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 January 8th
The trail is covered in snow and ice from start to finish. Winter conditions prevail. Very difficult to reach the summit at this point. 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 Whitney Portal Hosts the Trail-head for Hikers, Backpackers and Climbers on Mt Whitney
| Wednesday 1/14 Sunny, with a high near 49. North northwest wind 10 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. |
| Wednesday Night 1/14 Clear, with a low around 37. Northwest wind 13 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. |
| Thursday 1/15 Sunny, with a high near 49. North northwest wind 6 to 9 mph. |
| Thursday Night 1/15 Mostly clear, with a low around 34. Northwest wind 11 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. |
| Friday 1/16 Sunny, with a high near 48. |
| Friday Night 1/16 Clear, with a low around 33. |
| Saturday 1/17 Sunny, with a high near 48. |
| Saturday Night 1/17 Mostly clear, with a low around 34. |
| Sunday 1/18 Sunny, with a high near 48. |
| Sunday Night 1/18 Mostly clear, with a low around 34. |
| M.L.King Day 1/19 Sunny, with a high near 48. |
| Monday Night 1/19 Mostly clear, with a low around 33. |
| Tuesday 1/20 Sunny, with a high near 47. |
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.
| Wednesday 1/14 Sunny, with a high near 32. Breezy, with a north wind 14 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. |
| Wednesday Night 1/14 Clear, with a low around 22. Blustery, with a north northwest wind 18 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. |
| Thursday 1/15 Sunny, with a high near 32. North northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. |
| Thursday Night 1/15 Mostly clear, with a low around 19. Blustery, with a northwest wind 15 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. |
| Friday 1/16 Sunny, with a high near 30. |
| Friday Night 1/16 Clear, with a low around 18. |
| Saturday 1/17 Sunny, with a high near 30. |
| Saturday Night 1/17 Mostly clear, with a low around 19. |
| Sunday 1/18 Sunny, with a high near 31. |
| Sunday Night 1/18 Mostly clear, with a low around 19. |
| M.L.King Day 1/19 Sunny, with a high near 30. |
| Monday Night 1/19 Mostly clear, with a low around 19. |
| Tuesday 1/20 Sunny, with a high near 29. |
THE FOLLOWING IS THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WHITNEY'S SUMMIT AT 14,508 FT
| Wednesday 1/14 Sunny, with a high near 26. Breezy, with a north wind 15 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. |
| Wednesday Night 1/14 Clear, with a low around 16. Blustery, with a north northwest wind 21 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. |
| Thursday 1/15 Sunny, with a high near 25. North northwest wind 10 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. |
| Thursday Night 1/15 Mostly clear, with a low around 13. Blustery, with a northwest wind 20 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. |
| Friday 1/16 Sunny, with a high near 23. Blustery. |
| Friday Night 1/16 Clear, with a low around 12. |
| Saturday 1/17 Sunny, with a high near 23. |
| Saturday Night 1/17 Mostly clear, with a low around 13. |
| Sunday 1/18 Sunny, with a high near 24. |
| Sunday Night 1/18 Mostly clear, with a low around 13. |
| M.L.King Day 1/19 Sunny, with a high near 23. |
| Monday Night 1/19 Mostly clear, with a low around 13. |
| Tuesday 1/20 Sunny, with a high near 23. |
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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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