Mountain weather

Mountain weather

Yorkshire Dales

Printable version

Confidence

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

Sunrise: Sunset:
Sunrise: Sunset:
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.
Updated: 
Mountain hazards explained

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 600m)
 Weather symbols Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Light rain Heavy Rain Heavy Rain
Chance of
precipitation
(at 600m)
 Chance of precipitation
40%
10%
30%
60%
70%
80%

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 26mph knots
W
26mph
 W 24mph knots
W
24mph
 W 22mph knots
W
22mph
 SW 21mph knots
SW
21mph
 SW 22mph knots
SW
22mph
 W 20mph knots
W
20mph
300m
 300m W 15mph knots
W
15mph
 W 16mph knots
W
16mph
 W 15mph knots
W
15mph
 SW 13mph knots
SW
13mph
 W 15mph knots
W
15mph
 W 12mph knots
W
12mph
Valley
 Valley W 8mph knots
W
8mph
 W 11mph knots
W
11mph
 W 13mph knots
W
13mph
 SW 11mph knots
SW
11mph
 W 13mph knots
W
13mph
 SW 8mph knots
SW
8mph

Wind gust

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
 Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
600m
 600m 34mph 31mph 29mph 28mph 31mph 28mph
300m
 300m 31mph 32mph 29mph 27mph 31mph 25mph
Valley
 Valley 21mph 24mph 25mph 23mph 28mph 19mph

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
 Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
600m
 600m 8 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius
300m
 300m 12 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius
Valley
 Valley 15 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius
Freezing Level Freezing Level
2300m
2100m
2300m
2600m
2800m
2800m

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. 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

Becoming generally dry around dawn. Mainly 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 early afternoon and winds strengthening. Any rain will start light and become more persistent through the late afternoon, with some heavier bursts expected before starting to break up in the early hours of Friday.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

20% at first, then becoming 70%, becoming 40% in the west late in the afternoon.

Low cloud and visibility

Broken cloud at 100-300m 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

The Yorkshire Dales National Park covers an area of 683 square miles and is a collection of rivers, valleys and hills.

Related links