Mountain weather

Mountain weather

Mourne Mountains

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

Bright or sunny intervals and showers, some heavy. Moderate northerly 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 showers Light rain Light rain showers Light rain showers Light rain showers Partly cloudy (night)
Chance of
precipitation
(at 800m)
Chance of precipitation
50%
20%
30%
30%
30%
10%

Wind direction and speed

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
600m
600m N 25mph knots
N
25mph
N 22mph knots
N
22mph
N 18mph knots
N
18mph
N 20mph knots
N
20mph
N 24mph knots
N
24mph
NW 28mph knots
NW
28mph
300m
300m N 12mph knots
N
12mph
N 12mph knots
N
12mph
N 10mph knots
N
10mph
N 12mph knots
N
12mph
N 13mph knots
N
13mph
NW 15mph knots
NW
15mph
Valley
Valley N 10mph knots
N
10mph
N 10mph knots
N
10mph
N 10mph knots
N
10mph
N 11mph knots
N
11mph
N 11mph knots
N
11mph
NW 14mph knots
NW
14mph

Wind gust

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
600m
600m 34mph 31mph 26mph 28mph 35mph 41mph
300m
300m 23mph 22mph 18mph 21mph 24mph 29mph
Valley
Valley 22mph 21mph 20mph 21mph 22mph 27mph

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
600m
600m 5 degrees Celsius 4 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius 2 degrees Celsius
300m
300m 9 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius
Valley
Valley 11 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius
Freezing Level Freezing Level
2100m
2100m
2000m
1900m
1800m
1700m

Additional weather information

Meteorologist's view

Feeling chillier than of late on the tops.

Weather

Occasional showers to start the day will be heavy with a slight chance of lightning. Cloud will then lift to allow some brighter spells and even a few sunny intervals but one or two showers are still possible, briefly quite heavy.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

30% at first in the morning then improving 90% or more by mid to 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, though some brief deteriorations in any further showers.

Ground conditions

No recent ground conditions report available.

Summit specific forecast