Mountain weather

Mountain weather

Mourne Mountains

Confidence

High for wet and windy conditions developing on Sunday but lower for extent of heavy rain and low cloud. High for rather cool and showery weather early next week but there is some uncertainty in the timings of rain arriving on Thursday.

Mountain hazards

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.
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.

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.
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.

Mountain weather forecast

Mainly dry start then rain arriving, heavy at times. Strong southwest winds.

Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
Weather symbols Cloudy Cloudy Heavy Rain Heavy Rain Heavy Rain Cloudy
Chance of
precipitation
(at 800m)
Chance of precipitation
20%
30%
70%
80%
80%
50%

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 SW 31mph knots
SW
31mph
SW 30mph knots
SW
30mph
S 30mph knots
S
30mph
SW 23mph knots
SW
23mph
SW 19mph knots
SW
19mph
SW 25mph knots
SW
25mph
300m
300m SW 16mph knots
SW
16mph
SW 18mph knots
SW
18mph
S 17mph knots
S
17mph
SW 14mph knots
SW
14mph
SW 10mph knots
SW
10mph
SW 11mph knots
SW
11mph
Valley
Valley SW 13mph knots
SW
13mph
SW 16mph knots
SW
16mph
S 15mph knots
S
15mph
SW 11mph knots
SW
11mph
SW 7mph knots
SW
7mph
SW 10mph knots
SW
10mph

Wind gust

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
600m
600m 43mph 41mph 42mph 32mph 26mph 35mph
300m
300m 28mph 30mph 29mph 23mph 17mph 22mph
Valley
Valley 27mph 29mph 28mph 21mph 16mph 23mph

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
600m
600m 3 degrees Celsius 4 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius 3 degrees Celsius
300m
300m 7 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius 7 degrees Celsius
Valley
Valley 9 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius
Freezing Level Freezing Level
2100m
1900m
2200m
2200m
2100m
1900m

Additional weather information

Meteorologist's view

Wet and windy weather arriving by late morning so good planning, perhaps a lower level route choice, will be required to avoid the worst of the conditions.

Weather

Patchy light rain clearing first thing, then a dry start to the day with a little brightness. Cloud thickening with outbreaks of rain arriving around late morning and continuing for the rest of the day, heavy at times with a small risk of lightning. Starting to clear in the late evening.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

80% in morning becoming 20% in afternoon.

Low cloud and visibility

Good visibility to start the day with just patchy cloud above 600m, then becoming poor at times from late morning with extensive cloud developing, bases 500 to 700m.

Ground conditions

No recent ground conditions report available.

Summit specific forecast