Lake District

Ground conditions

Date Monday 2 March. Location Helvellyn summit at 13:25. Temperature plus 1.9degC. Maximum wind speed 12.9mph. Wind chill minus 3.7degC. Average wind speed 10.5mph Full report: Wet Morning, Dry Afternoon There was little encouragement to head onto the fells early this morning, with steady rain at street level and a discouraging forecast noted on Sunday evening. It proved to be a day of two distinct halves across the Lake District; wet through the morning, then gradually improving into a dry afternoon. At valley level, many fields were saturated, with some rivers briefly topping their banks. Gills, becks, streams and even footpaths were running freely, with ribbons of white water cascading down fell sides after overnight and morning rainfall. Unlike the weekend, this was no longer snowmelt. Most of the area's snow cover has now disappeared. The ground is thoroughly saturated. A few stubborn snow patches and thin runnels persist above 800 m on Helvellyn, particularly overlooking Red Tarn, with more notable accumulations clinging to the upper edges of Brown Cove (East). Isolated patches remain elsewhere on the mountain and further west, though these will present little concern to most fell-goers. By afternoon the rain had cleared, cloud levels gradually lifted, and views began opening towards the west and north-east of the National Park. Occasional sunshine broke through, making for a pleasant second half of the day. Very little snow now remains on Striding Edge and Swirral Edge, and what does remain can be confidently avoided. Tuesday is forecast to be bright and sunny with light winds. However, damp rock on the edges combined with an overnight drop in freezing levels below the summits could bring early morning verglas (thin, transparent ice). Carrying micro-spikes would be a sensible precaution. Sunglasses may also prove useful in brighter conditions, and full mountain waterproofs remain advisable to guard against what is likely to still feel like a sharp wind chill at height. This is an automated email. If you need a response please email [email protected]