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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
"In what is turning into a very high pressure dominated autumn so far, some great weather is expected this weekend.
"There will be a minor fly in the ointment in the form of a weak weather front across Scotland. This will bring thicker cloud here and perhaps some patchy outbreaks of light rain throughout the weekend."
Elsewhere, clear, mild days after the early fog disperses, and chilly nights.
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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
A cloudy start in the Cairngorms on Saturday, but elsewhere any early morning haze will clear quickly to give a bright, sunny day. Temperatures could be as high as 19C in the Peak District, dropping to 12C on the High Peak, and down to 3 or 4C in the north of Scotland.
Cloud might start to gather over northwesterly areas late on Sunday, but otherwise it will be a fine weekend all round.
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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: 'Most places will have another dry day with pleasant sunny spells, once overnight fog patches have cleared away. Northern Ireland will be cloudier at times, while patchy rain may affect northern Scotland.'
Sunday: 'A dry day, apart from a few spots of rain over Scotland. Overnight fog may be slow to clear in places, and low cloud is likely to affect North Sea coasts but a few sunny spells are likely elsewhere.' |
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: 'Largely dry and rather warm with sunny spells, once early fog patches clear. Areas of cloud spreading across eastern and central England though. Light rain moving south across northern Scotland.'
Sunday to Tuesday:
'Mostly dry and rather warm with light winds. Broken cloud should allow some sunny spells, but some thicker cloud will bring some light rain, mainly in the north and west.' |
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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) on the Hebrides, and an unfortunately high scratch-factor around the Fort William, Ullapool and Rothesay - as much as a midge rating of 4 in places. Don't forget the anti-histamines! |
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.
Sunshine everywhere, little wind, high visibility.
Chilly nights all round and low cloud in the Cairngorms on Saturday.
Verdict After a summer of hibernation, Walter's leapt off the sofa and is already heading for the hills. It should be sunny pretty much everywhere over the weekend, except for a few hazy patches in the early morning, with no wind to speak of. Temperatures will be mild as well - as much as 19C in the Peak District - but if all this is starting to sound a bit too good to be true, remember that clear days at this time of year lead to chilly evenings, so pack that extra fleece if you're planning a long route.
Other than that, this is the weekend we've been waiting for all year, so cancel the DIY, the shopping expedition, your gran's nephew's brother's wife's birthday party, and get out on the hills! 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.
