwest wind 36 to 44 mph. |
| Friday Night 3/24 Partly cloudy, with a low around -7. Wind chill values as low as -30. Windy, with a west wind 22 to 31 mph. |
| Saturday 3/25 A 20 percent chance of snow showers after 11am. Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near 2. Wind chill values as low as -29. West wind 16 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. |
| Saturday Night 3/25 A 20 percent chance of snow showers before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around -11. Wind chill values as low as -34. Breezy, with a west wind 18 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. |
| Sunday 3/26 Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near 1. Breezy, with a west wind around 21 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. |
| Sunday Night 3/26 Partly cloudy, with a low around -8. |
| Monday 3/27 Mostly sunny, with a high near 7. |
| Monday Night 3/27 Mostly cloudy, with a low around 0. Breezy. |
| Tuesday 3/28 Snow showers likely, mainly after 11am. The snow could be heavy at times. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 8. Breezy. |
| Tuesday Night 3/28 Snow showers. The snow could be heavy at times. Mostly cloudy, with a low around -4. Breezy. |
| Wednesday 3/29 Snow showers. Mostly cloudy and cold, with a high near 2. Breezy. |
| Wednesday Night 3/29 A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around -6. Breezy. |
| Thursday 3/30 A chance of snow showers. Partly sunny and cold, with a high near 3. Breezy. |
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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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