Mountain weather
Lake District Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High for the generally southerly flow bringing periods of unsettled weather as fronts cross the area, particularly for Wednesday and Friday, but lowering confidence in the detail of worst of conditions.
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.
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.
Mountain weather forecast
Cloudy to overcast with quite extensive hill fog and some patchy light rain. South to southeast breezes bringing gradually lifted freezing levels.
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
20% | 20% | 20% | 10% | 10% | 20% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m |
S
34
|
SE
31
|
SE
37
|
SE
32
|
SE
35
|
SE
34
|
| 600m |
S
31
|
SE
26
|
SE
30
|
SE
25
|
SE
28
|
SE
30
|
| 300m |
S
16
|
SE
13
|
SE
14
|
SE
11
|
SE
13
|
SE
14
|
| Valley |
SE
8
|
SE
9
|
SE
8
|
SE
8
|
SE
10
|
SE
11
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m | 40 | 38 | 45 | 39 | 44 | 43 |
| 600m | 42 | 37 | 41 | 35 | 39 | 43 |
| 300m | 33 | 30 | 32 | 28 | 33 | 34 |
| Valley | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 26 | 27 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m |
6°
|
6°
|
7°
|
7°
|
8°
|
8°
|
| 600m |
6°
|
7°
|
8°
|
9°
|
9°
|
9°
|
| 300m |
8°
|
9°
|
10°
|
11°
|
11°
|
11°
|
| Valley |
9°
|
10°
|
12°
|
13°
|
12°
|
13°
|
| Freezing Level |
2,200m
|
2,100m
|
2,100m
|
2,300m
|
2,500m
|
2,700m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m |
-1°
|
0°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
3°
|
| 600m |
1°
|
2°
|
3°
|
4°
|
4°
|
5°
|
| 300m |
4°
|
6°
|
8°
|
9°
|
8°
|
8°
|
| Valley |
7°
|
8°
|
10°
|
11°
|
11°
|
11°
|
Additional weather information
Meteorologist's view
Severe wind chill at first across highest tops. Navigation difficult with extensive hill fog.
Weather
Cloudy to overcast skies will bring some patchy light rain or drizzle, most readily through the morning and across south facing aspects of southern ranges. Best chance of limited brighter conditions expected from mid-afternoon to the west of Helvellyn.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
10% or less increasing 30% late afternoon in the west
Low cloud and visibility
In rain or drizzle visibility moderate or poor, within cloud very poor with bases extensive from 500m for much of the area and day.
Ground conditions
No recent ground conditions report available.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Cloudy to overcast again with rain turning heavy and persistent at times, particularly overnight Tuesday and for Wednesday evening. A chance of thunderstorms.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
10%
Maximum wind speed expected
South to southeast initially mean 25-30 mph with gusts reaching 40-45 mph across most exposed ridges and summits, slowly easing through the day.
Temperature
- At 800m Plus 9-11 Celsius
- Valley Plus 4 Celsius increasing 14 Celsius during the afternoon
- Freezing level Well above the summits
Low cloud and visibility
In rain visibility moderate or poor, within cloud very poor with bases extensive from 500m for much of the area and day.
Mountain weather information
Thu 17 Oct
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Overcast start with rain, possibly heavy at times. Gradually turning drier with some late brightness. Southwest summit breezes. Freezing level remaining well above all peaks.
Fri 18 Oct
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Chance of early drier, brighter fare, but broad area of rain soon extending from the west, which occasionally turns heavy as southerly summit winds strengthen. Freezing level well above all peaks.
Sat 19 Oct
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Main theme cloudy with showers or longer periods of rain, but some better interludes woven in also. Freezing level well above all peaks.
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 Lake District covers an area of 885 square miles with its highest point, Scafell Pike, standing at 978 metres.