Mountain weather
Snowdonia Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
Medium confidence for details in the forecast currently with some doubts over timings of rainfall especially on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
This evening forecast
A mainly dry but cloudy evening, perhaps some light rain in the far east of Snowdonia during the evening. Moderate easterly winds continuing.
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.
Mountain weather forecast
Dry with some sunny intervals later in the day, clouding over later with rain spreading in from the west.
| 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
10% | 10% | 30% | 20% | 10% | 10% | 30% | 30% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m |
E
10
|
SE
9
|
SE
7
|
SE
11
|
S
16
|
SW
20
|
S
25
|
S
33
|
| 600m |
E
8
|
SE
7
|
SE
6
|
SE
8
|
S
13
|
SW
15
|
S
19
|
S
24
|
| 300m |
E
6
|
SE
4
|
SE
3
|
SE
4
|
S
8
|
SW
8
|
S
9
|
S
12
|
| Valley |
SE
6
|
SE
4
|
SE
3
|
S
4
|
SW
7
|
S
8
|
S
8
|
S
12
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m | 13 | 11 | 9 | 14 | 22 | 26 | 33 | 42 |
| 600m | 12 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 23 | 26 | 33 |
| 300m | 12 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 16 | 20 | 21 | 28 |
| Valley | 12 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 19 | 20 | 28 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m |
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
7°
|
6°
|
5°
|
6°
|
| 600m |
8°
|
8°
|
7°
|
8°
|
9°
|
9°
|
8°
|
8°
|
| 300m |
9°
|
9°
|
9°
|
10°
|
11°
|
11°
|
10°
|
10°
|
| Valley |
10°
|
10°
|
10°
|
11°
|
13°
|
13°
|
11°
|
11°
|
| Freezing Level |
2,000m
|
2,000m
|
2,000m
|
2,000m
|
1,900m
|
1,800m
|
1,600m
|
2,100m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m |
3°
|
3°
|
4°
|
3°
|
3°
|
2°
|
0°
|
0°
|
| 600m |
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
5°
|
4°
|
3°
|
| 300m |
8°
|
8°
|
8°
|
10°
|
10°
|
10°
|
8°
|
7°
|
| Valley |
9°
|
9°
|
9°
|
11°
|
12°
|
11°
|
9°
|
9°
|
Additional weather information
Weather
Quite a cloudy start to the day around Snowdonia with a few areas of patchy drizzle around dawn. The cloud will begin to thicn and break and there will be some sunny interludes breaking through in the early afternoon. Cloud will thicken again later in the evening as a frontal band of rain moves towards the area from the west with some patchy, light drizzly rain before nightfall particularly in the west but most of the rain will be later in the night.
Chance of cloud-free mountain/hill tops at 800m
In the morning the chance of cloud free tops will be 40% with cloud bases around 700m but this will soon rising to 80% with most tops clear, perhaps Snowdon itself will see scattered cloud around the top for much of the day. The chance will reduce again in the afternoon with peaks in the west likely to see some cloud shrouding the tops by evening. The cloud base will be around 7-800m by the end of the day in the west.
Ground conditions
No recent ground conditions report available.
Visibility
Visibility will generally be good on Tuesday morning but will deteriorate in the afternoon becoming moderate or poor in any drizzle or light rain later in the day.
Meteorologist's view
Light winds during the day but becoming strong later in the evening.
Mountain weather information
Weather
A wet start to the day but rain clearing to the east during the morning leaving a brighter afternoon with long sunny spells.
Chance of cloud-free mountain/hill tops at 800m
30-40% chance of cloud free tops in the morning with cloud bases widely around 5-600m. Cloud lifting and thinning in the afternoon with the chance improving to 70-80% , some scattered cloud around 700m will be slow to clear the tops.
Maximum wind speed expected
Southeasterly winds 15-20mph with gusts 30mph, winds will veer southwesterly by lunchtime10-15mph gusts 25mph.
Temperature
- At 800m Plus 8 Celsius.
- Valley Plus 7 rising to plus 13 Celsius.
- Freezing level Above the summits.
Visibility
Visibility will be poor in the morning in rain and drizzle making navigation quite tricky on the fells, it will improve during the afternoon, becoming good or even very good by late afternoon with good views from the hill tops.
Mountain weather information
Thursday 17 October
Sunrise:
Sunset:
A dry and bright start to the day but a showery outlook for the rest of the day with some heavy showers, Strengthening southeasterly winds will become gusty too. Feeling very cold
Friday 18 October
Sunrise:
Sunset:
A very blustery and showery day, risk of hail and thunder in the showers. Strong and gusty southerly winds.
Saturday 19 October
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Another showery day with some heavy and thundery. Light, mainly southerly winds.
Updated at:
Summit specific forecast
Mountain summit forecast map
Key
Mountain summits
Other points of interest
Cluster of multiple stations
The Snowdonia mountains are made up of 90 mountain peaks including the tallest mountain in Wales, Snowdon, standing at 1,085 metres.
The region can be divided into four areas with the northernmost area the most popular, including peaks such as Moel Hebog, Mynydd Mawr and the Nantlle Ridge. Many hikers tend to concentrate on Snowdon itself regarding it as a fine mountain. However it can become quite crowded, with the peak welcoming around half a million visitors every year, of which four fifths scale the peak on foot, while the remainder choose to take the train instead.
One of Snowdon’s main attractions is the sheer number and variety of paths that reach the peak. This means that everyone from mountaineering novices to climbing experts should find a way up the mountain that will suit their abilities or provide them with a sufficient test. The easiest is the Llanberis path which, being the longest, has the most shallow ascent. In contrast, the Watkin Path is widely seen as being the most demanding ascent, despite also being considered the prettiest.