Excellent explanation, SN. Thanks!
NOAA default location shows elevation of 12,000. I've clicked-around on their map, and this location returns an elevation of 13,110'. It is the quadrant containing Tulainyo Lake, which is just north of Mt Russell.
NOAA link:
http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=36.6&lon=-118.28It's the link for the NOAA "Whitney summit weather" link on the
Mt Whitney Weather page, which is always available above on the left.