Mountain weather
Mourne Mountains Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High confidence in cold northerly airflow bringing snow showers until Saturday. Low confidence thereafter but a chance the cold northerly flow will persist.
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
Mostly dry and cloudy with a few wintry showers. Strong to gale force winds. Very cold.
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 700m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 700m) |
10% | 10% | 10% | 40% | 10% | 80% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
NW
31
|
NW
31
|
NW
29
|
NW
29
|
NW
29
|
NW
30
|
| 300m |
NW
13
|
NW
13
|
NW
16
|
NW
15
|
NW
14
|
NW
15
|
| Valley |
NW
10
|
NW
10
|
NW
13
|
NW
13
|
NW
11
|
NW
12
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m | 43 | 42 | 41 | 41 | 40 | 42 |
| 300m | 26 | 25 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 29 |
| Valley | 26 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 27 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
0°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
| 300m |
3°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
1°
|
| Valley |
4°
|
2°
|
4°
|
4°
|
3°
|
2°
|
| Freezing Level |
700m
|
500m
|
500m
|
500m
|
400m
|
400m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
-7°
|
-8°
|
-8°
|
-8°
|
-8°
|
-9°
|
| 300m |
-2°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
| Valley |
0°
|
-2°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
Additional weather information
Meteorologist's view
A cold and windy day will make for difficult walking conditions. Low cloud and wintry showers will give poor visibility at times making navigation tricky.
Weather
A mostly cloudy and dry day but with a few showers possible. Any showers falling as snow to 800m at first but down to 200m or lower by the end of the day. Strong westerly winds turn northwesterly and may reach gale force on highest hills. Very cold.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
20% rising to 60% by late morning.
Low cloud and visibility
Cloud bases 400-600m at first but soon rising to 700-900m with some clear and sunny spells and cloud free tops at times, especially in the afternoon. Visibility good outside of cloud, poor in any showers.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Cloudy with snow showers in the early morning. Becoming drier with clear and sunny spells developing later, but still the chance of the odd snow shower. Strong northwesterly winds and bitterly cold with risk of severe wind chill.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
10% early morning, becoming 60%.
Maximum wind speed expected
Northwest 25-30mph gusting 35-40mph.
Temperature
- At 700m Minus 3 Celsius.
- Valley Plus 1 Celsius.
- Freezing level 300m, falling to surface level.
Low cloud and visibility
Low cloud of 400-600m at first but bases lifting to 700-900m with clear spells developing through the morning. Visibility good outside of cloud but poor in any snow showers.
Mountain weather information
Sat 3 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Mostly dry with clear spells and a few snow showers. Strong northwesterly winds. Very cold.
Sun 4 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Cloudy with some clear intervals and the odd snow shower possible. Fresh northwesterly winds. Very cold.
Mon 5 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Mostly dry and cloudy with clear intervals. Fresh northwesterly winds. Very cold.
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.