Mountain weather

Bannau Brycheiniog / Brecon Beacons

Yellow warning

Yellow weather warning in force for Bannau Brycheiniog / Brecon Beacons

Bannau Brycheiniog / Brecon Beacons Mountain weather forecast table

Confidence

High confidence in overall story but moderate for the extent of the showers on Tuesday. Lower confidence for details of strong winds and heavy rain on Wednesday and later on Thursday.

Sunrise:
Sunset:
Mountain hazards

Mountain weather hazards

Hazards apply at or above 300m, reflecting the more severe conditions which can occur at altitude.

hazard 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.

hazard 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.
hazard 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

Breezy with showery outbreaks of rain.

06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
Weather
(at 600m)
Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Clear night
Chance of precipitation
(at 600m)
40% 30% 30% 30% 20% <05%

Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
600m S
22
S
23
SW
23
SW
19
SW
15
SW
13
300m S
10
SW
14
SW
15
SW
13
SW
8
SW
7
Valley SE
3
SW
11
SW
13
SW
13
SW
7
SW
7
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
600m 28 30 33 28 21 20
300m 23 27 30 26 18 17
Valley 15 25 28 26 18 16

Altitude above mean sea level
06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
600m
12°
12°
13°
13°
11°
10°
300m
13°
15°
16°
16°
13°
12°
Valley
13°
16°
17°
16°
14°
12°
Freezing Level
2,900m
2,500m
2,300m
1,800m
1,800m
1,800m

Altitude above mean sea level
06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
600m
300m
12°
12°
13°
13°
12°
10°
Valley
13°
14°
14°
14°
12°
11°

Additional weather information

Meteorologist's view

Winds are likely to be stronger than what is mentioned in the tables, with buffeting over peaks and ridges. Note the potential for hazardous weather on Wednesday.

Weather

A rather cloudy start to the day with a constant risk of showers through the morning. Showers will tend to develop in the east around dawn then the west later in the morning although these will be mainly light and scattered, giving way to brighter skies by lunchtime. Then largely dry in the afternoon, with spells of pleasant sunshine and the odd light shower, mainly in the west. Showers fading by the evening to leave a dry end to the day.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

40% at first rising to 95% by lunchtime.

Low cloud and visibility

Mediocre at height and in any showers this morning, with cloud as low as 300-400m covering summits. The cloud will lift above tops around lunchtime, with visibility becoming good to very good all around.

Recent rainfall

Location: Neuadd (Near Pontsticill)
Altitude: 353m
Last 24 hoursLast 48 hoursLast 72 hours
0.4mm20.4mm23mm
Measurement date:

Rainfall data provided by Natural Resources Wales. The Met Office is not responsible for content provided by third parties and may remove this data without warning.

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Mountain weather information

Weather

After a dry start, winds soon increasing as Storm Agnes moves across the UK accompanied with outbreaks of heavy rain, perhaps thundery, through the afternoon. Rain turning more persistent into the evening with winds reaching severe gales over peaks.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

60%

Maximum wind speed expected

Southwesterly 35-40 mph gusting up to 60 mph, possibly stronger over the hills.

Temperature

  • At 600m Plus 8 rising to plus 12 Celsius.
  • Valley Plus 13 rising to plus 17 Celsius.
  • Freezing level Above summits.

Low cloud and visibility

Low cloud at times through the morning with bases down to 400 m, lifting higher to above summits briefly though dipping in any heavier rain, especially in more persistent rain later with bases around 600 m. Good to moderate visibilities in any persistent rain.

Mountain weather information

Thu 28 Sep

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Brighter to start with isolated showers but further heavy rain from the southwest later. Very strong southwesterly winds.

Fri 29 Sep

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Rain clearing northeast and turning brighter with scattered showers. Fresh to strong southwesterly winds.

Sat 30 Sep

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Mist and fog clearing to leave a largely dry day with sunny intervals and light southerly winds.

Updated at:

Summit specific forecast

Mountain summit forecast map

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The summits of each peak form a long ridge with four of the peaks forming a horseshoe shape around the head of the Taf Fechan River which flows away to the south-east. The Bannau Brycheiniog / Brecon Beacons is said to be named after the ancient practice of lighting signal fires (beacons) on mountains to warn of attacks by invaders, or more recently to commemorate public and national events such as coronations or the Millennium.

For ardent mountain climbers, the Brecon Beacons National Park is among the best that Britain has to offer. While it doesn't have some of the headline-grabbing peaks of Snowdonia or the Scottish Highlands, it fits scores of slightly smaller mountains into its relatively compact 519 square mile area. These include the area's highest peak, Pen y Fan, as well as the marginally smaller Corn Du (873 metres). Both offer rather hospitable, anvil-shaped summits to those who reach the top, with plenty of space for rest and photographs, before tackling the descent.