Mountain weather

Mountain weather

Lake District

Confidence

High for a showery start then mainly dry conditions. Lower for cloud amounts and whether there will be any light showers from Friday onwards.

Mountain hazards

Mountain weather hazards

Hazards apply at or above 300m, reflecting the more severe conditions which can occur at altitude.

Strong Sunlight
Harmful UV levels from sunlight increase with altitude giving a greater risk of sunburn and eye damage, even on some overcast days. On breezy days, the cooling effect of wind on exposed skin may disguise any feeling of sunburn until it is too late. If there is snow cover, glare increases the effect of UV rays especially on the eyes. It is advisable to wear sun block, protective clothing such as a long-sleeved top and hat and have good quality eye protection.

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.
Thunderstorms
Lightning is a significant mountain hazard which can result in serious injury or death. Mountain terrain often leaves one highly exposed to lightning strikes. Hail may give unpleasant conditions with torrential rain and localised flash flooding also possible, mainly in Summer months.
Heavy Persistent Rain
Heavy and persistent rain can lead to drenched clothing and footwear with waterproofs often becoming soaked through, especially if accompanied by strong winds. This can lead to significant loss of body heat and an increased likelihood of hypothermia. Terrain may turn increasingly boggy underfoot while streams can flood and become impassable. There may also be a risk of flooding in valleys or glens. If there is snow cover, a heightened avalanche hazard is possible and avalanche reports should be consulted where available.

Mountain weather forecast

A wet start then brightening up, before a few showers return later. Fresh north to northeast breeze on the tops.

Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
Weather symbols Heavy Rain Light rain Cloudy Sunny intervals Light rain showers Light rain showers (night)
Chance of
precipitation
(at 800m)
Chance of precipitation
90%
70%
30%
10%
40%
30%

Wind direction and speed

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
900m
900m NE 25mph knots
NE
25mph
NE 28mph knots
NE
28mph
NE 21mph knots
NE
21mph
N 18mph knots
N
18mph
NE 18mph knots
NE
18mph
NE 18mph knots
NE
18mph
600m
600m NE 19mph knots
NE
19mph
NE 19mph knots
NE
19mph
NE 15mph knots
NE
15mph
N 16mph knots
N
16mph
N 13mph knots
N
13mph
NE 11mph knots
NE
11mph
300m
300m NE 7mph knots
NE
7mph
NE 8mph knots
NE
8mph
N 8mph knots
N
8mph
N 8mph knots
N
8mph
N 6mph knots
N
6mph
N 3mph knots
N
3mph
Valley
Valley NE 13mph knots
NE
13mph
NE 13mph knots
NE
13mph
NE 7mph knots
NE
7mph
N 8mph knots
N
8mph
N 7mph knots
N
7mph
N 4mph knots
N
4mph

Wind gust

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
900m
900m 29mph 34mph 26mph 24mph 23mph 21mph
600m
600m 25mph 25mph 20mph 21mph 17mph 16mph
300m
300m 19mph 21mph 20mph 18mph 14mph 12mph
Valley
Valley 25mph 26mph 18mph 17mph 16mph 14mph

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
900m
900m 2 degrees Celsius 1 degrees Celsius 3 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius 3 degrees Celsius 2 degrees Celsius
600m
600m 5 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius 7 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius 7 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius
300m
300m 10 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius
Valley
Valley 11 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius
Freezing Level Freezing Level
2200m
2100m
2000m
1900m
1900m
1800m

Additional weather information

Meteorologist's view

Feeling chillier than of late on the tops.

Weather

Frequent showers or longer spells of rain leading to a wet start to the day, rain heavy at times with chance of lightning, The rain will turn light and patchy then becoming dry by midday with a few sunny intervals though still a good deal of cloud. Later in the afternoon and evening a few showers returning from the north but these will be lighter.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

30% overnight and at first in the morning then improving 90% or more by late morning.

Low cloud and visibility

Frequent cloud to 600-800m at first with the odd lower patch, and poor visibility in heavier rain, then cloud lifting above tops to bring generally good visibility for much of the day. Some brief deteriorations in showers late in the day, mainly evening.

Ground conditions

No recent ground conditions report available.

Summit specific forecast