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Weekend
Weather - March 10-11, 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
cracking Cantiliever special from Little Miss Maria, love
it... 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
he weekend is then set to be a quiet affair for many with a lot of
cloud around at times after any early light rain or drizzle clears.
Some brighter spells will develop, especially towards central and
eastern areas, and it will be a mild weekend for all parts.' |
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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 The general forecast may
be for a mild weekend, but up top it'll still be only 1-4˚C or so in
Scotland, milder further south but still only up to 5˚C or so, so don't
get carried away with the shorts just yet. Blowy north of the border,
30-45mph winds with gusts possibly as high as 65mph. Mostly dry
everywhere, cloud to the west, but breaking on the east with the
potential for bursts of sunshine all round. Generally hazy.
Sunday
Milder again with light winds across the board and mostly dry with it.
Many areas set for extensive sunshine, though western highlands copping
patchy cloud to the west.
Outlook
from Sunday: 'Extensively dry over the coming week or so.
Over the weekend, areas of low cloud and a little drizzle will shroud
many mountain areas, generally focussed on England and Wales on
Saturday and western Scotland on Sunday. Away from these areas cloud
will break to give patchy sunshine.'
'Through the first half of next week, hazy but periods of sun with
cloud clear of most summits. Unseasonably mild by day. Slight frost
only some valleys overnight. '
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: Saturday starting mild and
cloudy, patchy drizzle to the west, brighter and warmer elsewhere with
a repeat performance on Sunday. Warmest in central and eastern areas in
the sunshine - 'mild or very mild'.
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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: A tendency to cloud and drizzle on
the western side of things, but dry and bright or sunny further east -
the Cairngorms for example look more promising than the western
highlands. Speaking of which, you can expect winds between 40 and 50mph
and summit temperatures of just 2˚C in Scotland, so it's not spring
yet. Windy in the Lakes too, but calmer in North Wales. Where there is
precipitation, it'll tend to be just drizzle maybe with added hill fog
on the western side of things.
Sunday: Generally dry, but
cloudy and similar to Saturday, sunshine towards the east generally.
Check individual forecasts for details.
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Met Office
General Forecast
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Forecast
Saturday: 'Rather
cloudy and mostly dry although light rain or drizzle is possible in
some exposed western parts. Best of any brightness in central and
eastern parts making it feel mild.'
Sunday to Tuesday: Mainly
dry and rather cloudy. Eastern areas probably brightest at first. Mild
or very mild on Sunday, becoming less mild later. Risk of fog forming
overnight in any clear spells.' |
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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) Fells now generally snow
free bar the exit from Striding Edge which, as of Thursday, still
retained a 5m, unavoidable pitch of compacted old snow and ice with an
ice-axe advisable for safety particularly in descent. Wind chill means
summit temperatures are still effectively sub-zero.
Definitely check back Friday/Saturday for a more up to date report. |
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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 mostly moderate with wet snow instability on
some steep ground and danger of cornice collapse. The
exception is Creag Meagaidh which is rated 'considerable' with a danger
of full wet snow slides and cornice collapse.
Snow conditions can change rapidly, so always check the latest
forecast before heading out and adjust your
plans accordingly.
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Mostly dry,
some sunshine particularly to the west.
Hill fog,
drizzle and windier than you might think.
The general UK forecast is for a mild weekend, very mild in central and
eastern areas where there should be a fair bit of sunshine, but don't
get complacent. The mountain forecast particularly in Scotland is for
strong winds with gusts which could reach as much as 60mph or so, plus
summit temperatures just a few degrees above freeing. On the plus side
it will be mostly dry and where it's not, you're looking at drizzle
rather than full blown rain. Hill fog too.
And Sunday's looking broadly similar too. It won't be full-on winter
stuff, but don't get carried away with the shorts and tee-shirts just
yet.
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.
