Mountain weather
Peak District Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High for changeable, often wet and windy conditions, but Medium for details over the weekend
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.
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.
Heavy persistent rain
Heavy and persistent rain can lead to drenched clothing and footwear with waterproofs often becoming soaked through, especially if accompanied by strong winds. This can lead to significant loss of body heat and an increased likelihood of hypothermia. Terrain may turn increasingly boggy underfoot while streams can flood and become impassable. There may also be a risk of flooding in valleys or glens. If there is snow cover, a heightened avalanche hazard is possible and avalanche reports should be consulted where available.
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
Turning very windy as heavy rain develops through the morning, continuing through much of the day.
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 600m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 600m) |
60% | 80% | 80% | 90% | 90% | 60% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
SW
35
|
SW
40
|
SW
42
|
SW
38
|
SW
38
|
SW
38
|
| 300m |
SW
21
|
SW
24
|
SW
24
|
SW
23
|
SW
24
|
SW
24
|
| Valley |
SW
14
|
SW
16
|
SW
16
|
SW
15
|
SW
16
|
SW
16
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m | 47 | 55 | 59 | 54 | 53 | 53 |
| 300m | 36 | 43 | 45 | 43 | 44 | 45 |
| Valley | 34 | 39 | 39 | 37 | 39 | 40 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
1°
|
2°
|
3°
|
4°
|
4°
|
5°
|
| 300m |
3°
|
5°
|
6°
|
6°
|
7°
|
7°
|
| Valley |
4°
|
5°
|
7°
|
7°
|
7°
|
8°
|
| Freezing Level |
700m
|
900m
|
1,100m
|
1,400m
|
2,000m
|
2,200m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
-8°
|
-6°
|
-5°
|
-4°
|
-3°
|
-2°
|
| 300m |
-3°
|
-1°
|
1°
|
1°
|
2°
|
2°
|
| Valley |
-1°
|
1°
|
3°
|
3°
|
3°
|
4°
|
Additional weather information
Weather
After a dry start, cloud will soon increase to bring the risk of patchy rain or drizzle. Cloud will continue to thicken through the morning as the rain turns heavy and persistent, with hill fog developing over western slopes. Staying very wet through the afternoon. The wind will ease later in the evening and turn more showery. Windy throughout.
Chance of cloud-free mountain/hill tops at 600m
60% to start the day, reducing to 40% by the end of the morning with increasing amounts of cloud down to 600m. Chance reducing to 20% or less in afternoon with extensive cloud down to 600m, but 450m in west.
Visibility
Mostly good at first, falling moderate occasionally poor in rain and drizzle and poor or very poor at times in evening.
Meteorologist's view
Another windy day, with some chill at height, despite milder temperatures. Average wind speeds on lower slopes will likely be higher than tables suggest, by 5-10mph.
Recent rainfall
Location: Cat & Fiddle (Midway between Buxton and Macclesfield)
Altitude: 511m
| Last 24 hours | Last 48 hours | Last 72 hours |
|---|---|---|
| 14.4mm | 20.8mm | 26.8mm |
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
Persistent rain will clear to heavy showers overnight. Bright spells interspersed with heavy showers through Saturday morning. Thicker cloud through the afternoon with scattered showers continuing. Chance of some wintriness in the showers with height. Another very windy day, with near impossible mobility at height.
Chance of cloud-free mountain/hill tops at 600m
Almost nil overnight and again in evening, with extensive cloud down to 400 or 500m, but chance around 50% for the bulk of daylight hours, with more broken cloud to 600-900m.
Maximum wind speed expected
West to southwest 40-50 gust 65mph decreasing 35 gust 45 later in the day.
Temperature
- At 600m Plus 5 C falling to plus 2 C for a time
- Valley Plus 7 or 8 C
- Freezing level Mostly above the tops, but close to the top of Kinder Scout in afternoon
Visibility
Poor or very poor in rain, but mostly good beneath cloud for much of the day
Mountain weather information
Sunday 23 February
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Cloudy with rain, some heavy, but mainly dry from mid-afternoon. Strong to gale force westerly winds turning north or northwest in morning and easing, but fresher southwest winds later. Freezing level falling to just above top of Kinder Scout for a time in afternoon, then rising again.
Monday 24 February
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Cloudy with rain at times, but becoming drier and brighter in afternoon. Windy again, with gale or severe gale southwest winds turning westerly, but easing a touch later. Freezing level well above the summits.
Tuesday 25 February
Sunrise:
Sunset:
A few showers in morning, but frequent heavy, perhaps thundery showers in afternoon and turning wintry at height. Strong westerly winds at first, but southwest gales in afternoon. Freezing level falling to 600m.
Updated at:
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.