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 August 17th
Trail is clear all the way to the summit. The quota period is in force so you will need a permit.
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 8/21 Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. Southwest wind 6 to 14 mph becoming east southeast in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. |
| Friday Night 8/21 Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. West southwest wind 5 to 8 mph. |
| Saturday 8/22 A 20 percent chance of showers after 11am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. West southwest wind 5 to 14 mph becoming southeast in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. |
| Saturday Night 8/22 Mostly clear, with a low around 58. West wind 5 to 8 mph. |
| Sunday 8/23 Sunny, with a high near 79. |
| Sunday Night 8/23 Mostly clear, with a low around 57. |
| Monday 8/24 Sunny, with a high near 78. |
| Monday Night 8/24 Mostly clear, with a low around 56. |
| Tuesday 8/25 Sunny, with a high near 79. |
| Tuesday Night 8/25 Mostly clear, with a low around 58. |
| Wednesday 8/26 Sunny, with a high near 79. |
| Wednesday Night 8/26 Mostly clear, with a low around 58. |
| Thursday 8/27 A slight chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. |
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 8/21 Increasing clouds, with a high near 57. South southwest wind 8 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. |
| Friday Night 8/21 Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42. West southwest wind 5 to 8 mph. |
| Saturday 8/22 A 20 percent chance of showers after 11am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 57. West wind 7 to 13 mph becoming south southeast in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 22 mph. |
| Saturday Night 8/22 Mostly clear, with a low around 41. West wind 5 to 10 mph. |
| Sunday 8/23 Sunny, with a high near 57. |
| Sunday Night 8/23 Partly cloudy, with a low around 40. |
| Monday 8/24 Sunny, with a high near 56. Breezy. |
| Monday Night 8/24 Mostly clear, with a low around 39. |
| Tuesday 8/25 Sunny, with a high near 57. |
| Tuesday Night 8/25 Mostly clear, with a low around 41. |
| Wednesday 8/26 Sunny, with a high near 57. |
| Wednesday Night 8/26 Mostly clear, with a low around 41. |
| Thursday 8/27 A slight chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 56. |
THE FOLLOWING IS THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WHITNEY'S SUMMIT AT 14,508 FT
| Friday 8/21 Increasing clouds, with a high near 48. South southwest wind 9 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. |
| Friday Night 8/21 Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36. West southwest wind 5 to 8 mph. |
| Saturday 8/22 A 20 percent chance of showers after 11am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 48. West wind 8 to 11 mph becoming south southeast in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. |
| Saturday Night 8/22 Mostly clear, with a low around 35. West wind 5 to 9 mph. |
| Sunday 8/23 Sunny, with a high near 48. |
| Sunday Night 8/23 Partly cloudy, with a low around 35. |
| Monday 8/24 Sunny, with a high near 47. |
| Monday Night 8/24 Mostly clear, with a low around 34. |
| Tuesday 8/25 Sunny, with a high near 48. |
| Tuesday Night 8/25 Mostly clear, with a low around 35. |
| Wednesday 8/26 Sunny, with a high near 48. |
| Wednesday Night 8/26 Mostly clear, with a low around 35. |
| Thursday 8/27 A slight chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 47. |
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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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