Mountain weather
Lake District Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High for the general story over the next few days. Slight uncertainty in the timing of the rain clearing on Wednesday, give or take an hour or two. Easter weekend looks very unsettled but there is a lot of uncertainty in the details at this stage.
This evening forecast
A mainly dry, cloudy and mild evening with patchy fog on the summits. A little light rain or drizzle at times, mostly in the west. Fresh southwest winds on the tops.
Mountain weather hazards
Hazards apply at or above 300m, reflecting the more severe conditions which can occur at altitude.
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.
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.
Mountain weather forecast
Mostly dry morning. Rain turning heavier for a time in afternoon. Windy on the tops. Mild.
| 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) |
20% | 20% | 20% | 20% | 60% | 80% | 30% | 10% |
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 |
SW
16
|
SW
20
|
SW
22
|
SW
23
|
SW
23
|
SW
27
|
W
28
|
NW
26
|
| 600m |
SW
10
|
SW
13
|
SW
17
|
SW
18
|
SW
20
|
SW
20
|
W
22
|
NW
18
|
| 300m |
SW
3
|
SW
4
|
SW
6
|
SW
9
|
SW
10
|
SW
8
|
W
12
|
NW
9
|
| Valley |
SW
3
|
SW
3
|
SW
7
|
SW
9
|
SW
10
|
SW
9
|
W
11
|
NW
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 | 19 | 25 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 34 | 36 | 34 |
| 600m | 13 | 17 | 23 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 32 | 27 |
| 300m | 10 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 27 | 23 |
| Valley | 10 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 25 | 21 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m |
3°
|
3°
|
2°
|
3°
|
3°
|
3°
|
1°
|
-1°
|
| 600m |
5°
|
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
5°
|
5°
|
3°
|
2°
|
| 300m |
7°
|
6°
|
6°
|
7°
|
7°
|
7°
|
6°
|
4°
|
| Valley |
9°
|
8°
|
8°
|
9°
|
9°
|
9°
|
8°
|
6°
|
| Freezing Level |
1,400m
|
1,300m
|
1,200m
|
1,300m
|
1,700m
|
1,800m
|
1,100m
|
900m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m |
-2°
|
-3°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
-6°
|
-8°
|
| 600m |
2°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
0°
|
-3°
|
-4°
|
| 300m |
6°
|
5°
|
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
5°
|
2°
|
1°
|
| Valley |
8°
|
7°
|
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
7°
|
5°
|
4°
|
Additional weather information
Meteorologist's view
A mild day in the valleys but windy and rather cold on the tops, especially in afternoon rain.
Weather
Mainly dry, cloudy and mild overnight. A largely cloudy day with patchy light rain or drizzle, this will turn persistent and heavier for a couple of hours during the afternoon. The rain will clear to leave a mostly dry evening with clear spells. Best chance of any bright spells will be across eastern fells.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
30% with best chance in east.
Low cloud and visibility
Extensive cloud above 500 or 600m developing overnight, lifting onto higher summits during the morning, then lowering again for a few hours in the afternoon. Visibility away from cloud, mostly hazy but down to a few km at times in rain or drizzle. Cloud clearing in the evening.
Ground conditions
Date: Tuesday 31 March. Location: Helvellyn summit at 11:43. Temperature: plus 5.8C. Maximum wind speed 30.9mph. Wind chill: minus 1.3C. Average wind speed: 24.4mph. Full report: It was drier than forecast this morning on Helvellyn and noticeably warmer than the past few days, despite the atmospheric foggy conditions on the summit it was a very nice day for being out on the fells with sunny breaks starting to appear at the time of the readings. Some snow remains around the corrie rims on the Helvellyn range with isolated patches elsewhere, the top of Swirral Edge for example. The warmer temperatures will no doubt be stripping snow off the classic edges now but care for isolated patches on the flanks will still be needed. The need for micro-spikes on many routes will now be less, and the Swirls Thirlmere approach was snow free today throughout for example. The summit weather was more settled than of late but the wind-chill was still in the minuses so warm layers, hat, gloves and cold weather gear is still essential. Tomorrow looks a similar sort of day, whilst Thursday is looking like a nice day to be on the fells but distinctly cooler, so pack all the essentials if heading up and expect a cool wind-chill and some foggy conditions at times.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Clear spells and a frost overnight. A dry day with bright or sunny spells and light winds.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
90%, becoming 30% during evening.
Maximum wind speed expected
West or Southwest 5-10mph, increasing to 25mph gusts 35mph in evening.
Temperature
- At 800m Minus 2C rising to 3C.
- Valley Minus 1C rising to 8C.
- Freezing level 600m, rising above summits during the day.
Low cloud and visibility
Mainly excellent visibility with any cloud above the tops. Cloud becoming extensive above 600m during the evening.
Mountain weather information
Fri 3 Apr
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Unsettled with showers or longer spells of rain. Strong southwest winds with a gales on the tops. Freezing level above summits.
Sat 4 Apr
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Unsettled with rain or showers, heavy at times. Strong winds with a chance of severe gales. Freezing level above summits.
Sun 5 Apr
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Brighter and colder with some showers, perhaps wintry on the tops. Strong westerly 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.