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 November 9th
The trail has lingering snow from the last storm, but people are still going to the summit. The quota period has ended so permits are there for the asking.
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
| Tuesday 11/10 Sunny, with a high near 56. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the afternoon. |
| Tuesday Night 11/10 Mostly clear, with a low around 40. West northwest wind 3 to 7 mph. |
| Veterans Day 11/11 Sunny, with a high near 57. Calm wind becoming east around 6 mph in the afternoon. |
| Wednesday Night 11/11 Mostly clear, with a low around 37. West northwest wind around 7 mph. |
| Thursday 11/12 Mostly sunny, with a high near 51. West southwest wind 6 to 10 mph becoming east southeast in the morning. |
| Thursday Night 11/12 Partly cloudy, with a low around 34. |
| Friday 11/13 A 30 percent chance of showers after 4pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 47. |
| Friday Night 11/13 Rain likely, possibly mixed with snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. Breezy. |
| Saturday 11/14 A chance of snow showers before 10am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 45. |
| Saturday Night 11/14 Partly cloudy, with a low around 32. |
| Sunday 11/15 A slight chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 46. |
| Sunday Night 11/15 A slight chance of rain and snow showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 31. |
| Monday 11/16 A chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 39. |
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.
| Tuesday 11/10 Sunny, with a high near 37. West northwest wind 6 to 11 mph becoming light north northwest in the morning. |
| Tuesday Night 11/10 Mostly clear, with a steady temperature around 27. North northeast wind 6 to 8 mph becoming west in the evening. |
| Veterans Day 11/11 Sunny, with a high near 38. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable. |
| Wednesday Night 11/11 Mostly clear, with a low around 23. Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph. |
| Thursday 11/12 Sunny, with a high near 34. Northwest wind 7 to 11 mph becoming north northeast in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. |
| Thursday Night 11/12 Partly cloudy, with a low around 19. |
| Friday 11/13 A 30 percent chance of snow showers after 4pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 28. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. |
| Friday Night 11/13 Snow showers likely, mainly between 10pm and 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18. Breezy. |
| Saturday 11/14 A chance of snow showers before 10am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 27. |
| Saturday Night 11/14 Partly cloudy, with a low around 17. |
| Sunday 11/15 A slight chance of snow showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 28. |
| Sunday Night 11/15 A chance of snow showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 16. |
| Monday 11/16 A chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 21. |
THE FOLLOWING IS THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WHITNEY'S SUMMIT AT 14,508 FT
| Tuesday 11/10 Sunny, with a high near 30. West northwest wind 8 to 13 mph becoming light north northwest in the morning. |
| Tuesday Night 11/10 Mostly clear, with a steady temperature around 22. North northeast wind 7 to 9 mph becoming south in the evening. |
| Veterans Day 11/11 Sunny, with a high near 30. West wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable in the afternoon. |
| Wednesday Night 11/11 Mostly clear, with a low around 17. West northwest wind 7 to 11 mph. |
| Thursday 11/12 Sunny, with a high near 26. Northwest wind 7 to 11 mph becoming northeast in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph. |
| Thursday Night 11/12 Partly cloudy, with a low around 13. |
| Friday 11/13 A 30 percent chance of snow showers after 4pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 21. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. |
| Friday Night 11/13 Snow showers likely, mainly between 10pm and 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 12. Windy. |
| Saturday 11/14 A chance of snow showers before 10am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 19. |
| Saturday Night 11/14 Partly cloudy, with a low around 12. |
| Sunday 11/15 A slight chance of snow showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 20. |
| Sunday Night 11/15 A chance of snow showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 11. |
| Monday 11/16 A chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 14. |
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."
©2006-2021 TimberlineTrails. All Rights Reserved.