| Weather2 | Select Hill & Mountain, scroll down and select Ireland, Mourne Mountains. Provides details (wind direction, speed, temp etc) at Base level and 850m. |
| Ant Veal's Great weather | Provides a simply presented comprehensive set of links to everything you would want to know about weather. Well worth exploring. |
| Metcheck | Select UK, Hobbies, Mountain Walking. Then click on map. Good detail; - wind direction, speed etc. |
| BBC Weather | Select UK, click on Belfast on the map. Provides a 5 day forecast, complete with wind speeds. Does not provide a link for mountains. |
| Met Office | Click on Belfast on the map. Closest you can get to the Mournes is Warrenpoint (not the mountains). Need to scroll down to see 3 day summary. |
| Irish Meteorological service. | Can get regional or county forecast. Click below the map to get wind speeds or temperatures. Does not provide a link for mountains. |
Please bear in mind the following:-
- the higher you go in the hills, the lower the temperature (it drops approx. 1degree C for each 100 metres of ascent);
- the wind is stronger up there (2 to 3 times the speed in the valleys);
- Wind also strengthens as it blows around and across hills. Gusts are often the main problem, and any forecast of winds of 30 m.p.h, gusting near 35/40 MPH will have the leader probably planning a lower route.
When there are warnings of extreme weather conditions there is the possibility that the walks may be cancelled or the start point may be changed - see Extreme Weather below.
Extreme Weather
Over the past few years we have experienced extreme weather conditions - with high winds and icy road conditions. On a few occasions our designated walks did not take place and the start of the walks were re-routed.
In extreme conditions, it may also mean the leaders cannot get to the start of the walk. In such circumstance, the leaders (where possible) will have discussed the situation. The decision may be to cancel the walk altogether or to start at a different location from that advertised on the programme.
Relaying the message to all members at very short notice is tricky. We will do our best to send an email message to all email members. And we will be exploring the use of the web to convey the message. So if there is a doubt, please check your email Saturday evenings (or even Sunday mornings). And use common sense as regards travelling.
If you are interested in finding out more about weather, refer to "Mountain Weather", by David Pegley, published by Cicerone.