Mountain weather
Mourne Mountains Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High for changeable weather this week, low for timing of rain clearance on Tuesday.
This evening forecast
Dry with increasingly clear skies. Fresh northwesterly summit winds with temperatures near freezing on the tops by midnight.
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.
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.
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.
Mountain weather forecast
Dry bright morning then cloudy with a little rain in the afternoon. Strengthening south or southwest winds.
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 700m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 700m) |
<05% | <05% | <05% | <05% | 20% | 30% | 20% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
N
13
|
N
6
|
S
7
|
S
14
|
S
21
|
S
24
|
SW
27
|
SW
29
|
| 300m |
N
6
|
N
4
|
S
3
|
S
9
|
S
14
|
S
14
|
SW
14
|
SW
16
|
| Valley |
N
4
|
NW
3
|
SE
2
|
S
7
|
S
13
|
S
13
|
S
11
|
SW
14
|
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m | 20 | 8 | 10 | 20 | 29 | 32 | 38 | 42 |
| 300m | 13 | 6 | 6 | 15 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 28 |
| Valley | 12 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 28 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
3°
|
5°
|
6°
|
6°
|
| 300m |
3°
|
3°
|
2°
|
5°
|
6°
|
7°
|
8°
|
8°
|
| Valley |
4°
|
3°
|
2°
|
6°
|
8°
|
9°
|
9°
|
9°
|
| Freezing Level |
700m
|
600m
|
700m
|
800m
|
1,100m
|
1,600m
|
2,300m
|
2,200m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
-3°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
-1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
| 300m |
1°
|
1°
|
1°
|
2°
|
2°
|
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
| Valley |
2°
|
2°
|
1°
|
4°
|
4°
|
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
Additional weather information
Meteorologist's view
Nothing to add
Weather
A mainly dry day, quite bright in the morning, but plenty of high cloud around. The cloud thickening enough in the afternoon for a little light rain at times, though not amounting to much at all. A dry evening with cloud lowering later in the evening.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
More than 90%, falling 20% later in the evening.
Low cloud and visibility
No low cloud by day, but cloud dropping to 500-600m later in the evening. Visibility away from cloud will be mainly good.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Cloudy in the morning with outbreaks of rain, perhaps heavy. The rain likely clearing around midday, though with some doubt around the timing of the clearance. Then brightening, with some sunny intervals, but also some heavy showers, these turning to snow down to 700m by dusk and to 250m by midnight.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
10% in morning rising to 50% by midday and 80% by evening.
Maximum wind speed expected
Southwesterly 40 gusts 55mph veering westerly 30 gusts 45mph.
Temperature
- At 700m Plus 5 Celsius falling to Minus 2 in the evening.
- Valley Plus 10 Celsius falling to Plus 4 in the evening,
- Freezing level Above summits falling 800m by dusk and 400m by midnight.
Low cloud and visibility
Extensive cloud at 450-600m with some poor visibility at lower levels in rain. Cloud lifting to above 750m in the afternoon, with low timing confidence as mentioned above, with occasional good visibility, but falling poor in showers as they turn to snow later.
Mountain weather information
Wed 25 Mar
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Clear or sunny intervals and occasional showers, some heavy, with snow above 400m, perhaps to low levels at first. Strong to gale northwesterly winds on the tops so feeling very cold.
Thu 26 Mar
Sunrise:
Sunset:
A few wintry showers in early hours. Much of the day dry, quite bright but clouding over with the chance of a little rain from mid-afternoon. Freezing level 500m rising above summits in the afternoon. Fresh northwest winds becoming southwest later.
Fri 27 Mar
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Early cloud and rain soon clearing then bright with a few showers, wintry on tops. Strong northwesterly winds, freezing level falling to 700m.
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 Mourne Mountains are a granite mountain range in County Down in the southeast of Northern Ireland, is an area of outstanding natural beauty, and has been proposed as the first National Park in Northern Ireland.