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 September 3rd
The trail is clear all the way to the top with plenty of people going to summit.
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
| Thursday 9/11 Isolated showers and thunderstorms after 3pm. Sunny, with a high near 60. West northwest wind 5 to 9 mph becoming east southeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 10%. |
| Thursday Night 9/11 Isolated showers and thunderstorms before 8pm. Mostly clear, with a low around 43. South southwest wind around 7 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 10%. |
| Friday 9/12 Isolated showers between 11am and 2pm, then isolated showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 61. North northwest wind around 7 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%. |
| Friday Night 9/12 Mostly clear, with a low around 46. West wind 3 to 7 mph. |
| Saturday 9/13 Sunny, with a high near 67. |
| Saturday Night 9/13 Mostly clear, with a low around 48. |
| Sunday 9/14 Sunny, with a high near 67. |
| Sunday Night 9/14 Mostly clear, with a low around 45. |
| Monday 9/15 Sunny, with a high near 65. |
| Monday Night 9/15 Mostly clear, with a low around 46. |
| Tuesday 9/16 Sunny, with a high near 67. |
| Tuesday Night 9/16 Mostly clear, with a low around 48. |
| Wednesday 9/17 Sunny, with a high near 69. |
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.
| Thursday 9/11 Isolated snow showers after 3pm. Some thunder is also possible. Increasing clouds, with a high near 40. West southwest wind around 8 mph becoming east southeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 10%. |
| Thursday Night 9/11 Isolated snow showers before 8pm. Some thunder is also possible. Mostly clear, with a low around 26. South southwest wind around 7 mph becoming west northwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 10%. |
| Friday 9/12 Isolated snow showers after 11am. Some thunder is also possible. Increasing clouds, with a high near 39. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%. |
| Friday Night 9/12 Mostly clear, with a low around 28. Light west southwest wind becoming west 5 to 9 mph in the evening. |
| Saturday 9/13 Sunny, with a high near 45. |
| Saturday Night 9/13 Mostly clear, with a low around 30. |
| Sunday 9/14 Sunny, with a high near 46. |
| Sunday Night 9/14 Mostly clear, with a low around 28. |
| Monday 9/15 Sunny, with a high near 43. |
| Monday Night 9/15 Mostly clear, with a low around 29. |
| Tuesday 9/16 Sunny, with a high near 46. |
| Tuesday Night 9/16 Mostly clear, with a low around 30. |
| Wednesday 9/17 Sunny, with a high near 48. |
THE FOLLOWING IS THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WHITNEY'S SUMMIT AT 14,508 FT
| Thursday 9/11 Isolated snow showers after 3pm. Some thunder is also possible. Increasing clouds, with a high near 30. West southwest wind 7 to 9 mph becoming east southeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 10%. |
| Thursday Night 9/11 Isolated snow showers before 8pm. Some thunder is also possible. Mostly clear, with a low around 20. South southwest wind 6 to 9 mph becoming west northwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 10%. |
| Friday 9/12 Isolated snow showers after 11am. Some thunder is also possible. Mostly sunny, with a high near 31. Northwest wind 5 to 11 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%. |
| Friday Night 9/12 Mostly clear, with a low around 22. West wind 5 to 9 mph. |
| Saturday 9/13 Sunny, with a high near 36. |
| Saturday Night 9/13 Mostly clear, with a low around 25. |
| Sunday 9/14 Sunny, with a high near 36. |
| Sunday Night 9/14 Mostly clear, with a low around 22. |
| Monday 9/15 Sunny, with a high near 35. |
| Monday Night 9/15 Mostly clear, with a low around 23. |
| Tuesday 9/16 Sunny, with a high near 37. |
| Tuesday Night 9/16 Mostly clear, with a low around 25. |
| Wednesday 9/17 Sunny, with a high near 38. |
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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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