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 September 27th
The trail is clear all the way to the top with plenty of people going to 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 Whitney Portal Hosts the Trail-head for Hikers, Backpackers and Climbers on Mt Whitney
| Wednesday 10/1 Sunny, with a high near 64. Light and variable wind becoming east southeast 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. |
| Wednesday Night 10/1 Mostly clear, with a low around 47. West southwest wind 3 to 7 mph. |
| Thursday 10/2 Sunny, with a high near 64. West southwest wind 6 to 13 mph becoming southeast in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph. |
| Thursday Night 10/2 A 10 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 42. West wind around 11 mph. |
| Friday 10/3 A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 54. West wind 9 to 11 mph. |
| Friday Night 10/3 Mostly clear, with a low around 37. |
| Saturday 10/4 Sunny, with a high near 57. |
| Saturday Night 10/4 Mostly clear, with a low around 40. |
| Sunday 10/5 Sunny, with a high near 57. |
| Sunday Night 10/5 Mostly clear, with a low around 39. |
| Monday 10/6 Sunny, with a high near 54. |
| Monday Night 10/6 Mostly clear, with a low around 39. |
| Tuesday 10/7 Sunny, with a high near 55. |
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.
| Wednesday 10/1 Sunny, with a high near 46. West southwest wind 6 to 9 mph. |
| Wednesday Night 10/1 Mostly clear, with a low around 32. West southwest wind 5 to 7 mph. |
| Thursday 10/2 Sunny, with a high near 44. South wind 7 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. |
| Thursday Night 10/2 A 10 percent chance of snow showers after 2am. Some thunder is also possible. Partly cloudy, with a low around 26. West wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. |
| Friday 10/3 A 40 percent chance of snow showers. Some thunder is also possible. Partly sunny, with a high near 34. West wind 10 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. |
| Friday Night 10/3 Mostly clear, with a low around 21. |
| Saturday 10/4 Sunny, with a high near 37. |
| Saturday Night 10/4 Mostly clear, with a low around 24. |
| Sunday 10/5 Sunny, with a high near 37. |
| Sunday Night 10/5 Mostly clear, with a low around 23. |
| Monday 10/6 Sunny, with a high near 35. |
| Monday Night 10/6 Mostly clear, with a low around 22. |
| Tuesday 10/7 Sunny, with a high near 35. |
THE FOLLOWING IS THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WHITNEY'S SUMMIT AT 14,508 FT
| Wednesday 10/1 Sunny, with a high near 36. West southwest wind 6 to 9 mph. |
| Wednesday Night 10/1 Mostly clear, with a low around 26. West southwest wind around 7 mph. |
| Thursday 10/2 Sunny, with a high near 35. West southwest wind 9 to 11 mph becoming south southeast in the afternoon. |
| Thursday Night 10/2 A 10 percent chance of snow showers after 2am. Some thunder is also possible. Partly cloudy, with a low around 20. West wind 10 to 15 mph. |
| Friday 10/3 A 40 percent chance of snow showers. Some thunder is also possible. Partly sunny, with a high near 25. West wind 10 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. |
| Friday Night 10/3 Mostly clear, with a low around 15. |
| Saturday 10/4 Sunny, with a high near 28. |
| Saturday Night 10/4 Mostly clear, with a low around 18. |
| Sunday 10/5 Sunny, with a high near 28. |
| Sunday Night 10/5 Mostly clear, with a low around 17. |
| Monday 10/6 Sunny, with a high near 25. |
| Monday Night 10/6 Mostly clear, with a low around 16. |
| Tuesday 10/7 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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