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 29th
The trail is clear from top to bottom with plenty of people going to the summit. Permit system in force.
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 9/30 Sunny, with a high near 72. Light and variable wind becoming east northeast 5 to 8 mph in the morning. |
| Wednesday Night 9/30 Clear, with a low around 53. Calm wind becoming west around 6 mph in the evening. |
| Thursday 10/1 Sunny, with a high near 74. Light and variable wind becoming east 6 to 11 mph in the morning. |
| Thursday Night 10/1 Mostly clear, with a low around 54. Light and variable wind becoming west southwest 5 to 7 mph. |
| Friday 10/2 Sunny, with a high near 74. Light and variable wind becoming east southeast 6 to 11 mph in the morning. |
| Friday Night 10/2 Partly cloudy, with a low around 54. |
| Saturday 10/3 Sunny, with a high near 72. |
| Saturday Night 10/3 Mostly clear, with a low around 52. |
| Sunday 10/4 Sunny, with a high near 70. |
| Sunday Night 10/4 Mostly clear, with a low around 51. |
| Monday 10/5 Sunny, with a high near 68. |
| Monday Night 10/5 Mostly clear, with a low around 50. |
| Tuesday 10/6 Sunny, with a high near 70. |
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 9/30 Sunny, with a high near 51. North northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. |
| Wednesday Night 9/30 Clear, with a low around 37. Calm wind becoming north northwest 5 to 7 mph in the evening. |
| Thursday 10/1 Sunny, with a high near 54. West wind 5 to 8 mph becoming east in the afternoon. |
| Thursday Night 10/1 Mostly clear, with a low around 38. Light and variable wind becoming west southwest 5 to 7 mph in the evening. |
| Friday 10/2 Sunny, with a high near 53. West wind around 7 mph becoming east southeast in the morning. |
| Friday Night 10/2 Partly cloudy, with a low around 38. |
| Saturday 10/3 Sunny, with a high near 52. |
| Saturday Night 10/3 Mostly clear, with a low around 36. |
| Sunday 10/4 Sunny, with a high near 49. |
| Sunday Night 10/4 Mostly clear, with a low around 35. |
| Monday 10/5 Sunny, with a high near 47. |
| Monday Night 10/5 Mostly clear, with a low around 35. |
| Tuesday 10/6 Sunny, with a high near 48. |
THE FOLLOWING IS THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR WHITNEY'S SUMMIT AT 14,508 FT
| Wednesday 9/30 Sunny, with a high near 42. North northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming east in the afternoon. |
| Wednesday Night 9/30 Clear, with a low around 31. Calm wind becoming north northwest 5 to 8 mph in the evening. |
| Thursday 10/1 Sunny, with a high near 45. West wind 5 to 7 mph becoming east in the afternoon. |
| Thursday Night 10/1 Mostly clear, with a low around 32. Light and variable wind becoming west southwest 5 to 9 mph in the evening. |
| Friday 10/2 Sunny, with a high near 44. West southwest wind around 7 mph becoming east southeast in the morning. |
| Friday Night 10/2 Partly cloudy, with a low around 32. |
| Saturday 10/3 Sunny, with a high near 43. |
| Saturday Night 10/3 Mostly clear, with a low around 30. |
| Sunday 10/4 Sunny, with a high near 40. |
| Sunday Night 10/4 Mostly clear, with a low around 29. |
| Monday 10/5 Sunny, with a high near 39. |
| Monday Night 10/5 Mostly clear, with a low around 29. |
| Tuesday 10/6 Sunny, with a high near 40. |
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."
©2006-2024 TimberlineTrails. All Rights Reserved.
....