Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Weather

Hi We have many request for weather reports, after a life time oudoors I always expect the worst and take what comes , I would lean strong against expecting someone to tell me what the weather will be like in an hour or the next day, Your life may depend on that information ,as we near winter and the higher elevations, rain lower will be snow and ice on the upper part of the mountain and coming back over passes will require mountaineering , So its not just the weather report, its the total change of conditions and what YOU may encounter. Thanks Doug

It seems like a lot of people on this board are locals and it's easy to prepare for the exact weather of the day. But, some come from far and wide. Those people, myself included, need some kind of idea (not saying we need a guarantee) before we fly across the country for a try at Mt. Whitney. It's not practical to buy 3 of everything, then travel with everything to make a trailhead decision on which sleeping bag, etc. to bring. It doesn't seem out of line to ask what to expect as far as the weather, it's not a contract or promise, just a question.

In fact, I will be flying from FL in just over a week to hike Whitney and I plan on asking for an approximation on what kind of weather to expect, since I have no way of knowing 3 days in advance from FL.

My experience on Mt. Whitney summit trips is about :30 of rain in about a month's worth of days. I wish rest of my Sierra experiences were as pleasant. Last July, the weather forecast was for 30% chance of rain our acclimatization day. It rained all 4 days.

When I go to the Sierra I always bring extra clothing and gear. I want to have choices at the trailhead, not at home in my bins or closet.

BTW, the coldest temperatures I have experienced on the summit were in August and September, both times it was below 10* F.

As Doug said, prepare for the worst and takes what comes your way.

As a practical matter, what you are asking is really a question about gear. When I'm traveling a long distance for a climb, I bring everything I could need for any weather conditions. When I load my pack, I leave certain things in the car that look useless for the expected conditions while carrying enough to have a good margin of safety. So I might bring a heavy and a light shell and leave one in the car, three different types of gloves and leave one, etc. Same thing goes when packing my summit pack. I'd rather carry a few extra pounds of gear in my pack and not use it than not have something that I really need or creates a safety issue.

While you can get away with cutting the margin thinner in a place like Whitney because there are so many people on the mountain who could help you if you get into trouble and need something that you don't bring, you are relying on a combination of luck and the kindness of strangers at that point.

Different people draw this line in different places. For example, one climbing partner of mine always carries a bivvy sack in his summit pack. That is probably useless 99 times out of 100, but could save your life in the 1% situation.

You are wise to get as much information about the weather as you can, but then be very skeptical about its accuracy. I saw one study that said a weather forecast is only 50% accurate 24+ hours out (and 50% is the same as tossing a coin).

Try clicking on this link, the NOAA website:

http://www.noaa.gov/

On the left column you'll see "Today's Weather," with an open block below it. Type in "Lone Pine, CA", hit OK, and you'll see the weather for Lone Pine pop up. ON the map, drag the red box-pointer to the left (approximately over Mt. Whitney) and you'll see the screen change to the weather for the next 7 days in that area of the Sierra Nevada Mtns.

Check it just before you leave FLA. That's about as good a 7-day forecast as you're going to get.

Or as a short cut of phydeux' instructions, click the "Weather links" url above on the left, and then click the first Whitney Summit Weather link.

Hi The point I tried to make is some days you can not right click or have any other source of information then who? Thanks Doug

Hurrikain

While I understand your concerns about gear, in the Sierra, in any western mountains (and even Mt Washington, NH), you have to be prepared for freezing temperatures even in Summer. You can always UNzip a sleeping bag, sleep outside of a tent and hike without a shirt but unless you have the gear, you cannot get warm enough to be comfortable or maybe even survive.

I'm from Washington State, I recall a 4th of July weekend at Mt Rainier when it snowed at 2,000 feet. Car campers were most surprised. But then they were at their cars, figure out what was happening to hikers further up on hiking trails, never mind climbing the peak.

I've been in the Sierra many times and am just prepared for rain, cold and possibly snow (more likely a hail storm). I did White Mt (Whitney neighbor) a few years back and in less than an hour it went from sunny and glorious to 3 inches of hail. Pounding hail and ferocious thunder and lightning.

At least, take the gear to the Trailhead and decide then. But take enough to survive as you cannot see approaching weather coming from the west until you are over the crest.

Have a great time.

What Fred98 said. I hiked from North Lake to Piute Pass in a snow storm...on Labor Day weekend a few years back. This is reason my one three season sleeping bag is rated 15* F.