Mountain weather
Peak District Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High for very windy for Friday, then changeable conditions from the weekend, but lowering for the transition detail.
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.
Storm Force Winds
Storm force winds (gusts over 70mph) make walking very strenuous with any mobility virtually impossible over exposed ground. Where these conditions occur there is a high risk of being blown over and even standing may be impossible at times with a risk of being blown off one’s feet. Basic tasks such as using a map, eating, putting on extra clothing or communication become extremely difficult away from any shelter.
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
Storm Éowyn brings difficult conditions with severe gales.
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 600m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 600m) |
80% | 20% | 10% | <05% | <05% | <05% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
SW
47
|
SW
44
|
SW
44
|
SW
37
|
SW
31
|
SW
28
|
| 300m |
SW
37
|
SW
33
|
SW
34
|
SW
29
|
SW
22
|
SW
19
|
| Valley |
SW
22
|
SW
20
|
SW
24
|
SW
21
|
SW
14
|
SW
12
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m | 60 | 55 | 59 | 50 | 43 | 38 |
| 300m | 50 | 45 | 49 | 42 | 34 | 30 |
| Valley | 47 | 42 | 49 | 42 | 33 | 28 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
7°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
1°
|
0°
|
| 300m |
9°
|
5°
|
5°
|
4°
|
3°
|
2°
|
| Valley |
9°
|
5°
|
5°
|
5°
|
4°
|
2°
|
| Freezing Level |
1,600m
|
700m
|
500m
|
400m
|
400m
|
400m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
0°
|
-7°
|
-7°
|
-7°
|
-7°
|
-8°
|
| 300m |
4°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
-3°
|
-4°
|
| Valley |
5°
|
0°
|
0°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
Additional weather information
Meteorologist's view
Significant care should be taken if heading up onto the hills through particularly the first half of the day with some potentially dangerous gusts and a significant wind chill even as winds begin to ease by the evening.
Weather
Storm Éowyn brings very strong winds through much of the day, with overnight heavy rain clearing eastwards around dawn. Becoming generally dry and increasingly bright into the day, and winds will slowly ease into the evening, although it will remain windy.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
70% to start but becoming 95% by day.
Low cloud and visibility
Cloud above 500-600m increasingly clearing east by dawn, with clearing skies and good visibility by day.
Recent rainfall
Location: Cat & Fiddle (Midway between Buxton and Macclesfield)
Altitude: 511m
| Last 24 hours | Last 48 hours | Last 72 hours |
|---|---|---|
| 10.5mm | 12.8mm | 13.7mm |
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 with prolonged periods of sunshine at first, then a band of occasionally heavy showers feeds from the west towards early evening. Severe wind chill at height in fresh to strong summit winds. Snow level around 400m.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
90% for much of the day, becoming 40% by early evening
Maximum wind speed expected
Southwest mean 15-20mph with gusts reaching 30mph across more exposed ridges and summits.
Temperature
- At 600m Minus 1 to plus 1 Celsius
- Valley Minus 1 Celsius increasing 8 Celsius for the afternoon
- Freezing level by day around 500m
Low cloud and visibility
Good falling moderate or poor in rain, very poor in snow and within cloud with bases infrequently lowering to 600m for much of the day, before lowering and thickening towards early evening.
Mountain weather information
Sun 26 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Mainly dry and occasionally bright at first, then a band of rain reaching the area for the afternoon, as southeast winds strengthen. Freezing level 400m increasing 800m later.
Mon 27 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Rather cloudy with showers and longer periods of rain and summit sleet. Fresh to strong southerly summit winds. Freezing level around 700-800m.
Tue 28 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Rather cloudy with patchy light rain and summit sleet. Fresh west to southwest summit winds. Freezing level around 700-800m.
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 Peak District is home to a wide variety of magnificent hills, moors, outcrops and gritstone edges.