Mountain weather

Mountain weather

Mourne Mountains

Confidence

High confidence in spells of unsettled weather and drier interludes. Lower confidence for extent of cloud, wind, and rain on Friday and Saturday.

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

Cloud, rain strong winds in morning. Scattered heavy showers afternoon, perhaps thundery.

Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
Weather symbols Heavy Rain Heavy Rain Thundery showers Thundery showers Heavy rain showers Cloudy
Chance of
precipitation
(at 800m)
Chance of precipitation
80%
70%
90%
90%
70%
40%

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 S 33mph knots
S
33mph
S 23mph knots
S
23mph
SW 13mph knots
SW
13mph
SW 13mph knots
SW
13mph
NW 19mph knots
NW
19mph
NW 20mph knots
NW
20mph
300m
300m S 18mph knots
S
18mph
S 13mph knots
S
13mph
SW 8mph knots
SW
8mph
SW 7mph knots
SW
7mph
NW 10mph knots
NW
10mph
NW 10mph knots
NW
10mph
Valley
Valley S 15mph knots
S
15mph
S 11mph knots
S
11mph
SW 7mph knots
SW
7mph
SW 7mph knots
SW
7mph
NW 9mph knots
NW
9mph
NW 9mph knots
NW
9mph

Wind gust

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
600m
600m 46mph 31mph 18mph 19mph 28mph 29mph
300m
300m 32mph 22mph 13mph 13mph 19mph 20mph
Valley
Valley 30mph 21mph 13mph 13mph 19mph 19mph

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
600m
600m 6 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius
300m
300m 9 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius
Valley
Valley 11 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 16 degrees Celsius 16 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius
Freezing Level Freezing Level
2500m
2400m
2400m
2600m
2600m
2500m

Additional weather information

Meteorologist's view

Windy conditions in the morning will make for fairly arduous walking on exposed terrain with buffeting of clothing. Balance may be affected at times. Soaking conditions in frequent heavy showers in the middle of the day. Risk of high UV levels in strong sunlight between showers.

Weather

Cloudy this morning with outbreaks of rain, heavy at times. Brighter spells developing later in the morning but also scattered showers which will be heavy and thundery at times. These showers dying out through the evening. Strong winds in the morning will ease through the afternoon.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

20% in the morning. Rising to 70% in afternoon.

Low cloud and visibility

Quite extensive areas of cloud down to 500-600m in the morning and visibilities falling moderate or poor in hill fog and heavy rain. Summits often clear with cloud above in the afternoon. But visibilities falling rapidly poor as showers pass through.

Ground conditions

No recent ground conditions report available.

Summit specific forecast