Mid Wales and Cambrian Mountains
Thursday 3 September 2026 · Cadair Idris, Pumlumon and the central Welsh hills
Why: Rain could reach the main walking period or hold off until later; forecast models disagree on the timing.
A blustery westerly wind is the main concern. Expect a risk of patchy rain or drizzle, with cloud coming and going on the tops.
Sunshine and sky
Brighter and duller spells. Expect alternating brighter and duller spells.
These are direct modelled sunshine hours during daylight, not the probability of sunshine. Cloud cover and summit cloud are assessed separately in the forecast above. The regional median prevents one unusually bright or dull summit cell defining the whole area.
High-ground wind (700 m)
Westerly around 25 mph at 700 m. Gusts reaching around 35 mph at 700 m, with locally higher values possible on the most exposed tops. Temporarily strongest around midday, near 25 mph.
Walking impact
Blustery on exposed ridges and liable to affect balance at times.
Ground conditions
The ground is likely to be saturated after recent rain. Expect boggy paths and rapid runoff if more rain arrives.
Rain and showers
The odd passing shower, otherwise dry. Forecast models disagree on when the rain may arrive.
Cloud-free summits
Around 30%. Around 40% early, falling to around 20% later.
Cloud and visibility
Cloud bases mostly around 500-700 m. Cloud is likely to come and go on the higher summits; breaks may be useful but not dependable.
Temperature and wind chill
Around 13°C at 700 m, feeling like 10°C in the wind.
Freezing level
Above the summits.
Daylight
Sunrise 06:27 — Sunset 19:58 — about 13.5 hours daylight.
Overnight · 6 p.m.–9 a.m.Wild campingBetaThunder risk is around 28% in parts of the area; avoid exposed pitches if storms develop. 35/100Poor · 600 m View detailsHide details
Full regional overnight outlook
Across representative hills, open-hillside camping looks poor around 600 m (35/100). Open-ground gusts may reach about 35 mph, so sheltered pitches will matter. A wet night is likely, with around 38 mm indicated between pitching and packing up.
Elevation reference (open ground)
- Wind / gust
- 17 / 30 mph
- Coldest
- 12.3°C
- In cloud
- Unlikely
- Condensation
- High
- Wind / gust
- 21 / 37 mph
- Coldest
- 12.0°C
- In cloud
- 66% of night
- Condensation
- High
- Wind / gust
- 21 / 37 mph
- Coldest
- 10.1°C
- In cloud
- 100% of night
- Condensation
- High
The ground is likely to be very wet after recent rain; expect boggy approaches and choose a durable pitch carefully.
Open-hillside guidance across representative hills. Local shelter, ridges, tent design and the exact pitch can change conditions substantially. Read about sleeping-bag comfort ratings, pitching in strong winds or using the wild-camping forecast.
Daytime · exposed rockClimbing & scramblingBetaGusts near 40 mph increase the seriousness of exposed ground. 0/100Poor · Very poor View detailsHide details
Full regional climbing & scrambling outlook
Conditions for exposed scrambling across the area look very poor (0/100). Rain is likely to leave rock wet; polished slabs, vegetation and drainage lines may be notably worse. Gusts may reach about 40 mph on exposed ground, making crosswinds an important route consideration. Mapped summit-point geology across the representative hills includes volcanic rock, granite, gneiss or gabbro and sandstone or gritstone; moisture response can therefore vary substantially between crags and routes.
Representative summit-point samples across the region; individual crags and routes may differ.
Generic exposed hands-on-rock terrain across representative summits; mapped summit-point geology is a broad regional sample, not a named-route survey. Contains British Geological Survey materials © UKRI 2026. How to use the climbing and scrambling forecast.
Updated 1 September 2026 at 15:33 UTC. See typical weekly and monthly conditions for Mid Wales and Cambrian Mountains.