Mountain weather
Lake District Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High for high pressure bringing settled conditions on Saturday with best sunshine in the afternoon. Lower confidence from Sunday onwards as more unsettled conditions arrive from the west. Also low confidence for the window of settled weather mid-week.
Mountain weather hazards
Hazards apply at or above 300m, reflecting the more severe conditions which can occur at altitude.
Severe Chill Effect
Wind significantly lowers the ‘feels-like’ temperature relative to the actual temperature, with even moderate winds significantly adding to the chilling effect. Strong winds can result in a severe and debilitating wind chill many degrees below the actual temperature. This effect will be enhanced in rain or wet snow. Without protection, prolonged exposure could result in frost nip or frostbite on exposed parts of the body and/or hypothermia.
Poor Visibility
Poor visibility presents challenging route finding conditions. Visibility could be significantly less than 50 metres in all directions with few or no visual references, especially on featureless moors or plateaux. Distances become hard to judge and cliff or cornice edges can be difficult to recognise. These conditions require good navigational skills. There is a risk of white-out conditions when mist or fog is combined with extensive snow cover.
Mountain weather forecast
Wintry showers in morning, some sunshine in afternoon. Mainly light winds. Cold.
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
60% | 60% | 80% | 30% | 50% | 60% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m |
NE
9
|
SE
7
|
SW
10
|
SW
15
|
S
21
|
S
30
|
| 600m |
NE
8
|
N
6
|
SW
9
|
SW
14
|
S
20
|
S
23
|
| 300m |
NE
4
|
E
3
|
SW
6
|
SW
7
|
S
7
|
S
7
|
| Valley |
NE
8
|
W
2
|
W
6
|
SW
8
|
S
5
|
S
7
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m | 11 | 8 | 13 | 20 | 26 | 37 |
| 600m | 11 | 7 | 13 | 18 | 27 | 32 |
| 300m | 10 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 19 | 22 |
| Valley | 11 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 16 | 20 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m |
-1°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
| 600m |
1°
|
1°
|
1°
|
1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
| 300m |
3°
|
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
3°
|
3°
|
| Valley |
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
5°
|
5°
|
| Freezing Level |
700m
|
700m
|
700m
|
500m
|
500m
|
700m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m |
-5°
|
-5°
|
-6°
|
-7°
|
-10°
|
-10°
|
| 600m |
-3°
|
-2°
|
-3°
|
-4°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
| 300m |
1°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
0°
|
0°
|
| Valley |
3°
|
5°
|
3°
|
4°
|
3°
|
3°
|
Additional weather information
Meteorologist's view
A cold day with some wintry showers in the morning but generally settled with some good sunshine in the afternoon. Note the deteriorating conditions in the evening with winds strengthening.
Weather
Cloudy during the morning with scattered showers, these wintry above 400m. Becoming dry in the afternoon with long spells of sunshine developing. Cloud and outbreaks of sleet or snow will spread east during the evening, falling as rain on low slopes and valleys.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
60% in morning becoming 90% in afternoon, then 30% during evening.
Low cloud and visibility
Patchy cloud and fog above 600m in the morning, clearing in the afternoon. Visibility outside of cloud mainly good but some reductions to a few km or less in the wintry showers. Cloud becoming extensive above 500m late in the evening.
Ground conditions
Date: Friday 27 February, Location: Blencathra Summit - 868m at 12:56, Temperature: plus 3.1C, Maximum wind speed 9.9mph, Wind chill: minus 1.8C, Average wind speed: 6.0mph. Full report: Todays report was from Blencathra summit. With the weekend approaching and a good forecast tomorrow, todays report was from one of our other favourite and well visited mountains, Blencathra, to give a wider view of conditions across the Lakeland fells. Snow cover is now confined mainly to the N-E facing high slopes, gully heads and corrie rims, mainly on Helvellyn and its neighbouring peaks, there are a few isolated patches on some other higher peaks, for example the Dodds and Great End. In terms of needing winter specific equipment (crampons, micro-spikes and ice axe), the remaining snow cover is generally avoidable on most routes. Its worth noting however that tomorrow we are forecast for the freeze-line to drop to 700m, so any remaining snow will likely freeze as snow-ice, and be very hazardous to set foot on without spikes, and care should be taken not to accidentally stumble onto one of these patches if moving quickly through exposed ground, for example on Swirral Edge or the Swirls approach 'steep' on Brown Cove Crags. Except for a small rim of snow north of Foule Crag, Blencathra today was completely snow free. Sharp Edge and Hallsfell ridge were quite dry in the sun and breeze, and there was a distinct glimmer of Spring in the air! Whilst today was so pleasant up high, we would continue to recommend carrying full winter clothing and essentials, it looks like Sunday could see a return to less comfortable conditions with some rain and the freeze-line hovering around summit level keeping the wind-chill cool. Tomorrow looks like a great day to be out on the fells, just look out for the effects of the re-freeze up high. .
Mountain weather information
Weather
Much more unsettled with spells of rain or drizzle, heavy at times and combined with gale force winds. Some brief sleet or snow on the tops in the early hours before much milder conditions arrive by morning.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
Less than 10%.
Maximum wind speed expected
South or Southwest 30 to 40mph gusts 60mph.
Temperature
- At 800m 0C rising to 5C.
- Valley Plus 6C rising to 10 or 11C.
- Freezing level 800m at midnight, quickly rising above summits.
Low cloud and visibility
Extensive poor visibility with cloud and fog down to 300 or 500m, lower at times on western upslopes.
Mountain weather information
Mon 2 Mar
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Outbreaks of rain likely to continue but becoming lighter through the day, perhaps some snow on the tops later. Drier in evening. Strong southerly winds easing. Freezing level above summits, perhaps lowering to 600m in evening.
Tue 3 Mar
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Low confidence at this stage but there is a signal for more settled and brighter conditions with light winds. Freezing level 400 to 600m.
Wed 4 Mar
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Dry conditions are likely at first but some bands of rain may spread in from the Atlantic with strengthening winds.
Updated at:
Summit specific forecast
Mountain summit forecast map
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Key
Mountain summits
Other points of interest
Cluster of multiple stations
The Lake District covers an area of 885 square miles with its highest point, Scafell Pike, standing at 978 metres.