Mountain weather
Lake District Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High confidence for unsettled conditions during the week with strong southwesterly winds at times and often bands of rain moving through. Lower confidence for cloud and rain details and timings.
Mountain weather hazards
Hazards apply at or above 300m, reflecting the more severe conditions which can occur at altitude.
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.
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
Showery at first on Monday, drier for a time, then light rain later, turning milder later in the day. Fresh or strong westerly winds easing later.
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
50% | 50% | 20% | 30% | 80% | 80% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m |
SW
43
|
W
42
|
W
39
|
W
29
|
SW
18
|
S
20
|
| 600m |
SW
33
|
W
34
|
W
32
|
W
24
|
SW
15
|
S
16
|
| 300m |
SW
11
|
W
12
|
W
14
|
W
10
|
SW
4
|
S
3
|
| Valley |
SW
12
|
SW
13
|
W
13
|
W
10
|
SW
4
|
S
3
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m | 51 | 51 | 48 | 36 | 22 | 24 |
| 600m | 42 | 44 | 42 | 32 | 20 | 22 |
| 300m | 34 | 35 | 35 | 26 | 16 | 16 |
| Valley | 34 | 34 | 32 | 24 | 13 | 12 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m |
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
3°
|
4°
|
4°
|
| 600m |
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
5°
|
5°
|
6°
|
| 300m |
6°
|
6°
|
7°
|
7°
|
7°
|
7°
|
| Valley |
8°
|
8°
|
9°
|
9°
|
8°
|
8°
|
| Freezing Level |
1,100m
|
1,100m
|
1,100m
|
1,200m
|
1,500m
|
2,200m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m |
-7°
|
-7°
|
-6°
|
-4°
|
-2°
|
-1°
|
| 600m |
-4°
|
-4°
|
-3°
|
-1°
|
1°
|
1°
|
| 300m |
3°
|
2°
|
3°
|
4°
|
5°
|
6°
|
| Valley |
5°
|
4°
|
6°
|
7°
|
7°
|
7°
|
Additional weather information
Meteorologist's view
Milder air returning on Monday with freezing level rising above all summits. Risk of gale force gusts in the morning especially near showers, feeling cold with an enhanced windchill in the morning. Winds easing later in the day and becoming less gusty.
Weather
A blustery start to the day with strong winds driving in showers from the west, showers may be sleety on the highest summits but otherwise falling as rain. A few brighter spells between showers and becoming drier towards mid morning. During the afternoon cloud will increase from the west with some light rain and drizzle reaching the western fells by late afternoon, raining through the evening. Winds easing during the afternoon.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
60% improving 80% then decreasing to 30% later in the day.
Low cloud and visibility
Low cloud thickening around showers in the morning with layers of scattered or broken cloud above 500m as showers move through the area, perhaps slightly brighter in the east. Cloud becoming patchier by late morning with many summits having some clear spells in the early afternoon. Low cloud layers increasing towards the evening with layers developing above 400m and lowering further during the evening. Visibility will be good for much of the day but turning moderate or poor for a time in the morning showers and becoming moderate towards the end of the day.
Ground conditions
Date: Sunday 22 February. Location: Helvellyn summit at 15:15: Temperature: plus 2.3 degC. Maximum wind speed 34.6mph. Wind chill: minus 6.7 degC. Average wind speed: 28.5mph. Full report: The freezing level remained well above the Lake District summits overnight and throughout Sunday with a slow thaw continuing to strip the snow cover from the fells. Despite appearances from the valley there are still extensive areas of snow cover on many of the higher summits which are proving pretty resilient and full winter skills and equipment are required to deal with the wide variety of conditions encountered underfoot. Above 800m Swirral Edge was a mixture of wet rock, surprisingly firm neve (refrozen snow) and areas of water ice while the Helvellyn plateau had some bare rock but still a good covering of boot deep snow and some ice. Carrying crampons and an ice axe on all steeper and exposed routes is still strongly advised while microspikes may be sufficient on easy angled routes such as the path from Swirls. Striding Edge wasn't inspected today but looked to have less snow than Swirral. There are large soft cornices (snow overhangs) to be found predominately above northerly aspects. These are thawing, slumping and prone to collapse. Please give them a wide berth when navigating on the plateau. Mountain conditions are forecast to remain challenging for the next few days with a continued thaw, showers and gale force winds giving a significant windchill. Please ensure you have plenty of warm and waterproof layers, a reliable means of navigation, a headtorch and some form of spikes for your boots appropriate to your planned route.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Rain clearing early on Tuesday morning but remaining quite cloudy during the day with periods of drizzle or light rain at times especially around southern fells, perhaps some brightness around northern fells.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
40% mostly cloudy at low levels.
Maximum wind speed expected
Southwesterly 30 mph with gusts 40mph.
Temperature
- At 800m Plus 5 Celsius
- Valley Plus 10 Celsius
- Freezing level Above all summits
Low cloud and visibility
Layers of broken low cloud with bases above 300m for much of the day, perhaps more scattered with a higher base further north. Visibility moderate or poor at times in light rain and drizzle, perhaps some spells of good visibility particularly further north.
Mountain weather information
Wed 25 Feb
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Cloudy with outbreaks of rain in the morning, rain turning lighter and patchier in the afternoon, fresh southwesterly winds, feeling mild.
Thu 26 Feb
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Strong southwesterly winds, remaining cloudy with outbreaks of rain.
Fri 27 Feb
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Some uncertainty towards the end of the week with potential for strong winds and some rain or snow, turning colder again.
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.