Lake District

Ground conditions

Date: Sunday 18 January. Location: Helvellyn summit at 14:30. Temperature: plus 1.3°C. Maximum wind speed 5.2mph. Wind chill: minus 0.3°C. Average wind speed: 3.7mph. Full report: Wet, mild deterioration. A continued thaw is affecting any remaining snow on the fells. Patchy snow persists above around 700m, with the main hazard to walkers now being sections of compacted snow that have refrozen into ice. These areas are generally easy to avoid with careful negotiation. Increasingly, wet rock is protruding through heavily trampled snow, particularly on Striding Edge and Swirral Edge, with similar, though less pronounced, conditions likely on other ridges in the area. With temperatures remaining slightly above freezing on all Lake District summits, any remaining high-level snow is wet and saturated. Cornices on east through to north-facing aspects are visibly sagging and may collapse without warning. Walkers should avoid going near edges above steep drops, as even small additional loads can trigger failure in these already heavy and weakened features. Conditions are expected to remain largely unchanged on Monday, with little likelihood of refreezing or consolidation. Light winds will do little to disperse cloud, so poor visibility is likely to be an ongoing concern, requiring confident navigation using map and compass or reliable digital tools. Despite the milder temperatures, full winter clothing and equipment should not be underestimated. The rain that arrived from lunchtime onwards was a clear reminder that wet and mild conditions can contribute to hypothermia just as effectively as cold, particularly when combined with wind and prolonged exposure.