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Weather Duck

Active location

Keswick, Cumberland

54.60°N, 3.14°W · ~83m · 04:42 – 21:39
Updated 14:36
Temp
16°C
↓ 1.1 / 1hr
Wind
11.9
↓ 1.6 / 1hr
Condition
Partly cloudy
Partly cloudy
Score
5.5
Fair
Best Activity Window
Default score What makes the WeatherDuck default score Wind speed is the dominant factor — it has the biggest impact on comfort and safety on UK hills. Rainfall risk is secondary: light showers score better than persistent heavy rain. Sky condition has a light influence, using the same calmer sky buckets as the forecast icons. Temperature is deliberately excluded because appropriate layering makes most UK temperatures manageable year-round.
Day average: 5.5/10
Best window: 19:00-22:00 · Avg 5.9
06:00 · Past
07:00 · Past
08:00 · Past
09:00 · Past
10:00 · Past
11:00 · Past
12:00 · Past
13:00 · Past
14:00 · Past
16:00 · 5.8/10
17:00 · 4.0/10
18:00 · 5.2/10
19:00 · 6.1/10
20:00 · 6.3/10
21:00 · 5.3/10
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
16
17
18
19
20
21
What this shows The selected day from 06:00 to 21:00, scored from 0-10. The top line gives the day average and strongest window; the bars show how conditions rise and fall through that activity window.
Score Customiser

Set your comfortable range or minimum threshold for each variable, then choose how much it matters. The bars on the left update instantly.

Wind0 – 40 mph
Time06:00 – 21:00
UV0 – 12
DirectionN 0° – N 360°
Rain0 – 0 mm
SkyAt least Mostly cloudy
Temperature0 – 25°C
Visibility5 – 50 km
Time
Conditions
Condition
Precip mm
Precip %
Temp & Wind
Temp °C
Feels °C
Direction
Wind mph
Gust mph
Detail
Humidity %
Pressure
Vis km
UV Index
CAPE J/kg
Score
Wed 3 Jun Thu 4 Jun Fri 5 Jun Sat 6 Jun Sun 7 Jun Mon 8 Jun Tue 9 Jun Wed 10 Jun
14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 00:00 03:00 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00 00:00 03:00 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00 00:00 03:00 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00 00:00 03:00 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00 00:00
 
Moderate drizzle Mostly cloudy Moderate drizzle Moderate drizzle Dense drizzle Light drizzle Mostly cloudy Overcast Light drizzle Overcast Dense drizzle Light rain Light drizzle Moderate drizzle Moderate drizzle Moderate drizzle Light drizzle Overcast Moderate drizzle Light rain Light rain Moderate drizzle Light rain Moderate rain Light rain Light drizzle Mostly cloudy Moderate drizzle Dense drizzle Overcast Moderate rain Dense drizzle Light drizzle Moderate drizzle Overcast Overcast Overcast Overcast Overcast Overcast Mostly cloudy Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Mostly cloudy Overcast Light drizzle Light drizzle Light drizzle Light rain Light rain Light rain Moderate drizzle Light drizzle Mostly cloudy Light drizzle Light rain Light rain Light rain Light rain Moderate rain Moderate rain Moderate drizzle Light drizzle Clear Light drizzle Light drizzle Light drizzle Light drizzle Light drizzle Light drizzle Mostly cloudy Mostly cloudy Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Light drizzle Light drizzle Light drizzle
0.8 - 0.5 0.9 1 0.4 - - 0.1 - 1.1 2.4 0.4 0.7 0.9 0.8 0.2 - 0.7 1.6 1.3 0.5 1.6 3.2 2.3 0.1 - 0.5 1 - 2.9 1 0.4 0.6 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 0.1 0.2 0.1 1.6 4.1 3.2 1.3 0.2 - 0.3 2 4.4 4.7 5.4 7.9 7 1.8 0.4 - 0.2 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.2 - - - - - - 0.1 0.3 0.1
100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 99% 98% 98% 98% 99% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 99% 98% 98% 98% 99% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 98% 90% 80% 73% 73% 77% 73% 53% 27% 10% 11% 22% 35% 50% 82% 80% 71% 81% 91% 94% 90% 78% 59% 72% 83% 93% 93% 96% 95% 90% 89% 79% 75% 82% 84% 80% 83% 83% 77% 85% 91% 92% 92% 92% 91% 85% 77%
 
14° 16° 15° 15° 14° 14° 14° 13° 13° 13° 13° 13° 12° 12° 12° 12° 12° 12° 12° 12° 12° 13° 13° 12° 13° 14° 14° 14° 14° 13° 13° 12° 12° 11° 11° 11° 11° 11° 10° 10° 10° 11° 11° 12° 12° 12° 12° 12° 12° 12° 12° 12° 12° 12° 11° 10° 9° 9° 10° 10° 10° 12° 14° 14° 14° 12° 10° 12° 13° 14° 14° 13° 13° 10° 9° 8° 10° 12° 13° 13° 13° 11° 10° 10° 11° 13° 14° 15° 14° 14° 13°
12° 14° 13° 12° 12° 12° 11° 11° 11° 11° 11° 11° 11° 10° 11° 10° 11° 10° 11° 9° 10° 10° 10° 10° 10° 11° 11° 11° 11° 10° 10° 9° 8° 8° 8° 8° 8° 7° 7° 7° 7° 7° 8° 8° 8° 8° 9° 8° 8° 8° 8° 8° 8° 8° 8° 8° 7° 8° 8° 7° 6° 8° 10° 11° 11° 9° 8° 9° 9° 10° 10° 10° 9° 7° 7° 6° 7° 8° 8° 8° 8° 8° 8° 8° 9° 10° 11° 12° 11° 10° 9°
SW SW SW SW SW SSW SSW SSW SSW SSW SSW SW SSW SSW SSW SW SW SSW SW WSW WSW WSW WSW WSW W W W W W W W W WNW W W W W W W W W W W W WSW WSW WSW WSW SW SW SW SW SW SW SSW S S S SSE SSE SSE S S SW WSW SW SSW SSW SSW SW SSW SSW SSW SW WSW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SSW S S S
12 12 10 11 10 9 10 9 9 9 6 8 9 11 7 9 8 9 8 11 10 10 11 12 14 13 13 12 13 11 11 13 15 14 14 11 11 10 9 9 10 10 10 9 11 11 12 13 13 12 12 12 13 13 11 7 5 5 7 13 18 21 21 19 16 10 10 17 19 19 19 18 18 13 10 7 12 16 17 17 17 12 9 7 7 9 10 10 12 17 18
25 24 20 22 22 19 20 19 19 20 15 18 19 23 16 19 17 20 18 24 22 22 24 27 31 28 29 26 28 25 24 30 34 32 31 25 26 23 21 21 22 22 22 21 23 23 25 26 26 23 22 23 24 23 19 13 10 9 15 25 34 38 39 36 29 19 19 32 35 35 35 34 34 25 19 13 22 30 32 32 32 23 17 13 14 19 21 20 21 31 34
 
90 78 84 83 84 82 81 81 83 81 90 90 90 87 90 91 86 86 89 88 87 85 85 89 87 82 76 83 82 83 88 91 87 86 80 79 75 74 74 75 75 73 70 64 64 66 64 67 67 67 68 68 69 71 76 82 87 88 86 86 91 91 89 85 75 83 88 93 92 92 90 92 92 93 91 93 89 77 66 74 78 91 94 93 86 74 64 62 65 73 79
981 980 980 980 980 979 979 979 979 978 978 977 977 976 976 976 976 976 976 976 977 978 978 979 980 981 981 982 983 984 985 986 987 988 990 990 991 992 992 993 994 995 995 996 997 998 998 999 999 999 999 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 999 996 994 992 991 994 998 999 1000 1000 1000 1001 1001 1001 1000 1003 1004 1005 1007 1008 1008 1009 1009 1010 1010 1011 1012 1012 1012 1011 1009 1006 1004
8.4 18.3 8.3 22.2 31.5 33.8 35.2 24.9 37.1 32.8 10.8 11.1 4.8 24.4 8 9 36 18.2 11.2 7.9 9.6 17.9 14 7.6 30.7 28.4 46.5 14.1 42.9 14.4 37.5 5.5 18.9 38 42.3 40.8 46.4 45.4 45 46.5 47.5 48.6 49.9 50 50.2 43.7 37.3 30.9 25.3 25.3 25.4 25.3 25.2 25.1 24.1 23 22 22 22.1 16.1 4 5.6 5.1 5.4 15.8 21.7 15.2 3.7 3.4 3.3 3.2 2.8 2.5 6.7 16 16.7 16.9 14.3 12.6 9.6 16.9 17.2 17.2 18.9 21.2 23.4 25.6 26.1 23.7 17.1 14.8
1.9 3.5 2.2 0.9 0.7 0.3 - - - - - - - - - - - 0.2 0.3 0.8 1.4 2.6 2.8 3 2.9 2 2 0.6 0.6 0.2 - - - - - - - - - - - 0.3 0.7 1.7 2.2 3.4 4.6 2.7 6.6 6.2 5.5 4.5 3.3 2.1 1.1 0.4 0.1 - - - 0.2 0.8 1.3 1.4 1.3 0.1 - - 0.2 0.5 0.6 0.8 0.6 0.1 - - 0.6 3.3 6 5.8 4.1 1.3 0.1 - 0.9 3.5 5.9 6.3 4.2 0.9 -
500 540 570 490 370 380 290 130 140 140 160 150 100 100 100 120 100 130 130 60 90 140 100 90 100 140 150 150 140 100 80 110 30 60 50 60 60 50 50 60 90 110 100 100 100 98 80 100 80 40 20 10 20 20 10 10 0 0 0 0 10 20 50 130 110 30 0 0 30 100 130 140 100 40 0 20 120 170 90 90 90 50 30 40 70 100 100 80 20 0 0
- - 5.8 4.0 5.2 6.1 6.3 5.3 5.3 5.2 5.5 3.9 5.2 4.0 5.4 4.9 5.6 5.2 5.1 3.2 3.9 4.4 3.3 1.5 1.3 4.6 4.5 4.8 2.9 4.1 2.3 2.6 2.2 2.4 3.0 4.2 4.2 4.7 5.1 5.2 6.0 6.0 5.9 6.2 5.7 5.8 5.2 5.0 5.0 5.4 5.6 5.5 5.3 5.4 6.2 7.4 7.0 7.1 6.5 4.7 2.8 1.5 1.2 2.7 4.7 6.8 6.3 2.6 1.5 1.7 1.5 1.2 1.3 4.9 6.5 7.6 6.2 4.2 3.5 3.4 3.8 5.9 6.7 7.7 7.6 6.9 6.1 6.2 6.0 4.3 3.0
Today - Wednesday 3 Jun

A notably wet day

Persistent rain most likely in morning, midday, and afternoon / evening. Southwesterly winds averaging around 7 mph with peaks near 12 mph, gusting to 25 mph. Temperatures range from 13C to 16C with largely cloudy skies. Watch for moderate uv in brighter breaks.

High / Low
16° / 13°
Rain Total
10.8 mm
Wind (Max)
12 mph SW
Cloud (Avg)
96%
Pollen
Low (Grass)
Sunrise / Sunset
04:42 / 21:39
UV (Max)
3.5
Tomorrow - Thursday 4 Jun

A notably wet day

Persistent rain most likely in morning, midday, and afternoon / evening. West-northwesterly winds averaging around 11 mph with peaks near 15 mph, gusting to 34 mph. Temperatures range from 11C to 14C with largely cloudy skies. Watch for moderate uv in brighter breaks.

High / Low
14° / 11°
Rain Total
24.2 mm
Wind (Max)
15 mph WNW
Cloud (Avg)
100%
Pollen
Low (Grass)
Sunrise / Sunset
04:41 / 21:40
UV (Max)
3
Friday 5 Jun

Overcast

Dry through the day with little or no measurable rain. Westerly winds averaging around 11 mph with peaks near 14 mph, gusting to 31 mph. Temperatures range from 9C to 12C, turning cooler later with largely cloudy skies. Watch for high uv around midday.

High / Low
12° / 9°
Rain Total
0.1 mm
Wind (Max)
14 mph W
Cloud (Avg)
82%
Pollen
--
Sunrise / Sunset
04:41 / 21:41
UV (Max)
6.6
What to wear
Heavy rain — full waterproofs.
LayerItemMaterialWhy
Base Moisture-wicking top Merino wool or synthetic — avoid cotton Sweat management in rain
Mid Light fleece Micro-fleece or lightweight synthetic — not down (rain forecast) 16°C — mild, windy insulation
Outer Waterproof jacket Breathable membrane (Gore-Tex etc.), hood Heavy rain + 25 mph gusts
Lower Waterproof trousers Over existing trousers, breathable Heavy rain forecast
Feet Waterproof boots Ankle support, membrane lining Heavy rain — paths will be wet
Extras Hat, gloves, gaiters Pack spare mid-layer, buff/neck gaiter Cool on ridges — extra warmth useful
Essential Recommended
For general guidance based on forecast data — not professional safety advice. Always use your own judgement. BMC layering guide →
Live rain radar
LIVE
Loading radar…
--:--
Light Moderate Heavy
Radar data by RainViewer
Ground
Damp
3.5mm/24h · 21.5mm/7d
Nearest: Keswick Sewage
Stargazing tonight
1/100
Poor conditions. · 🌖 Waning Gibbous 92% illuminated.
UV Index
3.5
Peak 15:00 · Moderate. Sunscreen SPF30+ recommended. ~23 mins to burn.
Tomorrow UV: 3
Fog & Mist
14%
Low risk
Visibility forecast to drop to 2.5km.
Tomorrow: 4% (Low risk)
Thunderstorms
Moderate
Moderate thunderstorm risk — keep an eye on the sky.
CAPE: 570 J/kg
Sun & Moon · Next 5 Days
Today
04:42
21:39
16h 56m
00:41
06:34
Thu 4
04:41
21:40
16h 58m
00:59
07:49
Fri 5
04:41
21:41
17h 0m
—
09:08
Sat 6
04:40
21:43
17h 2m
01:13
10:26
Sun 7
04:39
21:44
17h 4m
01:23
11:46
Summits Nearby
Skiddaw 911m · 5.6km
Blencathra 856m · 7.1km
54.5713481 745m · 7.5km
Cloud Inversion
Forecast available for the next 6 nights.
View inversion forecast →
Freezing Level
2200m
Today's range: 1920m – 2680m
Freezing level at 2200m — above most UK summits.
Air Quality
28 Fair
Air quality is fair — enjoy the outdoors.
PM2.5: 2.5 µg/m³ PM10: 4.7 µg/m³
Tomorrow: Fair
Pollen
Low Grass
Pollen levels are low — shouldn't cause trouble.
Grass: Low
Tomorrow: Low (Grass)
Understanding the Activity Score

The Activity Score rates outdoor weather conditions from 0 (terrible) to 10 (excellent) for activities like hiking, biking, climbing, and camping.

How it works: Wind speed is the dominant factor — it has the biggest impact on comfort and safety on UK hills. Rainfall risk is secondary: light showers score better than persistent heavy rain. Cloud cover has a light influence. Temperature is deliberately excluded because appropriate layering makes most UK temperatures manageable year-round.

What the scores mean:

  • 8 to 10 — Excellent: Light winds, dry, pleasant. Make the most of it.
  • 6 to 8 — Good: Generally comfortable. Maybe a breeze or some cloud, but nothing to worry about.
  • 4 to 6 — Fair: Passable but imperfect. You might get rained on or buffeted, but it is still walkable.
  • 2 to 4 — Poor: Challenging conditions. Expect strong winds, rain, or both. Only for well-prepared and experienced walkers.
  • 0 to 2 — Terrible: Avoid the hills. Dangerous wind speeds, severe weather, or both.

Use the Score Customiser below to adjust the weighting to match your own activity and preferences.

5 Morning Inversion Outlook Forecast source Showing forecast capture for Keswick. 24-hour window per morning (6pm to 6pm)
WED MORNING
0%
Unlikely
No clear window
Low confidence
THU MORNING
0%
Unlikely
No clear window
Low confidence
FRI MORNING
0%
Unlikely
No clear window
Low confidence
SAT MORNING
0%
Unlikely
No clear window
Low confidence
SUN MORNING
0%
Unlikely
No clear window
Low confidence
Key Factors What we look for
S1 · Inversion
Warm air sitting above cooler valley air — the essential ingredient for a cloud sea.
S2 · Moist Below
Whether the valley air is damp enough to form and hold cloud.
S3 · Moisture Contrast
A sharp boundary between the cloudy valley and the dry air above it.
S4 · Clear Above
Clear, dry air above the cloud layer — the better this is, the cleaner the summit views.
S5 · Wind Calm
Light winds at low levels to keep the inversion intact and the cloud sea flat.
Duration
How long the conditions hold — a sustained event gives more time to get above the clouds.
Temperature lid
0%
Valley moisture
35%
Layer contrast
0%
Summit clarity
0%
Wind speed
0%
Duration
0h
Top Anchors
Loading anchor scores...
Top Mountain Ranges
Loading range scores...
Loading…
Heatmap · Score · Profile Get Email Alerts
Inversion Chance Heatmap
Strong 80+ Good 60–79 Possible 40–59 Weak 20–39 Unlikely <20
Atmospheric Profile
Atmospheric profile data for Keswick, Cumberland
Surface Pressure
Golden Hour
Today
DARKNESS
DAYLIGHT
03:57
04:22
04:42 Sunrise
05:02
05:27
Golden Hour · 40 min
⛰️
Be at your summit by 04:22
Allow time to set up before the light show begins.
Monthly Inversion Chance
Illustrative relative chance by season
Illustrative — typical UK pattern
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
~2 proper inversion days per year. Mostly late autumn to spring. WeatherDuck notifies you 48hrs in advance.
Humidity at Pressure Levels
Temperature at Pressure Levels
Anchor Coverage
300 active capture points
Popular hill gateways Mountain regions Spaced coverage
Tonight's Stargazing
Here's what the sky's doing tonight.
1 / 100
Very poor conditions Skies look closed in — best to wait it out.
Waning Gibbous Moon Waning Gibbous 87%
Cloud Cover 98%
Moon Times Set 06:34 · Rise 00:41
Sky Clarity 18 km Clear
Lunar Day Day 18.2
Light Pollution View map ↓
Aurora & Solar Wind NOAA
Live space-weather snapshot.
2.7
Planetary Kp index Very Low
Wind Speed 2 km/s
Bz 1.9 nT
Density 379.6 p/cm³
Bt -4.0 nT
No significant aurora activity expected tonight.
Observed 13:33 UTC · cached 5 min

Stargazing from Keswick tonight looks difficult, scoring just 1/100. Heavy cloud cover (98%) will block most celestial objects. Bright moonlight (87% illumination) will wash out fainter objects. Focus on planets, the moon itself, and brighter stars. Looking ahead, Sun night scores best at 63/100.

Nightly Outlook
Swipe or tap a day · cream arc = moon altitude · red dotted = horizon · orange = sun · green band = best stargazing window
moon-waning-gibbous
Tonight
Waning Gibbous · 87% illuminated
1 out of 100
✗ No good window— 100% cloud cover all night
60° 30° 0° moon-waning-gibbous
▲Moonrise 00:41
▼Moonset 07:49
☀ Sunset 21:39
☀ Sunrise 04:41
182022000204060810
Cloud cover96% avg
100
76
81
98
90
98
100
100
100
100
100
100
99
100
100
100
Moonrise00:41
Moonset07:49
Peak alt11° @ 04:11
Lunar day18.2
moon-waning-gibbous
Thu
Waning Gibbous · 79% illuminated
3 out of 100
✗ No good window— 93% cloud cover all night
60° 30° 0° moon-waning-gibbous
▲Moonrise 00:59
▼Moonset 09:08
☀ Sunset 21:40
☀ Sunrise 04:41
182022000204060810
Cloud cover87% avg
100
100
100
100
100
100
99
100
91
98
79
82
86
63
52
41
Moonrise00:59
Moonset09:08
Peak alt15° @ 04:59
Lunar day19.2
moon-waning-gibbous
Fri
Waning Gibbous · 70% illuminated
0 out of 100
✗ No good window— 100% cloud cover all night
60° 30° 0° moon-waning-gibbous
▲Moonrise 01:13
☀ Sunset 21:41
☀ Sunrise 04:40
182022000204060810
Cloud cover92% avg
72
66
74
89
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
93
84
Moonrise01:13
MoonsetPast dawn
Peak alt19° @ 05:43
Lunar day20.2
moon-last-quarter
Sat
Last Quarter · 60% illuminated
15 out of 100
✗ No good window— 84% cloud cover all night
60° 30° 0° moon-last-quarter
▲Moonrise 01:23
☀ Sunset 21:43
☀ Sunrise 04:39
182022000204060810
Cloud cover85% avg
86
81
73
63
59
63
72
81
88
95
100
100
100
100
100
100
Moonrise01:23
MoonsetPast dawn
Peak alt25° @ 06:23
Lunar day21.2
moon-last-quarter
Sun
Last Quarter · 49% illuminated
63 out of 100
✨ Best window 23:14 → 03:14— 4h moonless dark, mostly clear
60° 30° 0° moon-last-quarter
▲Moonrise 01:31
☀ Sunset 21:44
☀ Sunrise 04:39
182022000204060810
Cloud cover39% avg
100
100
95
88
75
51
21
0
0
0
5
5
6
11
24
41
Moonrise01:31
MoonsetPast dawn
Peak alt31° @ 07:01
Lunar day22.2
moon-waning-crescent
Mon
Waning Crescent · 39% illuminated
17 out of 100
✗ No good window— 84% cloud cover all night
60° 30° 0° moon-waning-crescent
▲Moonrise 01:38
☀ Sunset 21:44
☀ Sunrise 04:38
182022000204060810
Cloud cover65% avg
28
13
29
60
83
63
78
86
87
84
78
72
67
66
69
75
Moonrise01:38
MoonsetPast dawn
Peak alt37° @ 08:08
Lunar day23.2
moon-waning-crescent
Tue
Waning Crescent · 29% illuminated
0 out of 100
✗ No good window— conditions don't line up tonight
60° 30° 0° moon-waning-crescent
☀ Sunset 21:45
☀ Sunrise 07:45
182022000204060810
Cloud cover80% avg
97
94
89
82
74
66
60
MoonriseAlready up
MoonsetPast dawn
Peak alt44° @ 09:00
Lunar day24.2
Swipe / scroll, or tap a day above

Aurora Kp · 3-Day Forecast

NOAA SWPC · 3-hourly
Higher Kp = stronger geomagnetic activity = better aurora chances. For UK observers, Kp 4+ means aurora is possible from N. Scotland; Kp 5+ brings it across the whole UK.
Today
Wed 3 Jun
Unsettled
Peak Kp 3.3 at 18:00 UTC
Slightly unsettled — minor activity, no aurora expected.
9630
3.3 · 18:00
0003060912151821
Tomorrow
Thu 4 Jun
Unsettled
Peak Kp 3.7 at 00:00 UTC
Slightly unsettled — minor activity, no aurora expected.
9630
3.7 · 00:00
0003060912151821
Fri 5
Fri 5 Jun
Unsettled
Peak Kp 3.7 at 00:00 UTC
Slightly unsettled — minor activity, no aurora expected.
9630
3.7 · 00:00
0003060912151821
Aurora Forecast Map
NOAA OVATION Aurora Forecast
Global — OVATION Model
UK Focus
NOAA OVATION Model • Auto-refreshed
Your Night Sky
Meteor Showers
Coming up this year
☄️ Delta Aquariids Jul 30
Jul 12 – Aug 23
Steady rates, faint. Best late night.
☄️ Perseids Aug 12
Jul 17 – Aug 24
Bright, reliable. Best summer shower.
☄️ Orionids Oct 21
Oct 2 – Nov 7
Fast, with persistent trains.
☄️ Leonids Nov 17
Nov 6 – Nov 30
Occasional storms. Fast, bright.
☄️ Geminids Dec 14
Dec 4 – Dec 20
Best of the year. Bright, multi-coloured.
Earlier this year
☄️ Quadrantids Jan 4
Jan 1 – Jan 6
Strong, short-lived peak. Bright fireballs.
☄️ Lyrids Apr 22
Apr 16 – Apr 25
Sparse, sometimes glowing trails.
☄️ Eta Aquariids May 6
Apr 19 – May 28
Best before dawn. Fast meteors.
Light Pollution Map
Understanding the stargazing score

The stargazing score combines cloud cover and moon illumination to estimate how good conditions are for observing the night sky. Cloud cover is the dominant factor — even the darkest location is useless under heavy cloud.

The Bortle scale measures light pollution from 1 (pristine dark sky) to 9 (inner-city sky). In the UK, the best accessible sites reach Bortle 2 to 3, found in areas like Northumberland International Dark Sky Park, parts of the Lake District, Snowdonia, the Brecon Beacons, and the Scottish Highlands. At Bortle 3, the Milky Way is clearly visible and dozens of deep-sky objects are observable with binoculars.

Moon phase matters: A new moon (0% illumination) provides the darkest sky. A full moon floods the sky with light, washing out everything except planets and the brightest stars. The best stargazing combines a new or thin crescent moon with clear skies.

Practical tips: Give your eyes 20 to 30 minutes to dark-adapt after arriving at your spot. Avoid looking at phone screens (use a red-light torch instead). The hours after midnight are often best, as the atmosphere settles and any remaining cloud may clear.

GROUND DRYNESS
—
Search a location
Search a location to compute ground dryness.
RAIN GAUGE STATIONS
Click a station to load history + totals. Or click the map to select the nearest station. Colour key: Green = dry (24h), Blue = wet (24h), Red = delayed · Stations loaded: 0
RAINFALL HISTORY (LAST 7 DAYS)
Bars are 4h totals. Dotted line = station check-in. Red line = current UK time.
Station:—
Ref:—
Health:—
Rain (24h):—
Rain (7d):—
Last rain:—
Last Reading Time:—
Points:—
Understanding ground conditions

How wet the ground is depends on recent rainfall, soil type, drainage, slope, and season. Even after rain stops, the ground takes time to dry out — and some terrain barely dries at all.

Soil types in the UK uplands:

  • Peat bog (common above 500m in the Lake District, Pennines, and Scottish Highlands) — drains very poorly. Can stay saturated for weeks after heavy rain. Ankle-deep bog is normal.
  • Clay soils (lower valleys and farmland) — slow to drain, sticky when wet. Paths become muddy quickly after rain.
  • Rocky and mineral soils (mountain paths, quarry tracks) — drain well. Can be walkable within 24 to 48 hours of rain.

Seasonal patterns: In winter, the ground is often permanently saturated because low temperatures reduce evaporation. Spring brings gradual drying but snowmelt can keep upland areas wet. Summer is the driest period, though heavy showers can cause flash surface water. Autumn sees increasing saturation as daylight hours and temperatures fall.

Practical advice: Waterproof boots (not trainers) are essential on UK hills in any season except a dry summer spell. Gaiters help on boggy ground. After prolonged heavy rain, stream and river crossings can become dangerous — always have an alternative route planned.

Ground near Keswick is wet following 21.5mm of rain in the last 7 days. Expect muddy trails, boggy ground on plateaux, and potentially swollen streams. Data from the nearest rain gauge at Keswick Sewage.