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Weekend Weather - 29th - 30th September, 2007
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Fact of the Week!
At any given moment, there are about 1,800 thunderstorms happening around the world. Approximately 100 lightning bolts strike the earth every second.
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Our regular Friday round-up of what's
in store for the weekend. Just check the links for the relevant
weather forecasts and if you want to know how things look in a
particular area right now, check out the OM
web cams page for a selection of hill
cams. And whatever you do, have a good one.
About Metcheck: good overviews of localised areas based on a number
of meteorological models. Loads of quirky 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.
Forecast
Ground frost tonight with minimum temperatures as low as -2C or -3C by morning!
"Further dry but chilly weather is expected for many throughout the rest of the week and into the weekend. The exception will be eastern parts of England. Further thicker cloud and showers are expected here."
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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. The Peak and
Snowdonia forecasts are now restricted to weekend forecasts
and go out on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Check individual forecasts for specific
details. Arguably the best mountain-specific forecast out
there by a way.
Forecast
Good visibility with only a few patches of high cloud and plenty of sunny spells across the Highlands, Cairngorms, Lake District and Peak District. Temperatures will be cold though - around 2C during the day in parts of the Highlands, with freezing levels just above the summits, and 5 or 6 degrees in the Lake District.
The only area to miss out on the general dose of sunshine will be Snowdonia, with low cloud and patches of drizzle on Saturday, although this will clear on Sunday, bringing the same fine weather as elsewhere in the country. |
About BBC Weather: uses Met
Office data, but more user friendly. Just been revamped for
the summer, weird stuff but easy access to a lot more
information including rain forecasts, cloud, wind,
temperature, visibility etc. Nice. Localised forecasts
accessible from the same page.
If you want video, check out the BBC
WEATHER
PLAYER with a
selection of forecasts.
BBC specific areas:
Fort
William / Kendal
/ Betws-y-Coed
/ Aviemore
/ Skipton
/ Glossop
(Peak) / Brecon
/ Milton
Keynes.
Forecast
Saturday: 'Scotland and Northern Ireland may have a few frost and mist patches at first. Otherwise all of the UK will have a mixture of cloud and sunshine, with a few showers, although much of northern Britain will have a dry day.'
Sunday: 'After a cool start, with local frost, it will be a mainly dry day apart from a few showers in northern Scotland, eastern England and later southwest England. A mixture of sunny and cloudy spells and light winds.' |
About the Met Office: See the weather for
the
next
week. The Welsh Mountain Forecasts are also useful
online forecasts covering the National Park areas of
Snowdonia - and the Brecon
Beacons.
Forecast
Saturday: 'A little rain in places at first then isolated showers in the afternoon but for most a mainly dry day with bright or sunny spells developing after a cloudy start.'
Sunday to Tuesday:
'Mainly dry Sunday, some sunshine in many areas. Cloud and outbreaks of rain spreading northwards through Monday and Tuesday but with lighter winds and temperatures recovering to nearer normal.' |
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Scottish Avalanche Information Service
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About the Scottish
Avalanche Information Service: Daily avalanche forecasts are back for Lochaber and the
northern Gorms.
Forecast
No more of these for a while - check the midge forecast instead:-) |
About the Midge Forecast: Midge forecasting was set up for the first time in 2006 and forecasts are now published every seven days for all of Scotland, using a combination of data from midge traps and weather data. Predicted midge levels run on a scale of 1 (minimal itchiness) to 5 (tearing your hair out).
Forecast
Negligible levels of midges in the Cairngorms and Eastern Scotland (a midge rating of 1) rising to low levels (2) in the north west, and an unfortunately high scratch-factor around Fort William, Mallaig and Rothesay. |
About Web Cams: If there's one that we've missed, please drop
us a line and we'll add it to the page. Good for getting a general idea of what the snow situation's like, if the sun is shining, whether there's anywhere to park in Coniston etc. Check the image you're viewing is up to date as they often seem to go down. Recently overhauled so most cameras featured are actually working :-) Still some snow in Scotland, but bare elsewhere judging from the pics.
High visibility and plenty of sunshine.
Rain in Wales on Saturday. A bit brrrrrr.
Verdict The Indian summer continues, with plenty of sunshine across most of the country over the weekend, although temperatures will plummet. Frosts at night, and temperatures at the low end of single figures, mean it's time to get out the fleeces, gloves, hats and, dare we say it, the buffs as well!
It should be a great weekend for walking so long as you avoid North Wales on Saturday. Have a well-insulated 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.
