Mountain weather
Peak District Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High confidence for a cloudy start to the weekend with some rain and drizzle but exact amounts of cloud are hard to determine, high confidence for a more settled outlook towards the beginning of next week with high pressure building from the south.
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.
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
Remaining windy and cloudy with the chance of light rain or drizzle at times.
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 600m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 600m) |
40% | 40% | 40% | 40% | 20% | 20% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
W
26
|
W
27
|
W
23
|
W
19
|
W
17
|
W
13
|
| 300m |
W
18
|
W
17
|
W
18
|
W
14
|
W
11
|
SW
9
|
| Valley |
W
12
|
W
12
|
W
11
|
W
10
|
W
8
|
SW
5
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m | 32 | 35 | 30 | 26 | 24 | 18 |
| 300m | 25 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 18 | 16 |
| Valley | 26 | 25 | 24 | 21 | 19 | 14 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
5°
|
5°
|
| 300m |
8°
|
8°
|
8°
|
8°
|
7°
|
7°
|
| Valley |
8°
|
8°
|
9°
|
9°
|
8°
|
7°
|
| Freezing Level |
1,600m
|
2,000m
|
2,000m
|
1,700m
|
1,300m
|
1,300m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
0°
|
0°
|
1°
|
1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
| 300m |
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
5°
|
4°
|
4°
|
| Valley |
5°
|
5°
|
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
Additional weather information
Meteorologist's view
Westerly winds will ease during the afternoon but winds remaining strong. Feeling cold on the summits with low cloud and drizzle, despite freezing levels above all summits. Due to a technical error the wind/temperature details can currently only be viewed in the printable pdf version of this forecast, which can be found to the top right of this page.
Weather
A dull morning with overcast cloud cover and the chance of light rain or drizzle especially around northern uplands, best chance of a few periods of brighter conditions is over to the south towards Matlock. Any drizzle will die out in the early afternoon and cloud bases lifting but still not that bright by mid afternoon. A dry evening with the chance of some clear spells but some mist and fog patches are a possibility.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
30%, more chance in the southern Peak District, improving to 60% by late afternoon, low cloud lingering in the north.
Low cloud and visibility
Broken low cloud layers above 400m in the morning, dull and hazy at low levels too. Cloud will begin to lift and break from the west around late morning but scattered low cloud above 500m lingering through the afternoon and evening especially in the north. Visibility will improve during the afternoon but far reaching views are unlikely on Friday.
Recent rainfall
Location: Cat & Fiddle (Midway between Buxton and Macclesfield)
Altitude: 511m
| Last 24 hours | Last 48 hours | Last 72 hours |
|---|---|---|
| 0.8mm | 2.4mm | 8mm |
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
Cloudy with some mist and fog patches early in the day. A dry day but rain spreading south during the evening, cloud clearing later in the evening and feeling fresher.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
60%, improving 90% later during the evening.
Maximum wind speed expected
Southwesterly 15-20mph veering northwesterly later in the evening.
Temperature
- At 600m Plus 4 Celsius.
- Valley Plus 8 - 9 Celsius.
- Freezing level Above the summits falling to 800m later in the evening.
Low cloud and visibility
During the morning patchy or scattered cloud will shroud the hills at times with layers of cloud above 500m, the clearest tops will be south of Kinder Scout. Visibility will be good below the cloud but a little hazy at times. Later cloud will thicken and lower as rain spreads south and visibility will be poor for a time during the rain. By late evening visibility will improve and cloud begin to clear.
Mountain weather information
Sun 5 Feb
Sunrise:
Sunset:
A dry and bright day with some sunny spells after a frosty start, feeling quite cool out on the hills but very good visibility. Light winds.
Mon 6 Feb
Sunrise:
Sunset:
A dry start with some sunny spells developing, light winds expected, still a chilly feel out on the hills.
Tue 7 Feb
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Cloudy but mainly dry, some brighter conditions too, mostly light winds.
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.
The National Park itself covers an area of 555 square miles with a high point on Kinder Scout of 636 metres. Despite its name, the landscape generally lacks sharp peaks, being characterised by rounded hills and gritstone escarpments.
Despite what its name may suggest, the Peak District is similar in geography to the more gentle Yorkshire Dales. Its highest point is Kinder Scout, although Bleaklow Head (610 metres) and Black Hill (582 metres) offer great alternatives while losing little in terms of total elevation. Black Hill is a point of interest with its covering of peat and lack of vegetation giving the peak its name. However, conservation work has since transformed the peak so that large areas of the bare peat are now covered with native shrubs.
While the Peak District may lack sharp elevations, the whole area covers huge upland stretches, meaning that much of the National Park is on land that's more than 300 metres above sea level.