Mountain weather

Lake District

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Lake District Mountain weather forecast table

Confidence

High for rather cloudy with showers and later patchy rain Wednesday and early Thursday, also for cold, generally settled fare later Thursday and thereafter mainly dry and gradually turning milder.

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Mountain hazards

Mountain weather hazards

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

hazard 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.
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 hazards explained

Mountain weather forecast

Rather cloudy with some scattered showers and later patchy rain and summit snow.

Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level

Altitude above mean sea level

Altitude above mean sea level

Additional weather information

Weather

Rather cloudy with a few light showers increasing from mid-morning. These will merge into longer spells of patchy light rain during the evening, this mostly focused across western hills, and also falling as wet snow across highest summits.

Chance of cloud-free mountain/hill tops at 800m

70% at first with the quite extensive cloud cover generally above this level, becoming during the evening 10% in west and 30% in east as bases thicken and lower from the north to typically 450-600m.

Ground conditions

No recent ground conditions report available.

Visibility

Good lowering moderate or poor in showers and more generally in the later rain, particularly in the west.

Meteorologist's view

The limited afternoon sunny spells may be strong, also some chance of significant wind chill effect across higher summits.

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Mountain weather information

Weather

A rather cloudy morning with showery rain. Turning drier and brighter from mid-day.

Chance of cloud-free mountain/hill tops at 800m

Initially 10% in west and 30% in east with bases typically 450-600m, becoming from afternoon 75% as the cloud breaks and lifts from the north.

Maximum wind speed expected

West mean 35-40mph, with gusts reaching 60mph across most exposed ridges and summits, easing gradually from late afternoon.

Temperature

  • At 800m Plus 2C lowering minus 3C later
  • Valley Plus 3C rising 9C during the afternoon
  • Freezing level Lowering 450m later

Visibility

Moderate or poor becoming mainly good from the afternoon.

Mountain weather information

Friday 3 April

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Sunset:

Dry, bright start, turning rather cloudy later with a few isolated light showers, wintry above around 500m. Winds quite light.

Saturday 4 April

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Mostly dry with quite a lot of higher cloud around. Freezing level lifting above all summits as winds turn to the south.

Sunday 5 April

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Sunset:

Cloud lowering from the west to bring periods of rain later. Freshening southerly winds.

Updated at:
Mountain weather explained

The Lake District covers an area of 885 square miles with its highest point, Scafell Pike, standing at 978 metres.

Scafell Pike is the highest mountain in England. From its summit, the view spans from the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland to Snowdonia in Wales. The Lake District also contains the deepest and longest lakes in England; Wastwater and Windermere.

Much smaller than its Scottish counterparts, but no less breathtaking, is the Lake District National Park. While unarguably most famous for the lakes and waters from which it took its name, the National Park certainly has plenty to offer climbers as well. Not only that, special routes have been created (known as Miles Without Stiles) to offer more laid back, moderate walks.

Those looking for a challenge are suitably catered for with the Lakeland Fells, as made famous by rambler and cartographer Alfred Wainwright. These include some of the highest peaks in England: Scafell Pike (978 metres), Scafell (965 metres), Helvellyn (951 metres) and Skiddaw (931 metres).

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