Mountain weather
Yorkshire Dales Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
Confidence is high for settled conditions but uncertainties around cloud amounts at times with some persistent cloud possible on Wednesday and Thursday. High confidence for milder conditions with light winds for a time.
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
Cloudy with patchy drizzle at first, sunny spells developing. Milder than recent days, but strong southwesterly winds.
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 600m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 600m) |
30% | 10% | <05% | <05% | <05% | <05% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
SW
27
|
SW
27
|
SW
26
|
SW
22
|
SW
13
|
S
16
|
| 300m |
SW
13
|
SW
16
|
SW
16
|
SW
16
|
SW
8
|
S
5
|
| Valley |
SW
9
|
S
13
|
SW
14
|
SW
12
|
S
3
|
S
3
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m | 34 | 35 | 34 | 30 | 19 | 23 |
| 300m | 28 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 20 | 15 |
| Valley | 23 | 28 | 29 | 23 | 11 | 14 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
6°
|
6°
|
7°
|
9°
|
8°
|
6°
|
| 300m |
8°
|
9°
|
10°
|
12°
|
9°
|
8°
|
| Valley |
9°
|
10°
|
12°
|
12°
|
10°
|
9°
|
| Freezing Level |
2,000m
|
2,000m
|
1,400m
|
1,500m
|
1,600m
|
1,600m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
1°
|
0°
|
2°
|
5°
|
4°
|
2°
|
| 300m |
5°
|
5°
|
7°
|
9°
|
7°
|
7°
|
| Valley |
7°
|
7°
|
9°
|
10°
|
9°
|
8°
|
Additional weather information
Meteorologist's view
Freezing levels above all summits with milder air than recent days. Gusts of 50-60mph are possible on higher summits, making walking very difficult. Be prepared for sudden strong gusts on lee slopes.
Weather
Mostly cloudy at first. Periods of patchy drizzle or light rain are likely early in the day, especially around western hills, remaining dry further south and east. Cloud breaking from late morning with sunny spells developing for many areas and persisting through the afternoon. Out of the strong wind it will feel quite mild compared with recent days.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
40% improving to 90% from late morning.
Low cloud and visibility
Widespread low cloud is likely in the morning with bases around 400-500m, cloud will thin and lift during the morning but will be quite persistent in the west. From late morning cloud will become patchy in the northwest with bases above 600m, but good breaks developing in the southeast. Visibility will be poor or very poor in drizzle and low cloud, but becoming mostly good or very good.
Recent rainfall
Location: Malham
Altitude: 375m
| Last 24 hours | Last 48 hours | Last 72 hours |
|---|---|---|
| 4.8mm | 13.9mm | 15mm |
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
Cloudy at times but mostly dry, light winds and feeling mild for mid-March. Some uncertainty in cloud amounts on Wednesday but a good chance of hazy sunshine.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
80% improving to 95%
Maximum wind speed expected
Variable in direction, mostly southeasterly, 10-15mph.
Temperature
- At 600m Plus 5 rising to 11 Celsius.
- Valley Plus 4 rising to 16 Celsius.
- Freezing level Above all summits
Low cloud and visibility
Patchy low cloud near summits at the start of the day, cloud lifting and clearing with sunny spells developing. Visibility will be good or very good for most of the day.
Mountain weather information
Thu 19 Mar
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Mostly settled conditions on Thursday, perhaps some persistent cloud lingering but otherwise mild with bright or sunny spells and light easterly winds.
Fri 20 Mar
Sunrise:
Sunset:
The settled conditions persisting into the end of the week with some bright or sunny spells but potentially some early fog slow to lift. Light southeasterly winds and remaining mild.
Sat 21 Mar
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Some uncertainty towards the weekend about cloud amounts but a good chance of some bright conditions continuing with light winds and mostly dry. Feeling cooler again with freezing levels lowering near to summits.
Updated at:
Summit specific forecast
Mountain summit forecast map
Loading map…
Key
Mountain summits
Other points of interest
Cluster of multiple stations
The Yorkshire Dales National Park covers an area of 683 square miles and is a collection of rivers, valleys and hills.