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 Dec 26th
Snow and ice covering the trail from bottom to top. Permits are there for the asking, but be prepared for winter conditions.
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 12/26 Snow showers. Some thunder is also possible. High near 35. Breezy, with a west southwest wind 16 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible. |
| Friday Night 12/26 Snow showers likely, mainly before 2am. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 18. West wind 14 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. |
| Saturday 12/27 A 20 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 31. West wind 5 to 9 mph becoming calm in the afternoon. |
| Saturday Night 12/27 Mostly clear, with a low around 21. West wind 10 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. |
| Sunday 12/28 Sunny, with a high near 32. Northwest wind 8 to 11 mph. |
| Sunday Night 12/28 Mostly clear, with a low around 22. Blustery. |
| Monday 12/29 Sunny, with a high near 36. |
| Monday Night 12/29 Mostly clear, with a low around 25. |
| Tuesday 12/30 Sunny, with a high near 41. |
| Tuesday Night 12/30 Mostly clear, with a low around 30. |
| Wednesday 12/31 A slight chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 42. |
| Wednesday Night 12/31 A chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32. |
| New Year's Day 12/1 A chance of rain and 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.
| Friday 12/26 Snow showers. The snow could be heavy at times. Some thunder is also possible. Temperature falling to around 10 by 5pm. Wind chill values as low as -8. Windy, with a west southwest wind 28 to 33 mph decreasing to 22 to 27 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 50 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 6 to 10 inches possible. |
| Friday Night 12/26 Snow showers likely before 3am, then a slight chance of snow showers after 4am. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 2. Wind chill values as low as -15. West wind around 18 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible. |
| Saturday 12/27 A 30 percent chance of snow showers, mainly after 10am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 14. Wind chill values as low as -16. West wind 6 to 11 mph. Little or no snow accumulation expected. |
| Saturday Night 12/27 Mostly clear, with a low around 5. Wind chill values as low as -13. West wind 11 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. |
| Sunday 12/28 Sunny, with a high near 15. West wind 10 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. |
| Sunday Night 12/28 Mostly clear, with a low around 6. Blustery. |
| Monday 12/29 Sunny, with a high near 18. Blustery. |
| Monday Night 12/29 Mostly clear, with a low around 10. Blustery. |
| Tuesday 12/30 Sunny, with a high near 23. |
| Tuesday Night 12/30 Mostly clear, with a low around 15. |
| Wednesday 12/31 A slight chance of snow showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 24. |
| Wednesday Night 12/31 A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 17. |
| New Year's Day 12/1 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
| Friday 12/26 Snow showers. The snow could be heavy at times. Some thunder is also possible. Temperature falling to around 4 by 5pm. Wind chill values as low as -15. Windy, with a west southwest wind 32 to 37 mph decreasing to 22 to 27 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 49 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 5 to 9 inches possible. |
| Friday Night 12/26 Snow showers likely before 3am, then a slight chance of snow showers after 4am. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around -4. Wind chill values as low as -23. Breezy, with a west wind around -42 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible. |
| Saturday 12/27 A 30 percent chance of snow showers, mainly after 10am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 6. Wind chill values as low as -24. West wind 5 to 15 mph. Little or no snow accumulation expected. |
| Saturday Night 12/27 Mostly clear, with a low around -1. Wind chill values as low as -20. Breezy, with a west wind 15 to 21 mph. |
| Sunday 12/28 Sunny, with a high near 8. West wind 11 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. |
| Sunday Night 12/28 Mostly clear, with a low around 0. Windy. |
| Monday 12/29 Sunny, with a high near 11. Blustery. |
| Monday Night 12/29 Mostly clear, with a low around 4. Blustery. |
| Tuesday 12/30 Sunny, with a high near 17. |
| Tuesday Night 12/30 Mostly clear, with a low around 8. |
| Wednesday 12/31 A slight chance of snow showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 17. |
| Wednesday Night 12/31 A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 11. |
| New Year's Day 12/1 A chance of snow showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 15. |
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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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