Those snow water content plots for the north/central/south Sierra are based on averages of numerous stations, mostly at or below 10,000 in open terrain. While very useful for understanding year over year trends and overall conditions, they don't capture the local trail conditions on high passes that we're interested in. For example, pakoR ran into a large patch of snow on the north side of Glenn Pass in July when the plot showed 0 snow content as of early June.
A lot depends on weather in April-June and so far we're accumulating snow in April and the long-range forecasts indicate cooler than average conditions for the next few weeks. But it would take a miracle May to really change things very much and delay the meltoff more than a few weeks. Based on all that, for July of this year Kearsarge-Whitney, I would plan for some snow on Forester Pass and patches in shady north aspects areas, but I wouldn't plan on needing any special gear to deal with it other than good footwear. Re-evaluate as you get closer to your departure, and as they say, your mileage may vary.
As people start posting trip reports, we'll get a better understanding of real trail conditions. Personally, I prefer to have some snow on the peaks for scenery, and I don't mind dealing with Sierra cement, so I plan to get out a lot this spring after the weather pattern shifts to warmer and the real melt-out gets going. It's also great to get ahead of the skeeters and crowds if you can.
