Mountain weather
Lake District Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
Generally high confidence, but low for strength of winds and timing of timing of rain clearing on Monday.
This evening forecast
Outbreaks of rain, snow above 400-500m, soon easing through the evening with a dry start to the night, some clear spells across the southern Fells. Fresh to strong northerly winds across the tops, gusting 40 mph, easing to 30 mph. Freezing level 600m dropping to 300m late evening.
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.
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.
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
Dry, sunny morning. Cloudier with wintry showers in the afternoon. Rain and gales overnight.
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
<05% | <05% | <05% | 00% | <05% | 30% | 20% | 40% |
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 |
N
33
|
NW
33
|
NW
26
|
NW
17
|
W
16
|
S
19
|
S
27
|
S
35
|
| 600m |
NW
24
|
NW
21
|
NW
18
|
NW
13
|
W
11
|
SW
14
|
S
22
|
S
30
|
| 300m |
NW
8
|
NW
5
|
NW
6
|
NW
4
|
W
4
|
S
2
|
S
5
|
S
10
|
| Valley |
NW
10
|
NW
8
|
NW
10
|
NW
6
|
W
3
|
S
2
|
S
4
|
S
10
|
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 | 39 | 38 | 30 | 20 | 18 | 23 | 32 | 44 |
| 600m | 33 | 29 | 25 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 29 | 41 |
| 300m | 26 | 22 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 19 | 28 |
| Valley | 29 | 25 | 25 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 27 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m |
-4°
|
-3°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
0°
|
| 600m |
-2°
|
-2°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
0°
|
1°
|
1°
|
2°
|
| 300m |
0°
|
1°
|
1°
|
1°
|
3°
|
3°
|
3°
|
4°
|
| Valley |
2°
|
3°
|
3°
|
3°
|
5°
|
5°
|
5°
|
6°
|
| Freezing Level |
200m
|
300m
|
300m
|
300m
|
500m
|
700m
|
800m
|
900m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m |
-13°
|
-12°
|
-10°
|
-8°
|
-8°
|
-8°
|
-9°
|
-9°
|
| 600m |
-10°
|
-9°
|
-8°
|
-6°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-5°
|
-6°
|
| 300m |
-4°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
-1°
|
1°
|
1°
|
1°
|
0°
|
| Valley |
-2°
|
0°
|
0°
|
1°
|
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
Additional weather information
Meteorologist's view
A fine sunny morning, but with a notable wind chill and some icy surfaces likely. Note deteriorating conditions overnight.
Weather
Dry and often cloudy through the early hours, best of any clear spells across the southern Fells. Then a dry morning with plenty of sunshine, but chilly in the wind. Cloud increases after midday with a patchy rain, snow above 700m. Strengthening winds and more persistent rain, briefly preceded by summit snow, spread east late evening.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
90% or more in the morning, 40% in the afternoon. Falling to nil in the evening.
Low cloud and visibility
Very good or excellent visibility with hills cloud free during the morning. Cloud lowers to 600-700m for a few hours from mid-afternoon, then extensive cloud down to lower slopes by late evening.
Ground conditions
No recent ground conditions report available.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Strong winds and persistent rain through the early hours. Rain turning heavier from around dawn with summit gales and a risk of flooding. Heavy rain persisting into the afternoon before easing late afternoon, then perhaps some dry spells, but further outbreaks of rain likely to continue into the night.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
Nil
Maximum wind speed expected
South 25-30 gusting 45-50 mph, easing to 25 gusting 30 mph by the afternoon, although sudden gusts of 45 mph likely in heavier bursts of rain mid-afternoon. Winds easing 20-25 mph in the evening.
Temperature
- At 800m Plus 6 Celsius rising to 8 or 9 Celsius
- Valley Plus 4 Celsius rising to 9 Celsius
- Freezing level Above the summits
Low cloud and visibility
Very poor visibility in heavy rain with persistent cloud down to lower slopes.
Mountain weather information
Tue 2 Dec
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Overnight rain clears to a brighter day with sunny spells and a few showers, these mostly light but a few may turn heavy. Showers wintry above 900m. Moderate southwest winds. Freezing level around 1000m.
Wed 3 Dec
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Cloudy with hill fog for much of the day. Some showery rain, sleet on the highest tops. Moderate southerly winds. Freezing level above the summits.
Thu 4 Dec
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Heavy rain sweeping east with fresh to strong southerly winds. This clears to drier brighter conditions and lighter winds later in the day. Freezing level above the summits dropping to 900m later.
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.