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 July 6th
Plenty of water flowing with snow patches here and there. The trail is in good condition and most people are going to the Summit just using trecking poles only. A bit slippery in the Cables Section, but with careful foot placement, it should not be a problem. Permits are in force, so make sure you have one so you don't get turned around.
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
| Saturday 7/11 Increasing clouds, with a high near 83. East southeast wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph. |
| Saturday Night 7/11 Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 63. Southwest wind 11 to 16 mph decreasing to 5 to 10 mph in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 24 mph. |
| Sunday 7/12 A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 1pm and 3pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 77. Southwest wind 6 to 10 mph becoming east southeast in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. |
| Sunday Night 7/12 A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8pm, then a chance of showers between 8pm and 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 60. Southeast wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 30%. |
| Monday 7/13 A chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72. Southeast wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. |
| Monday Night 7/13 A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. Chance of precipitation is 50%. |
| Tuesday 7/14 A slight chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 73. Chance of precipitation is 60%. |
| Tuesday Night 7/14 A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. |
| Wednesday 7/15 A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. |
| Wednesday Night 7/15 A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. |
| Thursday 7/16 A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. |
| Thursday Night 7/16 A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 61. |
| Friday 7/17 A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 76. |
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.
| Saturday 7/11 Increasing clouds, with a high near 59. Southeast wind 7 to 12 mph increasing to 13 to 18 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 29 mph. |
| Saturday Night 7/11 Cloudy, then gradual clearing toward daybreak, with a low around 46. Southwest wind 6 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. |
| Sunday 7/12 A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 1pm and 3pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 53. Southwest wind 7 to 16 mph becoming southeast in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph. |
| Sunday Night 7/12 A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8pm, then a chance of showers between 8pm and 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 43. East southeast wind around 6 mph becoming west in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 30%. |
| Monday 7/13 A chance of showers, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 11am. High near 49. Southeast wind 5 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. |
| Monday Night 7/13 A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. Chance of precipitation is 50%. |
| Tuesday 7/14 A slight chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 50. Chance of precipitation is 60%. |
| Tuesday Night 7/14 A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 42. |
| Wednesday 7/15 A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 54. |
| Wednesday Night 7/15 A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 44. |
| Thursday 7/16 A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 56. |
| Thursday Night 7/16 A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 44. |
| Friday 7/17 A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 53. |
THE FOLLOWING IS THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WHITNEY'S SUMMIT AT 14,508 FT
| Saturday 7/11 Increasing clouds, with a high near 48. Southeast wind 8 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. |
| Saturday Night 7/11 Cloudy, then gradual clearing toward daybreak, with a low around 39. Southwest wind 7 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. |
| Sunday 7/12 A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 1pm and 3pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 43. Southwest wind 7 to 17 mph becoming southeast in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph. |
| Sunday Night 7/12 A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8pm, then a chance of showers between 8pm and 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 36. East southeast wind around 6 mph becoming west southwest in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 30%. |
| Monday 7/13 A chance of showers, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 11am. High near 39. Southeast wind 5 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. |
| Monday Night 7/13 A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34. Chance of precipitation is 50%. |
| Tuesday 7/14 A slight chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 40. Chance of precipitation is 60%. |
| Tuesday Night 7/14 A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 34. |
| Wednesday 7/15 A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 43. |
| Wednesday Night 7/15 A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. |
| Thursday 7/16 A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 45. |
| Thursday Night 7/16 A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 36. |
| Friday 7/17 A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 42. |
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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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