Mountain weather

Mountain weather

Peak District

Confidence

High for the generally unsettled weather, but low for any details of the precipitation on Thursday into Friday.

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.
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.

Mountain weather forecast

Dry to start, with rain spreading in during the afternoon or evening.

Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
Weather symbols Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Light rain Light rain Heavy Rain
Chance of
precipitation
(at 800m)
Chance of precipitation
40%
10%
20%
60%
70%
70%

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 W 28mph knots
W
28mph
W 24mph knots
W
24mph
W 21mph knots
W
21mph
W 20mph knots
W
20mph
SW 22mph knots
SW
22mph
SW 22mph knots
SW
22mph
300m
300m W 17mph knots
W
17mph
W 18mph knots
W
18mph
W 16mph knots
W
16mph
W 15mph knots
W
15mph
SW 17mph knots
SW
17mph
SW 16mph knots
SW
16mph
Valley
Valley W 11mph knots
W
11mph
W 13mph knots
W
13mph
W 12mph knots
W
12mph
W 11mph knots
W
11mph
SW 12mph knots
SW
12mph
SW 9mph knots
SW
9mph

Wind gust

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
600m
600m 35mph 31mph 28mph 28mph 30mph 29mph
300m
300m 24mph 24mph 23mph 22mph 26mph 24mph
Valley
Valley 24mph 25mph 24mph 22mph 24mph 21mph

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
600m
600m 8 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius
300m
300m 12 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius
Valley
Valley 14 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius 16 degrees Celsius 17 degrees Celsius 16 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius
Freezing Level Freezing Level
2300m
2300m
2400m
2600m
2700m
3400m

Additional weather information

Meteorologist's view

Cloudy at first with some hill fog, but this should quickly clear to give generally decent walking conditions through much of the morning and early afternoon. Walkers should be prepared for the odd shower throughout the day, so waterproofs may be needed. Breaks in the cloud through the day could give some sunny spells and associated high UV which may catch out walkers, so sun protection may be advised. Late in the afternoon or evening conditions will deteriorate with low cloud, hill fog and potentially heavy rain moving in.

Weather

Generally dry for the morning with some cloud breaks and brighter spells developing. Cloud thickening up in the afternoon, with rain spreading in from the west by mid to late afternoon and winds strengthening. Any rain will start light and become more persistent through the evening, with some heavier bursts expected before starting to break up in the early hours of Friday.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

70% at first, becoming 40% in the west late in the afternoon.

Low cloud and visibility

Broken cloud at 300-400m is possible in the early hours, lifting to above summits around dawn, though remaining quite cloudy. Further cloud moving in from the west during the afternoon, with bases likely to drop widely to 400-500m through the early evening, with some areas possibly dropping down to 200-300m. Some hill fog possible in the early hours with areas of poor visibility likely then. This quickly lifting by around dawn to give generally good visibility, though becoming poor in heavy rain.

Ground conditions

No recent ground conditions report available.

Summit specific forecast