North Pennines mountain weather forecast.

Cross Fell and the North Pennine moors. Height-aware guidance for wind, cloud, rain and temperature.

Mountain Weather brief

North Pennines

Friday 16 October 2026 · Cross Fell and the North Pennine moors

Confidence: Medium Why?

Uncertainty over sky cloud cover and sunshine.

What matters most

A mixed day in the North Pennines: light winds.

High-ground wind · 700 m10-20 mph northwesterly Gusts · 700 m15-25 mph Cloud base600-900 m Feels like · 700 m-2 to 2°C
Regional median

Sunshine and sky

Cloud breaking up. Brighter spells should become more frequent as cloud breaks.

Modelled sunshine5.7 h52% of daylight
Early0 h sunshine
Midday2.6 h sunshine
Later2 h sunshine

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.

Overnight forecast: 17:00–08:00 (UK local time), in Wild camping below.

Morning · 08:00–12:00MixedSummit winds around 10-20 mph. Gusts around 20-30 mph are possible on exposed ground. Cloud may restrict summit views early on.
63
Afternoon · 12:00–17:00GoodSummit winds around 10-20 mph. Gusts around 15-25 mph are possible on exposed ground. Summit cloud is more persistent early in this period, with better prospects later.
72

Conservative regional grades across representative summits, so one sheltered hill does not overstate the wider area.

01

High-ground wind (700 m)

At around 700 m, expect a north-westerly wind of 10–20 mph, gusting 15–25 mph.

02

Walking impact

Noticeable on exposed ground, but unlikely to impede most walking.

03

Ground conditions

The ground is likely to be wet after recent rain.

04

Rain and showers

A little rain at times.

05

Cloud-free summits

Clear-summit estimate: about 20% early, about 60% around midday and about 90% later.

06

Cloud and visibility

Cloud on the tops early should lift off them by early afternoon. The cloud base could be as low as 500–800 m early in the morning. The air should be clear, so expect far-reaching views whenever the tops come out of the cloud.

07

Temperature and wind chill

At around 700 m it will be 2 to 6°C, feeling like -2 to 2°C in the wind. Take a hat, gloves, a windproof and a spare warm layer.

08

Freezing level

The freezing level is above the summits.

09

Daylight

Sunrise 07:39, Sunset 18:09, about 10.5 hours daylight.

Overnight · 17:00–08:00Wild campingBetaAcross these hills, a mixed night to camp, mainly because of the cold: dry, with light winds. 59Mixed · 600 m View detailsHide details
Regional night beginning Friday 16 October 2026

Full regional overnight outlook

Across these hills, a mixed night to camp, mainly because of the cold. Light winds on open ground, gusting no more than about 20 mph. It should stay dry. A cold night, down to about 2°C around 300 m.

Overnight rain0.0 mmOpen ground · 600 m15 mph · gusts 22 mphMorning pack-upNo wet signal

Moon overnight

Waxing crescent moon

Illuminated disc
34%
Moonrise
Outside this window
Moonset
20:32 BST

Cloud and terrain vary across the area. Illumination describes the sunlit part of the Moon, not brightness at your pitch.

Overnight window: 16 Oct, 17:00 BST to 17 Oct, 08:00 BST. Approximate open-horizon times; hills can hide the Moon. Still take a headtorch.

Representative location: 54.703, -2.487. Times vary across the area.

300 m59 · mixed
Wind / gust
12 mph / 18 mph
Coldest
2.2°C
In cloud
0% of modelled night
Condensation
Low
600 m59 · mixed
Wind / gust
15 mph / 22 mph
Coldest
2.2°C
In cloud
0% of modelled night
Condensation
Low

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 & scramblingBetaRock may be damp or still drying. 60Mixed · Fair View detailsHide details
Regional rock conditions · sampled mountain terrain

Regional climbing & scrambling outlook

A broad guide to dampness and exposed rock across the area, not a forecast for every crag. Lower, sheltered crags and individual rock types may behave differently.

Conditions for exposed scrambling across the area look fair (60/100). Some rock may remain damp or incompletely dried, especially in shade and seepage lines. Mapped summit-point geology across the representative hills includes sandstone or gritstone, slate or mudstone and limestone. Rock can therefore respond differently to moisture between crags and routes.

Rock surfaceDry overhead; seepage uncertainExposed gust23 mphRain0.2 mm
Mapped rock across sampled summits4 broad familiesSummit samples, not a survey of every crag
sandstone or gritstone 38% 3 representative summitsUsually rough and grippy when dry. Damp sandstone and gritstone can feel greasy, and saturated sandstone may be weakened, so let the rock dry fully.slate or mudstone 38% 3 representative summitsOften positive when dry, but smooth, polished or slabby sections can become markedly more slippery when damp.limestone 12% 1 representative summitUsually positive where it is rough and dry, but polished limestone can become very slippery when wet and seepage may linger.unclassified rock 12% 1 representative summitGrip and drying behaviour are not well resolved here; treat damp rock conservatively and check the surface directly.

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.

Recommended kit for this dayWeather-aware packing prompts, plus your core hillwalking kitView kit

For a day hillwalk, not a complete route-specific checklist. Carry navigation and backup you can use, warm and waterproof layers, suitable footwear, food and water, a headtorch, emergency shelter, first aid and a way to call for help. Snow, ice, technical terrain and overnight trips need additional equipment and skills.

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Help the Mountain Decisions Project understand how forecasts influence hill days, including when plans stay the same. Findings will be shared publicly as summaries, not individual responses.

This is about North Pennines on Friday 16 October 2026. It asks about intentions, not whether you actually went out. No name or account is needed.

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Weather data: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0). Adapted by Mountain Weather.

Updated 14 October 2026 at 15:27 UTC. See typical weekly and monthly conditions for North Pennines.

More context for your hill day

Check the approach as well as the tops

Compare midge conditions by day and height, or look for a possible cloud inversion. For Snowdon and Tryfan, camera-derived cloud-base observations add a view of conditions already seen on the slopes.