Mountain weather

Lake District

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Lake District Mountain weather forecast table

Confidence

High for unsettled weather with rain at times to continue for the next few day. High for a change to colder weather during Friday.

Sunrise:
Sunset:

This evening forecast

Cloudy and mainly dry with just an odd light shower. Patchy cloud above 800 metres. Strong to gale summit southeasterly winds.

Sunrise:
Sunset:
Mountain hazards

Mountain weather hazards

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

hazard 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.

hazard Gales
Gale force winds (gusts over 50mph) make walking difficult and strenuous with a potential to be blown over by gusts. There is often a marked increase in winds through cols or on exposed ridges and summits. Distances can take longer to cover and compass bearings become harder to follow accurately.
hazard 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.

hazard 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 hazards explained

Mountain weather forecast

Windy with occasional rain

Time 00:00 03:00 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
 Light rain Light rain Light rain Light rain Cloudy Cloudy Light rain Light rain
Chance of precipitation
(at 800m)
 40% 40% 40% 40% 20% 20% 70% 70%

Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
Time 00:00 03:00 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
900m SE
33
 SE
33
 SE
32
 SE
31
 SE
30
 SE
24
 SE
27
 E
26
600m SE
23
 SE
23
 SE
25
 SE
21
 SE
19
 SE
18
 SE
21
 E
21
300m SE
7
 SE
7
 SE
6
 SE
9
 SE
8
 SE
7
 E
6
 E
7
Valley SE
6
 SE
7
 SE
6
 SE
8
 SE
8
 E
7
 E
7
 E
9
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
Time 00:00 03:00 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
900m 40 39 39 37 36 30 34 33
600m 33 33 35 30 28 26 31 30
300m 24 25 24 26 23 20 20 21
Valley 21 22 21 23 20 17 20 22

Altitude above mean sea level
Time 00:00 03:00 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
900m
1°
1°
1°
1°
1°
2°
1°
1°
600m
3°
2°
2°
3°
3°
3°
3°
3°
300m
5°
5°
5°
5°
5°
6°
5°
5°
Valley
7°
7°
6°
7°
7°
8°
7°
7°
Freezing Level
1,200m
1,200m
1,300m
1,300m
1,300m
1,300m
1,300m
1,500m

Altitude above mean sea level
Time 00:00 03:00 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
900m
-7°
-7°
-7°
-7°
-6°
-5°
-6°
-6°
600m
-3°
-4°
-4°
-3°
-2°
-2°
-3°
-3°
300m
3°
2°
2°
2°
3°
3°
3°
3°
Valley
6°
4°
5°
4°
5°
6°
5°
5°

Additional weather information

Meteorologist's view

Nothing to add

Weather

A cloudy day with some patchy rain in the morning, this mainly across Southern and Eastern Fells. The afternoon will be largely dry before rain spreads northwards through the evening.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

50%, best chance across the north and west of the Park

Low cloud and visibility

Poor in areas of cloud down to 600 to 900 metres, lowest bases across the Southern and Eastern Fells

Ground conditions

Location: Helvellyn summit at 13:15: temperature: plus 2.0 deg C. Maximum wind speed 20.1mph. Wind chill: minus 5.2 deg C. Average wind speed: 13.2mph. Full report: A damp and rather cloudy day across the Lake District with summit temperatures above freezing. A brief lowering of the freezing level overnight did slightly firm up the snowpack at higher elevations but generally thaw conditions prevail and there has been a significant loss of snow cover. The remaining snow is mainly to be found on north thorough east aspects above 750m. Other aspects are almost bare to summit level. The new snow that has fallen is the last few days is thawing, wet and granular. However in some areas above 800m this is overlying older neve (refrozen snow) which is proving pretty resilient to the thaw and is still firm underfoot. Striding & Swirral Edges still have a surprising amount of ice especially where walkers feet have compressed the snow on the most obvious routes. There is noticeably a lot more snow on their northern aspects which on Striding Edge has banked out the 'easier' paths meaning the crest, climbed predominately on rock, is the easiest option. The Helvellyn plateau is a mixturn of bare rock, snow and areas of soft ice. On the east face the winter climbs of Gully 1 and 2 are incomplete but the Sugar Bowl is still climbable on reasonable neve. Walkers on the popular Wythburn path reported that they were only on snow for the last few hundred meters to the summit. However carrying microspikes is still recommended for anyone whose plans may take them onto the snow. The additional risks and consequences on steep and exposed terrain, such as the Helvellyn Edges, mean that crampons are strongly recommended for these routes. Slush, soggy ice and wet rock gave tricky conditions underfoot on which microspikes didn't provide enough traction or security. There is also still a high risk of long slides on the remaining neve which typically run out into boulders or scree fields so an ice axe should also be carried to help prevent a simple slip becoming something more serious. The remaining snow is currently saturated at all levels but a slight drop in temperature in the next few days will quickly refreeze it giving serious icy conditions underfoot.

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Mountain weather information

Weather

Another cloudy day with spells of rain, this heaviest and most persistent during the morning. Some drier spells of weather possible in the afternoon but low confidence in this aspect.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

30%, best chance across the northern Fells

Maximum wind speed expected

Southwesterly average speeds of 25 mph on the summits

Temperature

  • At 800m Plus 4 Celsius
  • Valley Plus 4 rising to 9 Celsius
  • Freezing level Above the summits

Low cloud and visibility

Widely poor with extensive cloud down to 500 to 800 metres throughout the day. Cloud may briefly break across the Northern Fells at times

Mountain weather information

Thu 12 Feb

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Remaining unsettled with further showery rain. Rain may turn to sleet and snow on the higher tops later in the day but low confidence in this aspect of the forecast.

Fri 13 Feb

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Cloudy with rain, this falling as sleet and snow on the hills, clearing from the north during the day. Cold, strong northeasterly winds.

Sat 14 Feb

Sunrise:
Sunset:

A ridge of high pressure will bring a cold, dry and bright day with light winds.

Updated at:
Mountain weather explained

Summit specific forecast

Mountain summit forecast map

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The Lake District covers an area of 885 square miles with its highest point, Scafell Pike, standing at 978 metres.

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