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Today on Snowdon

Live · Open-Meteo

Challenging conditions day

Challenging summit conditions — rain at 6°C, valley 12°C, 36 mph gusts. Downgrade route ambition and maintain wide safety margins.

Summit observed 8 Oct, 21:15 · just nowOpen-Meteo · free weather API · 15-min cache

Live readings

Open-Meteo · just now

Summit temp

6°C

~1026 m elevation

Valley temp

12°C

Llanberis · ~119 m

Summit gusts

36mph

Significant — affects all

Conditions

Rain

100% cloud · 0.7 mm

Summit data: 1026 m elevation model (Yr Wyddfa) · Valley data: 119 m (Llanberis) · Source: Open-Meteo (free, no key required)


Today, tomorrow, and the next three days

Open-Meteo forecast · just now

Best window in this short range

Sat

Sat is only the least-problematic option, not a clearly clean summit day.

The short-range trend looks a bit calmer and drier by the back end of the three-day window.

There is no obvious clean summit window in the next three days. Treat the outlook as a prompt to keep ambition low and recheck live data on the day.

This is a bounded planning outlook from Open-Meteo daily forecast data, not a guarantee of upper-mountain conditions.

Today

Thu 8 Oct

Poorer summit fit

Rain

The top still looks exposed, with gusts around 36 mph shaping the day. The forecast stays wet enough to slow the day down, with around 10.6 mm and a 100% precipitation signal. Upper cloud is likely to sit in for long stretches. Temperature is less of a limiting factor than wind and wet ground.

Summit range
3 to 9°C
Valley range
9 to 14°C
Summit gusts
36 mph max
Precipitation
10.6 mm forecast · 100% precipitation signal

Mean cloud ~95% · upper mountain likely murkier

Stronger fit for a lower-commitment plan, a railway / village day, or waiting for a cleaner window.

Still a forecast rather than a guarantee — check the live page before leaving the valley.

Tomorrow

Fri 9 Oct

Poorer summit fit

Rain

Very exposed upper ground is likely, with summit gusts around 47 mph. The forecast stays wet enough to slow the day down, with around 36.7 mm and a 100% precipitation signal. Upper cloud is likely to sit in for long stretches. Temperature is less of a limiting factor than wind and wet ground.

Summit range
4 to 9°C
Valley range
11 to 15°C
Summit gusts
47 mph max
Precipitation
36.7 mm forecast · 100% precipitation signal

Mean cloud ~89% · upper mountain likely murkier

Stronger fit for a lower-commitment plan, a railway / village day, or waiting for a cleaner window.

Useful for tomorrow-shape planning, but still worth rechecking on the day.

Sat

Sat 10 Oct

Poorer summit fit

Drizzle

Very exposed upper ground is likely, with summit gusts around 47 mph. The forecast stays wet enough to slow the day down, with around 3.6 mm and a 100% precipitation signal. Upper cloud is likely to sit in for long stretches. Temperature is less of a limiting factor than wind and wet ground.

Summit range
2 to 4°C
Valley range
9 to 11°C
Summit gusts
47 mph max
Precipitation
3.6 mm forecast · 100% precipitation signal

Mean cloud ~82% · upper mountain likely murkier

Stronger fit for a lower-commitment plan, a railway / village day, or waiting for a cleaner window.

Confidence softens further out, so treat this as a day-shape guide rather than a promise.


What today means

Derived from live data
Best fit for
Groups willing to reduce summit ambition and maintain wide safety margins.
Poor fit for
Casual summit attempts without fallback planning, winter kit, or route knowledge.
Main limiting factor
Elevated wind, summit cloud / low visibility.
Planning consequence
Light rain or drizzle (0.7 mm). Minor nuisance for prepared walkers with waterproofs, but wetter-than-forecast patterns are common on Welsh mountain terrain.

Today by visitor type

First-time visitor
Not a strong first-summit day — simplify the plan, use the easiest branches, or switch to the railway/non-hiker option.
Prepared walker
Reduce route ambition and avoid forcing the sharper or more exposed lines just because the summit is technically possible.
Railway / non-hiker
A better-than-usual day to use the railway or a non-hiking day plan instead of forcing a compromised summit walk.
Travelling without a car
Transport still works, but use it to support a simpler day rather than a full-value summit attempt.

Read the mountain today

Interpreted from live data

Wind

36 mph gusts

Strong gusts (36 mph) on exposed upper ground. Increases energy cost sharply, reduces balance margin on ridges, and amplifies cold-wind chill. Prepared walkers can manage — casual hikers cannot.

Common mistake: valley calm does not mean exposed ridges are manageable.

How it changes the day: strong summit wind increases energy cost, reduces margin for error at junctions, and accelerates hypothermia risk.

Cloud / visibility

100% cloud cover

Summit is almost certainly cloud-capped, with fast visibility deterioration possible in gusts. Navigation confidence above 700m is a genuine requirement, not a preference.

Common mistake: a clear start in Llanberis does not guarantee visibility at upper-route junctions.

How it changes the day: low cloud raises navigation demand and makes turnaround decisions harder.

Precipitation

Rain · 0.7 mm

Light rain or drizzle (0.7 mm). Minor nuisance for prepared walkers with waterproofs, but wetter-than-forecast patterns are common on Welsh mountain terrain.

Common mistake: light showers at low elevation often imply worse conditions above 600 m.

How it changes the day: wet rock and wintry surfaces slow pace, increase slip risk, and raise kit requirements.

Summit vs valley

Valley 12°C / Summit 6°C

Moderate summit-valley difference (6°C). Valley 12°C, summit 6°C. The upper mountain is noticeably colder and more exposed than the valley suggests.

Why it changes the day: kit, timing, confidence, and route choice all shift with altitude. The gap between conditions at the car park and at the summit is often larger than it looks from the valley.


Ground conditions and operator context

Manual · Operator record: 24 March 2026 at 16:10 UTC

Operator record is the bundled fallback — live weather data above is more current.

Ground reports remain winter-focused and should only be treated as an additional support layer during colder periods.

Underfoot conditions matter as much as forecast headlines. Wet slabs, iced upper sections, and reduced visibility increase error cost at route junctions and steep traverses.

Practical rule: if upper-mountain confidence is sliding, downgrade early or switch to railway or non-hiker planning before travel momentum commits to a poor decision.


What kind of day is this?

Casual first-time summit

Low-demand day where casual first-timers can proceed safely.

Prepared walker day

Good conditions for walkers with mountain kit and route judgement.

Railway / non-hiker

Conditions push groups toward the railway or non-hiker branch.

✓Downgrade / delay

Summit ambition should be reduced or delayed today.


Next planning move

Conditions understood — now complete operational checks and pick a start point.