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Weekend
Weather - January 28-29, 2012
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Our regular Friday round-up of what's in store for the weekend with a
quick summary of a selection of mountain and more general forecasts.
Bear in mind that they're just projections and depending on how things
pan out, the outlook may change over the weekend, so it's worth
checking specific forecasts before heading out.
This week's weather image is a
view of the distant
High Street fells from the Fairfield Round in the Lakes by John 2 from
the OM Gallery.
About
Metcheck:
good overviews of localised
areas based predominately on a number of meteorological models. Loads
of options for stuff like rain forecasts plus offbeat,
leftfield weather generalisations. Get stuck in and have a browse,
there's a lot on this site.
You can check out individual
areas or dig a bit
deeper for the Mountain
Forecast
page or the Climbing
Forecast
page. The Seven-Day
Charts
give a handy overview
too.
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Forecast
'Friday will be another generally bright day with further wintry
showers in the west becoming more widespread for a time and then as we
go into the weekend many areas look set to see plenty of dry and rather
cold weather, but milder conditions with some rain are likely across
the far west.' |
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Mountain
Weather Information Service
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About
the Mountain Weather Information
Service:
great downloadable
mountain-specific forecasts for NW, W and SE Highlands, Cairngorms,
Southern Uplands, Peak District and Lakes in PDF format. Plus a
Snowdonia forecast. Scottish forecasts are seven days a week, the
Lakes are six days a week and the Peak/Dales and Snowdonia forecasts
are
now available all week.
Check individual forecasts for
specific details.
Arguably the best mountain-specific forecast out there by a way .
Production is now fully funded by the Scottish Government in the
interests of mountain safety with operating and development down to
commercial sponsorship.
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Forecasts
Saturday Light winds, risk of light
snow, light cloud and temperatures around -2 or -3˚C on the tops -
clear with good visibility but little actual sun north of the border.
Similar but with patchy sun and hill fog in the Lakes and North
Wales.
Sunday
Winds a little fresher - 30mph as opposed to 20mph but maybe with
buffeting high up, risk of light snow again, little sun and freezing on
the tops after a widespread frost at all levels.
Outlook
from Saturday: 'Light snow will edge onto western
mountains at times over the weekend, although many mountain areas will
be dry with fairly light winds.
There will then very likely be a few widely dull, murky and drizzly
days, although light snow, particularly toward the east.
This will occur as fronts come to a halt across Britain (position
uncertain) between cold air to the east and mild conditions to the
west. '
Check specific forecasts for details as the weekend
progresses.
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About
BBC Weather:
Revamped for the summer, with easy access to a
lot more information including rain forecasts,
cloud, wind, temperature, visibility etc. Nice. Localised forecasts
accessible from the same page.
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Weekend
from iPlayer forecast: A chilly Friday, Saturday
still quite chilly with some decent sunny spells, Sunday mostly fine,
temperatures around 4-5˚C (at low levels, obviously)
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Met Office
Mountain Forecasts
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About
the Met Office: The
giants of weather
forecasting in the UK, the Met Office also provides mountain
forecasts covering major UK mountain areas - east and west
Highlands, Lakes, Snowdonia, Dales, Peak and the Brecon
Beacons. Detailed forecasts for each day
are posted early
morning - 5 am - plus there's a short outlook section for the next
two days. Increasingly our favourite mountain forecast as MWIS becomes
more randomly pessimistic.
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Forecast
Saturday: Starting dry with light winds, good
visibility and firm underfoot conditions thanks to frosted ground.
Around -3˚C on the tops. Hazy in Scotland, sunny spells south of the
border with the Lakes, for example, set to be 'fine and dry'.
Sunday: Scotland cloudy
with outbreaks of snow to the west and strong winds on the tops giving
severe wind chill. Further south, starting dry with outbreaks of snow
moving in from the east later on,
Check individual forecasts for details.
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Met Office
General Forecast
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Forecast
Saturday: 'Most
places dry and cold with some bright spells. Rain spreading into
Northern Ireland and possibly northwestern Scotland later.'
Sunday to Tuesday: 'Some
uncertainty but eastern parts of the UK mainly dry and cold with
overnight frosts. Elsewhere, cloudy with rain at times and a risk of
some snow.' |
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Weatherline
- Lake District
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 About
weatherline:
Funded
by the Lake District National Park Authority, the service combines a
five-day forecast from the Met Office in Manchester with firsthand
information from the fell top assessors' daily climb up Helvellyn. Also
available by phone on 0844 846 2444
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Forecast
The goods news is that an updated Weatherline site has allowed
sponsorship from local businesses which means the at risk fell top
assessment service will continue this winter.
Latest report from
Helvellyn (Thursday) fresh snow falling above
600m, with exposed ground and paths with a covering of ice and rocks
being verglassed. Exits from Striding and Swirral both have unavoidable
pitches of snow and ice requiring axe and crampons. Snow banks above
east-facing gullies so stay away from the edge. Full winter clothing
and equipment essential.
Definitely check back Friday/Saturday to see what conditions are doing.
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 About the Midge Forecast: Innovative midge
forecast covering the whole of Scotland and complete with interactive
map giving access to seven-day forecasts for main Scottish towns.
Midge-heads can also take advantage of extensive midge data which will
be updated each week.
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Forecast
It's still there, but levels are, not surprisingly, down to negligible
pretty much all over. Don't panic.
The forecast
is also available via a free iPhone app. |
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Scottish
Avalanche Information Service
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Forecast
The avalanche forecast is back for winter. The forecast
at the
time of writing is Considerable or Moderate for all five areas covered.
Check individual forecasts for details, but be aware of windslab
generally on N to E slopes.
Snow conditions can change rapidly, so always check the latest
forecast before heading out and adjust your
plans accordingly.
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Light winds,
generally good visibility, light snow.
Blowier Sunday,
some hill fog, high winds high up maybe.
Not too shabby generally, think cold and frozen on Saturday with light
winds, decent visibility with the possibility of some sunny spells plus
a risk of snow showers. Sunday getting a little windier and, if you
believe the Met Office, snowier in Scotland - high up things may reach
gale force. Again ground likely to be frozen at all levels and, if the
Helvellyn reports are anything to go by, slippery.
Have a good one.
Obvious
Disclaimer Hey come on, we all know mountain weather's
unpredictable, and while the above forecasts and links are a guide to
what the weather may do, remember that mountain areas also tend to
generate their own conditions, temperatures are much cooler up top
than in the valleys and conditions can be totally different from down
in the valleys.
