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 June 8th
The trail is pretty clear all the way to Trail Camp, after that you will be encountering plenty of snow and ice along with the very hard work to get up th 99 switchbacks. With an early start, both crampons and ice ax are a must. Once at TrailCrest you will have the final 2 miles to the summit where some areas of snow drifts. People are going to the summit now but be prepared with proper gear for any attempt to complete the climb.
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
| Friday 6/13 Sunny, with a high near 74. West wind 7 to 17 mph becoming east in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph. |
| Friday Night 6/13 Mostly clear, with a low around 54. West wind 9 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. |
| Saturday 6/14 Sunny, with a high near 77. Breezy, with a west wind 6 to 11 mph becoming southwest 16 to 21 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph. |
| Saturday Night 6/14 Mostly clear, with a low around 54. West wind 9 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. |
| Sunday 6/15 Sunny, with a high near 76. Breezy. |
| Sunday Night 6/15 Mostly clear, with a low around 53. Breezy. |
| Monday 6/16 Sunny, with a high near 72. Breezy. |
| Monday Night 6/16 Clear, with a low around 52. Breezy. |
| Tuesday 6/17 Sunny, with a high near 74. |
| Tuesday Night 6/17 Clear, with a low around 55. |
| Wednesday 6/18 Sunny, with a high near 77. |
| Wednesday Night 6/18 Mostly clear, with a low around 57. |
| Juneteenth 6/19 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 6/13 Sunny, with a high near 52. West wind 10 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. |
| Friday Night 6/13 Mostly clear, with a low around 35. West wind 10 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. |
| Saturday 6/14 Sunny, with a high near 53. Breezy, with a west wind 8 to 13 mph becoming southwest 17 to 22 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 34 mph. |
| Saturday Night 6/14 Mostly clear, with a low around 35. West wind 10 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. |
| Sunday 6/15 Sunny, with a high near 53. Breezy. |
| Sunday Night 6/15 Mostly clear, with a low around 33. Breezy. |
| Monday 6/16 Sunny, with a high near 49. Breezy. |
| Monday Night 6/16 Clear, with a low around 33. Breezy. |
| Tuesday 6/17 Sunny, with a high near 51. |
| Tuesday Night 6/17 Clear, with a low around 37. |
| Wednesday 6/18 Sunny, with a high near 54. |
| Wednesday Night 6/18 Mostly clear, with a low around 39. |
| Juneteenth 6/19 Sunny, with a high near 54. |
THE FOLLOWING IS THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WHITNEY'S SUMMIT AT 14,508 FT
| Friday 6/13 Sunny, with a high near 43. West southwest wind 13 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. |
| Friday Night 6/13 Mostly clear, with a low around 28. West southwest wind 11 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. |
| Saturday 6/14 Sunny, with a high near 45. Breezy, with a west wind 10 to 15 mph becoming south southwest 17 to 22 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 33 mph. |
| Saturday Night 6/14 Mostly clear, with a low around 28. West wind 13 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. |
| Sunday 6/15 Sunny, with a high near 44. Breezy. |
| Sunday Night 6/15 Mostly clear, with a low around 27. Breezy. |
| Monday 6/16 Sunny, with a high near 40. Breezy. |
| Monday Night 6/16 Clear, with a low around 26. Breezy. |
| Tuesday 6/17 Sunny, with a high near 43. |
| Tuesday Night 6/17 Clear, with a low around 30. |
| Wednesday 6/18 Sunny, with a high near 45. |
| Wednesday Night 6/18 Mostly clear, with a low around 32. |
| Juneteenth 6/19 Sunny, with a high near 46. Breezy. |
Email Sign Up
|
Join the Adventure! Sign up here for Timberline Trails Monthly Newsletter |
Join us on Instagram
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."
©2006-2024 TimberlineTrails. All Rights Reserved.
....