Mountain weather
Peak District Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
A dry and settled day on Tuesday before a return to unsettled, wet conditions on Wednesday and Thursday, with strong southwesterly winds and some localised flooding possible. Uncertainty towards the end of the week but strong winds and further rain likely.
Mountain weather hazards
Hazards apply at or above 300m, reflecting the more severe conditions which can occur at altitude.
Blizzards
Blizzards and whiteouts present challenging and serious conditions due to a combination of falling or blowing snow, strong winds and cold temperatures. They can be highly disorientating, often resulting in near-zero visibility with limited or no visual references and no distinction between ground and sky. Cliff edges and cornices may not be apparent, even close up. These conditions require very good navigational skills.
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
A dry and bright day with sunny spells and mainly light winds.
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 600m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 600m) |
50% | 20% | 10% | <05% | 10% | 10% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
N
6
|
NW
7
|
W
9
|
W
10
|
SW
9
|
SW
9
|
| 300m |
NW
4
|
W
5
|
W
6
|
W
7
|
SW
5
|
S
5
|
| Valley |
NW
3
|
W
2
|
W
4
|
W
4
|
SW
2
|
S
3
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m | 10 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| 300m | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Valley | 9 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
4°
|
3°
|
3°
|
3°
|
2°
|
2°
|
| 300m |
6°
|
5°
|
5°
|
5°
|
4°
|
3°
|
| Valley |
6°
|
5°
|
6°
|
6°
|
3°
|
3°
|
| Freezing Level |
1,000m
|
900m
|
900m
|
800m
|
800m
|
800m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
| 300m |
4°
|
3°
|
3°
|
3°
|
2°
|
1°
|
| Valley |
5°
|
4°
|
5°
|
4°
|
2°
|
1°
|
Additional weather information
Meteorologist's view
Nothing to add.
Weather
Cloud and patchy light rain or drizzle during Tuesday morning with some mist likely. Turning drier with mist and cloud clearing eastwards to leave a dry afternoon with plenty of winter sunshine. Still feeling cool out on the hills. Mist and fog developing quickly in the evening period with a frost likely too.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
40% at first, becoming 80% or more by late morning.
Low cloud and visibility
Scattered to broken bases at first on Tuesday morning around 600m, lifting and breaking by late morning. Moderate or poor visibility at first, becoming good in the morning. Poor or very poor visibility likely across many areas of the Park in the evening.
Recent rainfall
Location: Cat & Fiddle (Midway between Buxton and Macclesfield)
Altitude: 511m
| Last 24 hours | Last 48 hours | Last 72 hours |
|---|---|---|
| 36.9mm | 43.7mm | 44.1mm |
Measurement date:
Rainfall data provided by the Environment Agency. The Met Office is not responsible for content provided by third parties and may remove this data without warning.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Dry start in early hours of Wednesday with mist and fog lifting and thinning to give increasing amounts of low cloud shrouding summits. This will be accompanied by rain spreading quickly eastwards across the Peak District during the morning, becoming persistent and heavy at times during the day. Strong southerly winds with afternoon gales developing. Rain easing later in the evening.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
80% falling to 20% or less associated with rain.
Maximum wind speed expected
Southerly 25-30mph with gusts around 40mph.
Temperature
- At 600m Plus 2 rising to 7 degrees Celsius.
- Valley Plus 6 Celsius rising to 11 degrees Celsius.
- Freezing level Above all summits.
Low cloud and visibility
Patchy cloud above 600m will become scattered or broken during the morning over the tops, cloud bases will lower during the day, particularly around western hills. Broken to overcast bases around 400m during the afternoon. Visibility will be good around dawn but becoming moderate or poor in later.
Mountain weather information
Thu 18 Dec
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Dry for a time in the morning but early mist and low cloud will be persistent. Further rain expected by late morning becoming persistent and heavy at times for a few hours. Fresh southwesterly winds expected.
Fri 19 Dec
Sunrise:
Sunset:
A drier day with sunny spells, strong southwesterly winds. Freezing level above all summits.
Sat 20 Dec
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Strong southwesterly winds, risk of gales, bands of rain likely, remaining mild.
Updated at:
Summit specific forecast
Mountain summit forecast map
Loading map…
Key
Mountain summits
Other points of interest
Cluster of multiple stations
The Peak District is home to a wide variety of magnificent hills, moors, outcrops and gritstone edges.