Fell Top Conditions on Wednesday 15 January
Readings from Helvellyn summit at 09:21
Temperature plus 4°C Maximum wind speed 22.4mph Wind chill minus 2.4°C Average wind speed 16.7mph Wind direction SW
Amazing weather on the tops today with cloud inversions putting on a great show!
The snow cover on the fells is now scattered, and generally avoidable, swathes and patches of soft wet snow, some of the remaining snow is on paths and in places of previous high traffic there is still compressed snow lying as ice which can catch you out. The areas of snow are not just confined to the summits but are present down to low levels and whilst currently easily tracked through it would only take an overnight frost to transform these patches in to hard snow-ice/neve which will require much more care.
Looking like a similar day tomorrow with perhaps a little more wind. Expect similar conditions and whilst many routes avoid much of the snow, micro-spikes may still prove useful particularly where there is compressed snow on the path. With windchill still sub zero up high full winter clothing and equipement is still essential, though crampons and axes are not required on most routes avoiding steeper snowed areas.
Lake District weather forecast for Wednesday 15 January
See today's weather conditions on live Lake District webcams
Issued: 15 January at 03:07
A little drizzle at first. Turning largely dry with brighter spells for afternoon. Fresh to strong winds. Freezing level above summits.
Lake District Weather
Cloudy to overcast at first below the inversion of 400m, with occasional light drizzle, this focused in the west of the area. Clear above the inversion with cloud below gradually thinning and breaking from the east from mid-morning leading to a largely dry afternoon with best of brighter spells developing in the east.
Visibility
Good becoming moderate or poor in drizzle, very poor within cloud with bases quite extensive below 400m at first, before breaking into the afternoon.
Chance of Cloud Free Hill Top
90%
Wednesday's forecast:
| Time | 06:00 - 09:00 | 09:00 - 12:00 | 12:00 - 15:00 | 15:00 - 18:00 | 18:00 - 21:00 | 21:00 - 24:00 |
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 |
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 |
| |
| Chance of precipitation | 30% | 20% | 10% | <05% | <05% | <05% |
| At Valley | ||||||
| Temp | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| Wind (mph) | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| Max gusts (mph) | 16 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 12 |
| Wind direction | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW | S |
| At 300m | ||||||
| Temp | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Wind (mph) | 13 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 7 |
| Max gusts (mph) | 26 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 17 | 17 |
| Wind direction | S | S | S | S | S | S |
| At 600m | ||||||
| Temp | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Wind (mph) | 28 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 18 |
| Max gusts (mph) | 34 | 31 | 29 | 28 | 23 | 23 |
| Wind direction | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW |
| At 900m | ||||||
| Temp | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Wind (mph) | 24 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 23 |
| Max gusts (mph) | 29 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 26 | 28 |
| Wind direction | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW | SW |
Daylight
Provided by time.isLake District Forecast for Thursday
Good brighter and sunny spells appearing. Most staying dry with only a few isolated showers developing late afternoon.
Visibility
Good becoming moderate or poor in showers, very poor within cloud with bases infrequently lowering to 600m.
Chance of cloud free hill
80%
Wind
South or Southwest 20mph increasing 25mph for the afternoon with gusts reaching 35mph across more exposed ridges and summits.
Temperatures
- Valley: Minus 2 Celsius increasing 6 Celsius for the afternoon
- At 800m: Plus 1-2 Celsius
- Freezing level: Above summits
Outlook for next few days
Friday 17 January
Cloudy with occasional light to moderate rain, this most persistent during the morning and across the west of the Park. Fresh to strong southerly winds. Freezing level above all peaks.
Saturday 18 January
Mainly dry with brighter spells. Fresh to strong southerly winds. Freezing level lowering to around 700m.
Sunday 19 January
Cloudy with patchy rain early, turning heavier and more persistent later. Light southerly winds. Freezing level lowering to around 700m.
An overview of weather in the Lake District
Summer:
The summer season in the Lake District actually runs from March to October. The driest period runs between March and June.
The weather is renowned for changing rapidly and rainfall is a predominant feature. The wettest area in the Lake District is known as Sprinkling Tarn which receives approximately 5000mm of rainfall every year!
Winter:
The wettest months run from October to January.
Snowfall typically falls from November to March. The valleys of the Lake District receive around 20 days of snow and 200 days of rain per year.