Fell Top Conditions on Wednesday 24 February

Readings from Helvellyn summit at 10:56

Temperature plus 3.1°C Maximum wind speed 33.8mph Wind chill minus 4.8°C Average wind speed 27.4mph Wind direction WSW

We are continuing to provide the Fell Top Reports for people undertaking their daily local exercise during the lockdown. We would like to remind everyone that Government guidance stipulates that people should only exercise locally, not leaving the village, town or city where they live.

Here is today's report:

Another very wet day in the Lakes with Cumbria under a Met Office yellow warning for rain until 20:00 this evening.

The ground is saturated and many rivers are in spate with areas of localised flooding across the county.

Although relatively snow-free, conditions in the higher fells remain challenging with strong winds and driving rain.

What snow remains needs to be treated with care as it tends to be found on steep ground around north and east-facing corrie headwalls.

The final section of Swirral edge is a good example, where an area of unavoidable snow needs to be negotiated, from where a slip could result in a long and damaging fall.

With overnight summit temperatures forecast to be around freezing tomorrow, the remaining snow could refreeze and microspikes or crampons may be required to negotiate this and similar areas safely.

Patches of ice are also still present on the summit plateau and are proving very resistant to the milder temperatures.

As a result of the ground being well frozen earlier in the month and subsequently having thawed out, it is now very soft and prone to erosional damage in many places.

Please help us to reduce the impact by sticking to footpaths where possible and of course avoiding any unnecessary damage.

Despite the milder temperatures, the summit windchill remains below freezing so full winter clothing (waterproofs, extra warm layers, hat & gloves), mountain boots, and additional equipment including a map and compass, headtorch and survival blanket/shelter are all essential for anyone going out onto the fells.

Please be conservative with your plans and know your limits.

Guidance is not to travel into this area from other areas and to exercise locally.

• Keep within your limits, walking in winter conditions takes longer than in summer.
• Be flexible, you may need to turn back, or choose a lower level walk.
• The weather on the felltops will be far colder and windier than at the bottom. Take extra layers, warm drinks, a torch, and a map and compass - and know how to use them.
• It gets dark around 5pm, when you need to be down from the felltops.