Mountain weather
Lake District Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
Cloudy with southeasterly winds on Monday and Tuesday, cloudy at times in the east but clearer conditions in the west. Turning colder on Christmas Eve with easterly winds but cold and clear conditions. A cold, mainly dry Christmas is likely for the Lake District.
This evening forecast
A cloudy evening with rain spreading across the area later. Fresh Easterly winds will enhance the chill effect.
Mountain weather forecast
Early rain clearing leaving a dry and bright day with strong southeasterly 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) |
80% | 80% | 40% | 20% | 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
31
|
E
31
|
E
30
|
E
26
|
E
23
|
E
19
|
E
18
|
E
17
|
| 600m |
E
20
|
E
20
|
E
21
|
E
21
|
E
16
|
E
13
|
E
12
|
E
11
|
| 300m |
E
8
|
E
8
|
E
9
|
E
9
|
E
6
|
E
4
|
E
5
|
E
6
|
| Valley |
NE
10
|
E
10
|
E
10
|
E
11
|
E
6
|
E
5
|
NE
4
|
NE
4
|
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 | 39 | 39 | 37 | 33 | 30 | 24 | 23 | 22 |
| 600m | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 23 | 19 | 18 | 17 |
| 300m | 24 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 19 | 12 | 12 | 13 |
| Valley | 25 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 8 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m |
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
5°
|
4°
|
4°
|
3°
|
3°
|
| 600m |
5°
|
5°
|
6°
|
6°
|
5°
|
5°
|
4°
|
4°
|
| 300m |
7°
|
7°
|
8°
|
7°
|
8°
|
7°
|
6°
|
6°
|
| Valley |
9°
|
9°
|
9°
|
9°
|
10°
|
9°
|
8°
|
7°
|
| Freezing Level |
1,700m
|
1,800m
|
1,800m
|
1,900m
|
1,800m
|
1,800m
|
1,800m
|
1,800m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 900m |
-3°
|
-3°
|
-2°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
| 600m |
0°
|
0°
|
1°
|
1°
|
1°
|
1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
| 300m |
5°
|
5°
|
5°
|
4°
|
6°
|
6°
|
4°
|
4°
|
| Valley |
6°
|
7°
|
7°
|
6°
|
8°
|
8°
|
6°
|
6°
|
Additional weather information
Meteorologist's view
Strong easterly winds will slowly ease during the day, freezing level above all summits.
Weather
Early morning rain will clear around dawn, cloud will slowly lift and clear. During the day it will be bright and mainly dry, perhaps cloudier in the east.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
40% rising to 90% as cloud lifts and clears away.
Low cloud and visibility
Layers of broken low cloud above 400m in the early morning will slowly lift and clear during the morning with most cloud above summit level in the afternoon. Perhaps some patches in the east above 600m in the afternoon. Visibility will be good and become very good as the day goes on.
Ground conditions
Date: Sunday 21 December Location: Helvellyn summit at 13:15 Temperature: plus 2.6°C Maximum wind speed 12.3mph Wind chill: minus 2.1°C Average wind speed: 9.6mph Full report: Calm and mild solstice. The winter solstice brought generally unremarkable weather across the area. The highlight came late in the day, when low winter sunshine briefly broke through the cloud in the southern part of the National Park. Elsewhere, including on Helvellyn, conditions were calm, with only a light breeze. The main factor affecting walking was poor visibility, caused by a low cloud base, measured at around 680m on the eastern side of Helvellyn. This resulted in damp and greasy rock on both Striding Edge and Swirral Edge, requiring care when navigating and scrambling. Aside from this, conditions were benign. Similar weather is expected to continue into Monday, with occasional drizzle within widespread hill fog. While wind chill will remain a factor, air temperatures are forecast to stay above freezing even on the highest summits, so no snow or ice. Fell goers should still carry appropriate winter hillwalking clothing, and given the short daylight hours, with sunset before 4pm, a headtorch is strongly recommended as part of your essential kit.
Mountain weather information
Weather
A cloudy day with a lot of mist and fog and low cloud around, the best conditions will be towards western fells. It will be mostly dry throughout, perhaps some drizzle in the east as cloud thickens.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
50%, best chance in the west.
Maximum wind speed expected
Easterly 20 gust 25 mph.
Temperature
- At 800m Plus 3 falling to Zero Celsius.
- Valley Plus 8 rising to 12 Celsius.
- Freezing level Above all summits but lowering in the evening to 1000m
Low cloud and visibility
Layers of broken cloud above 600m in the east, cloud more scattered in the east. Visibility will be moderate at times during the day but mainly good in the west.
Mountain weather information
Wed 24 Dec
Sunrise:
Sunset:
A bright and sunny day with strong easterly winds, cloudy at times, feeling very cold on the hills.
Thu 25 Dec
Sunrise:
Sunset:
A cold day with fresh or strong easterly winds but a lot of bright and dry weather for Christmas walks.
Fri 26 Dec
Sunrise:
Sunset:
The cold east or northeasterly conditions continuing with some bright spells and light winds.
Updated at:
Summit specific forecast
Mountain summit forecast map
Loading map…
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.