Mountain weather
Peak District Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High confidence for some rain and strong winds at times, but with some calmer, drier interludes. Moderate confidence for Thursday's rainfall with the potential for heavy rain and gales.
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.
Mountain weather forecast
A mainly dry, bright day with strongest winds easing. A risk of persistent rain later.
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 600m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 600m) |
10% | <05% | <05% | <05% | 20% | 40% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
SW
30
|
SW
25
|
SW
23
|
SW
20
|
S
19
|
S
21
|
| 300m |
SW
21
|
SW
18
|
SW
17
|
SW
15
|
S
13
|
S
14
|
| Valley |
SW
13
|
SW
12
|
SW
12
|
S
11
|
S
8
|
S
9
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m | 37 | 32 | 31 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| 300m | 30 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 23 |
| Valley | 29 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 20 | 21 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
10°
|
10°
|
11°
|
11°
|
11°
|
10°
|
| 300m |
12°
|
13°
|
13°
|
14°
|
13°
|
12°
|
| Valley |
13°
|
14°
|
14°
|
15°
|
14°
|
13°
|
| Freezing Level |
2,300m
|
1,900m
|
1,700m
|
1,900m
|
2,200m
|
2,700m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 600m |
5°
|
6°
|
7°
|
8°
|
7°
|
6°
|
| 300m |
9°
|
9°
|
10°
|
11°
|
11°
|
10°
|
| Valley |
11°
|
12°
|
12°
|
13°
|
12°
|
11°
|
Additional weather information
Meteorologist's view
Winds on summits may exceed those indicated in the tables above, especially early on. Walking conditions are expected to be tricky given strong winds, particularly early in the day. A risk of heavy, persistent rain into the evening would bring poor visibility and disorientating conditions as cloud thickens.
Weather
Gale force winds continuing overnight, though slowly easing. Mainly dry and bright in the daytime, with winds easing a little through the middle of the day, but still remaining fairly strong. Turning cloudier during the late afternoon and evening, with a risk for a more persistent and widespread period of rain to develop in the evening. This could be heavy at times.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
90%, but falling to 60% by the evening.
Low cloud and visibility
Cloud generally above summits through the morning, but a few small patches of cloud possible on the highest Peaks at first. A chance for more widespread low cloud to develop during the evening with extensive bases 400-500m and patches below this. Visibility generally very good, but becoming moderate or poor if persistent rain develops.
Recent rainfall
Location: Cat & Fiddle (Midway between Buxton and Macclesfield)
Altitude: 511m
| Last 24 hours | Last 48 hours | Last 72 hours |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
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
Rain clearing overnight with winds easing a little, though probably still mostly cloudy around dawn. Early cloud soon clearing to leave a generally dry, bright and rather windy day. Just a small chance of the odd, blustery afternoon shower developing inland. Fine through the evening.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
90%.
Maximum wind speed expected
Westerly 20-25mph, gusting 35mph.
Temperature
- At 600m Plus 10 degrees Celsius.
- Valley Plus 11 increasing Plus 17 degrees Celsius.
- Freezing level Above summits.
Low cloud and visibility
A few small patches of cloud may cover high western Peaks through the early morning, otherwise fine. Visibility will be good or very good.
Mountain weather information
Sat 30 Sep
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Largely fine to start, though a few valley mist and fog patches are possible early morning. Probably remaining dry through the day. Clouding over into the evening with strengthening southerly winds and a chance persistent rain developing.
Sun 1 Oct
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Overnight rain and strong winds probably clearing early morning. Sunny spells and isolated blustery showers following.
Mon 2 Oct
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Probably rather breezy with a chance of showers, or a longer spell of rain during the day.
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.