Mountain weather
Lake District Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High for east to southeast flow persisting also for relatively unsettled from Sunday, but lowering for timing detail of worst of conditions.
This evening forecast
Mainly cloudy with some patchy light rain, snow above 800m, focused in the west. Fresh to strong southeast summit winds. Freezing level around 900m.
Mountain weather hazards
Hazards apply at or above 300m, reflecting the more severe conditions which can occur at altitude.
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.
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.
Mountain weather forecast
Mostly dry with brighter spells building. Strong to gale summit winds.
| Time | 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% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 10% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m |
E
40
|
E
41
|
E
41
|
E
42
|
E
39
|
E
38
|
E
40
|
E
41
|
| 600m |
SE
29
|
SE
30
|
E
29
|
SE
31
|
SE
28
|
E
26
|
E
27
|
E
28
|
| 300m |
SE
10
|
SE
10
|
SE
10
|
SE
11
|
SE
12
|
E
11
|
E
11
|
E
12
|
| Valley |
E
8
|
E
9
|
E
8
|
E
10
|
E
11
|
E
11
|
E
10
|
E
11
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m | 49 | 50 | 50 | 52 | 49 | 48 | 51 | 52 |
| 600m | 40 | 42 | 40 | 42 | 39 | 37 | 39 | 40 |
| 300m | 33 | 33 | 33 | 35 | 34 | 32 | 34 | 36 |
| Valley | 28 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 31 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m |
0°
|
0°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
| 600m |
3°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
3°
|
2°
|
1°
|
| 300m |
5°
|
5°
|
4°
|
4°
|
5°
|
5°
|
4°
|
4°
|
| Valley |
7°
|
7°
|
6°
|
6°
|
7°
|
8°
|
7°
|
6°
|
| Freezing Level |
900m
|
900m
|
800m
|
800m
|
800m
|
800m
|
900m
|
800m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m |
-8°
|
-9°
|
-9°
|
-10°
|
-9°
|
-8°
|
-10°
|
-10°
|
| 600m |
-4°
|
-4°
|
-5°
|
-6°
|
-5°
|
-4°
|
-5°
|
-6°
|
| 300m |
2°
|
2°
|
1°
|
0°
|
1°
|
2°
|
1°
|
0°
|
| Valley |
5°
|
4°
|
4°
|
3°
|
5°
|
5°
|
4°
|
3°
|
Additional weather information
Meteorologist's view
Severe wind chill effect extending down to mid-levels.
Weather
Most staying dry with brighter spells appearing more readily in the west. A few isolated and fleeting light outbreaks of rain and across higher peaks snow, with outbreaks focused in the east of the Park.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
60%
Low cloud and visibility
Good or very good, becoming moderate or poor in rain, very poor in snow and within cloud with bases occasionally lowering to 500m, particularly in the east.
Ground conditions
Date: Friday 23 January 2026 Location: Helvellyn summit at 11:25. Full report: Plus temperatures and thawing conditions persist up to Helvellyn's summit, the rain eased this morning and whilst much snow has been stripped off the mountain there are still large areas of snow cover in place above 800m, particularly on the N-E aspects of the mountain and in areas where there had previously been deep accumulations, for example the plateau rims and gully tops. The remaining snow is taking body weight in some places when moving over it, though it is not hard frozen snow-ice currently, and so is in quite friendly condition. The summit temperatures are due to drop slightly over the weekend and into next week, so watch out for the remaining wet snow freezing hard and giving icy conditions that are often more consequential in the event of a fall, crampons and an ice axe are already needed for anything holding snow (Both Swirral and Striding Edges and the Helvellyn Headwall for example) and for those seeking out steep snow, if things freeze again they will be essential to carry. Thirlmere walking approaches to Helvellyn are holding much less snow until the final approach to the summit however we would still recommend carrying micro-spikes on these routes and perhaps a walking pole or ice axe for support. In addition to this, full winter clothing is required with warm layers and a hat and gloves, as well as navigation equipment (and the knowledge of how to use it) with lower cloud and fog possible over the coming days. The wind is forecast to be high over the coming days also and good route planning, flexibility with plans and consideration to how this may effect balance on exposed and potentially snowy/icy edges given. There has already been some light fresh snow above 850m settling and more showers are forecast. So changeable conditions on the hill today, but still a full and rewarding winter experience. Temperature: plus 0.4 C, Maximum wind speed 36.1 mph, Wind chill: minus 9.5 C, Average wind speed: 23.0 mph
Mountain weather information
Weather
Cloudy with occasional light to moderate rain, snow across higher peaks. Fresh to strong summit winds.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
20%
Maximum wind speed expected
East to southeast mean 20-30mph with gusts reaching 40mph across exposed ridges and summits.
Temperature
- At 800m Zero Celsius
- Valley Plus 5 Celsius increasing 8 Celsius during the afternoon
- Freezing level 800m
Low cloud and visibility
Good or very good, becoming moderate or poor in rain, very poor in snow and within cloud with bases quite extensive from 500m.
Mountain weather information
Mon 26 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Rather cloudy with some patchy rain and summit snow, which turns more persistent during the evening. Freezing level around 700m. Southeast summit winds increasing strong to gale force later in the day.
Tue 27 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Patchy snow and rain, turning persistent and heavier from around mid-day. Snow level lowering to around 500m. Summit wind increasing gale to severe gale east to southeast late in day.
Wed 28 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Unsettled with showers or longer periods of rain and snow, turning heavy at times. Southeast summit gales easing strong later in 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 Lake District covers an area of 885 square miles with its highest point, Scafell Pike, standing at 978 metres.