Mountain weather
Mourne Mountains Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High for synoptic setup this week. Medium confidence for cloud extent Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Low for rain Friday night into Saturday morning.
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
Mainly dry with variable amounts of cloud. Light southwesterly winds, freshening through the afternoon.
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 700m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 700m) |
10% | 10% | <05% | <05% | 10% | <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
12
|
SW
11
|
W
12
|
W
11
|
W
20
|
W
20
|
| 300m |
SW
6
|
SW
5
|
W
8
|
W
6
|
W
9
|
W
10
|
| Valley |
SW
5
|
SW
4
|
W
6
|
W
5
|
W
8
|
W
9
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 29 | 28 |
| 300m | 11 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 18 | 19 |
| Valley | 10 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 18 | 18 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
0°
|
0°
|
1°
|
2°
|
2°
|
3°
|
| 300m |
3°
|
2°
|
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
| Valley |
4°
|
4°
|
5°
|
6°
|
5°
|
5°
|
| Freezing Level |
600m
|
600m
|
700m
|
1,100m
|
1,300m
|
1,400m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
-5°
|
-5°
|
-4°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
| 300m |
0°
|
0°
|
1°
|
2°
|
0°
|
0°
|
| Valley |
2°
|
2°
|
3°
|
4°
|
2°
|
2°
|
Additional weather information
Meteorologist's view
Nothing to add.
Weather
A mainly coudy day but some brightness through the mid-part of the afternoon. Through the evening thickening cloud may bring a spot of light rain. Isolated hill fog above 600 m, especially through the evening.
Chance of cloud-free mountain/hill tops at 700m
80%
Visibility
Poor in isolated hill fog with cloud down to 600 m at times. Otherwise good outside of cloud.
Mountain weather information
Weather
A dry but cloudy morning with isolated hill fog above 600 m. A band of rain will cross the Mournes through the evening, bringing hill fog above 400 m. Winds becoming strong west to southwesterly through the afternoon, locally gale force on exposed summits and ridges.
Chance of cloud-free mountain/hill tops at 700m
60% in the morning, becoming 20% or less late afternoon.
Maximum wind speed expected
Southwesterly becoming westerly 25-35 mph gusting 40-50 mph (afternoon and evening).
Temperature
- At 700m Plus 2 rising to plus 5 Celsius.
- Valley Plus 4 rising to plus 6 Celsius.
- Freezing level Above the summits.
Visibility
Poor in isolated hill fog down to 600 m. Otherwise good lowering to moderate in rain through the evening.
Mountain weather information
Thursday 27 January
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Bright spells and a few showers in the north, easing through the afternoon. Strong west to northwest winds, locally gale force in exposed areas Wednesday night into Thursday. Winds then easing overnight into Friday. Freezing level 1000 m lowering to 700 m through the afternoon.
Friday 28 January
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Mainly dry and cloudy. Southwest winds increasing to strong or gale force through the afternoon. Freezing level near the higher summits through the morning, but later increasing above all summits.
Saturday 29 January
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Rain at times through the morning and mostly cloudy, with a strong west or southwest wind. Brighter through the afternoon with a strong west or northwest wind. Freezing level above the summits lowering to 800 m later.
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 Mourne Mountains are a granite mountain range in County Down in the southeast of Northern Ireland, is an area of outstanding natural beauty, and has been proposed as the first National Park in Northern Ireland.
The Mourne Mountains include the highest mountains in Northern Ireland; the highest of these is Slieve Donard standing at 850 metres at the northeastern edge of the Mournes, overlooking Newcastle and Dundrum Bay. At the summit of Slieve Donard there is a cairn and a small stone tower, which is part of the Mourne Wall, which passes over the mountain’s southern and western shoulders.
The Mourne Wall is a 35 kilometre dry stone wall that crosses fifteen summits, constructed between 1904 and 1922 by the Belfast Water Commissioners to define and enclose the catchment area for the newly constructed Silent Valley Reservoir.v