| Sat 13th Nov 2004 | Sprinkling of fresh snow arrived last night above 600m | 1100m | First snow of the winter season |
| Sun 14th Wed 18th Nov 2004 | No snow | Above Tops | |
| Thur 18th Nov 2004 | A day of continuous rain falling as snow above 900m | 900m | |
| Fri 19th Nov 2004 | Further overnight snow at all levels. 2cm depth at Tal y Waen (300m) | 400m | This morning's Picture |
| Sat 20th Nov 2004 | Lying snow above 300m, good accumulations on the tops | 600m | 6cm depth around Tal y Fan for the Penmaenmawr fell race |
| Sun 21st Nov 2004 | Patches remain over 800m. Rain at all levels this afternoon | Above tops | |
| Mon 22nd Nov 2004 | Few small patches remain over 900m | Above tops | |
| Tue 23rd- Sat 27th Nov 2004 | No Snow | Above tops | |
| Sun 28th Nov 2004 | No Snow | 1100m | |
| Mon 29th Nov 2004 | Light Hoar frost covering over 1000m | 1100m | |
| Tue 30th Nov 2004 | No Snow | Above tops | |
| Wed 1st Dec 2004 | No Snow | Above tops | |
| Thur 2nd -Thur 16th Dec 2004 | No Snow | Above tops | |
| Fri 17th Dec 2004 | After falls overnight and this morning fresh wet snow lying over 600m. Up to 15cm depth in places | 1200m | Today's pictures of Snowdon |
| Sat 18th Dec | Further light snow showers on the tops during day adding to snow lying above 800m | 1200m | |
| Sun 19th Dec 2004 | Overnight falls of snow, gale force N winds and a drop in temperatures have firmed up the snowpack now lying above 500m | 600m during daylight | ice forming above 300m. Snowdon summit -4C during day. Today's pictures |
| Mon 20th Dec 2004 | Overnight frost at all levels with further snow showers this morning. Snow now lying above 400m | rising to 1100m | |
| Tue 21st Dec 2004 | Light covering of snow over 600m. Accumulations in areas sheltered from W winds | 1200m | |
| Wed 22nd Dec 2004 | A mild and wet day stripping the existing snow. A few patches remain over 800m | Above tops | |
| Thur 23rd Dec 2004 | A few patches remain above 900m | Above tops | |
| Fri 24th Dec 2004 | Heavy showers turning wintery | 1200m | |
| Sat 25th Dec 2004 | Light snow showers throughout the day at all levels leaving a thin covering.(10cm around Tal y waen 300m) | 600m | Today's pictures |
| Sun 26th Dec 2004 | Thin covering of snow over 300m | 700m | Today's pictures |
| Mon 27th Dec 2004 | A light overnight frost started the day with icy
paths but the temperatures soon lifted above the tops. Thin covering of snow remains above 500m some accumulations in sheltered gullies and hollows |
Above tops | Today's pictures |
| Tue 28th Dec 2004 | Heavy rain at all levels overnight has removed a lot of snow. A patchy cover still remains above 600m | 800m | Paths trampled over the last few days are icy after
the thaw and refreeze. Today's pictures |
| Wed 29th Dec 2004 | Snow patches above 700m | Above tops | |
| Thur 30th Dec 2004 | Snow patches above 700m | Above tops | |
| Fri 31st Dec 2004 | Few snow patches remain above 700m | Above tops | |
| Sat 1st Dec 2005 | Few snow patches remain above 700m | Above tops | |
| Sun 2nd Jan 2005 | Sprinkling of fresh snow together with a few patches of old snow above 700m | 900m | |
| Mon 3rd Jan 2005 | Few small patches of old snow above 800m | Above tops | |
| Tue 4th Jan 2005 | Few small patches of old snow above 800m | Above tops lowering to 900m | |
| Wed 5th Jan | Few small patches of old snow above 900m | Above tops | |
| Thur 6th Jan 2005 | Few small patches of old snow above 900m | Above tops | |
| Fri 7th Jan 2005 | Amazingly a few small patches over 900m have survived today's deluge | Above tops | A day of heavy rain and gales Today's pictures |
| Sat 8th Jan 2005 | Few small patches of old snow above 900m. Icy ground on windward slopes over 900m | 900m | Nant ffrancon closed this morning due to fallen tree Today's pictures |
| Sun 9th Jan- Tue 11th Jan 2005 | Few small patches of old snow above 900m | Above tops | |
| Wed Jan 12th 2005 | Few small patches of old snow above 900m | lowering to 1000m | |
| Thur Jan 13th 2005 | Few small patches of old snow above 900m | 900m | |
| Fri Jan 14th- Sun Jan 16th 2005 | Few small patches of old snow above 900m | Above tops | |
| Mon Jan 17th 2005 | Sprinkling of fresh snow this afternoon above 800m mainly on Carneddau. Few small patches of old snow above 900m | lowering to 800m | |
| Tue Jan 18th 2005 | Snow and hail showers this morning above 200m leaving thin covering of snow above 600m. Few small patches of old snow above 900m | 600m rising to 1000m | |
| Wed Jan 19th 2005 | Further snow showers on the tops this morning soon turning to rain at all levels. Patchy covering of snow above 800m | 800m rising above tops | |
| Thu Jan 20th 2005 | Patchy covering of snow above 800m | Above tops | |
| Fri Jan 21st 2005 | Patchy covering of snow above 800m. Light snow showers this afternoon above 500m | 800m | Today's pictures |
| Sat Jan 22nd 2005 | Thin snow cover above 500m this morning Added to by further snowfall in the afternoon together with strong SE winds. | 800m | Today's pictures |
| Sun Jan 23rd 2005 | Thin snow cover above 400m. | 800m | Today's pictures |
| Mon Jan 24th 2005 | Thin snow cover above 600m. Ice forming very slowly due to warm ground temperature from previous mild spell | 300m | Today's pictures |
| Tue Jan 25th 2005 | Thin snow cover above 600m | 800m | |
| Thur Jan 27th 2005 | Patchy snow cover above 600m | 900m | Today's picture |
| Fri Jan 28th 2005 | Patchy snow cover above 700m | 900m | Thin but plentiful ice in Cwm Glas Today's pictures |
| Sat Jan 29th 2005 | Patchy snow cover above 700m. Hoar frost cover above 900m | 1200m | Today's pictures |
| Sun Jan 30th 2005 | Patchy snow cover above 800m. Drizzle and warm temperatures have moistened the remaining patches | Above tops | Today's pictures |
| Mon Jan 31st 2005 | Patchy snow cover above 900m | Above tops | Today's pictures |
| Tue Feb 1st - Thur Feb 3rd 2005 | Few snow patches remain above 900m | Above tops | |
| Fri Feb 4th 2005 | Few small snow patches remain above 900m | Above tops | Today's pictures |
| Sat Feb 5th 2005 | Overnight snowfall leaving covering (10cm) of wet powder snow above 600m. Further light snow showers this afternoon. | 1100m | Today's pictures of Crib Lem |
| Sun Feb 6th 2005 | Covering (up to 10cm) of fresh snow over 600m | 1000m | Today's pictures |
| Mon Feb 7th 2005 | Covering (up to 10cm) of fresh snow over 600m | 1000m | |
| Tue Feb 8th- Wed 9th 2005 | Covering (up to 10cm) of snow over 800m | 1000m | |
| Thur Feb 10th 2005 | Patches remain over 800m after heavy overnight rain at all levels | Above tops | |
| Away for the weekend no report | |||
| Mon Feb 14th 2005 | Thin covering of fresh snow (some old patches remaining) above 700m | 800m | |
| Tue Feb 15th 2005 | Thin covering of fresh snow above 700m | 900m | Today's pictures |
| Wed Feb 16th 2005 | Thin covering of fresh snow above 700m | 900m | Icy paths in Cwm Idwal, but not much ice on the Kitchen cliffs. Some climbable ice higher in Cwm Cneifion Today's pictures |
| Thur Feb 17th 2005 | Thin covering of patchy snow above 700m | Above tops | Today's pictures |
| Fri Feb 18th 2005 | Rain at all levels leaving some patches above 900m | Above tops | |
| Sat Feb 19th 2005 | Light overnight snowfall leaving thin covering above 700m | 600m | Today's pictures |
| Sun Feb 20th 2005 | Thin covering of snow over 700m. | 400m | Plenty of ice in Cwm Cneifion Today's pictures |
| Mon Feb 21st 2005 | Thin covering of snow over 700m added to by occasional light snow showers this morning. | 400m | Today's pictures |
| Tue Feb 22nd 2005 | Thin covering of snow over 700m, ice continuing to build, and a few occasional light flurries of snow at all levels. | 400m | |
| Wed Feb 23rd 2005 | Covering of powdery snow over 300m. Some light snow showers during the day. Accumulations in areas in areas sheltered from strong NE winds. Ice build up at all levels | -2c at Tal y Waen 300m | Plenty of climbable ice above 600m. Devils Kitchen
cliffs starting to come into condition. Today's pictures |
| Thur Feb 24th 2005 | Overnight snowfall at all levels and further snow showers throughout the day. Lying snow above 100m (10 cm at Tal y Waen 300m) drifting in the strong - gale NE winds. | 100m | |
| Fri Feb 25th 2005 | Icy start this morning at all levels but freezing level rising throughout the day. Further snow showers this afternoon at all levels. Lying snow above 200m | 400m | Plenty of ice in Cwm Silyn. Bedrock gully climbs
still require a bit longer. Today's pictures |
| Sat Feb 26th 2005 | Snow lying over 400m, few light scattered snow showers during the day. Good accumulations in areas sheltered from strong NE winds. Heavy hoar frost build up over 700m. Cornices and wind slab developing on slopes with a SW aspect | 400m rising to 900m | Today's pictures |
| Sun Feb 27th 2005 | Snow lying over 400m accumulations in areas sheltered from NE winds. Good ice build up above 500m. Cornices and wind slab on slopes with a SW aspect | 400m rising to 900m | Today's pictures |
| Mon Feb 28th 2005 | Snow lying over 400m. Further snow showers throughout the day. Wind changing to NW. Existing snowpack becoming consolidated after overnight freeze and daylight thaw. Good ice build up above 500m. Cornices and wind slab on slopes with a SE-SW aspect | 400m rising to 900m | |
| Tue Mar 1st 2005 | Further snowfall overnight above 600m and snow showers this evening above 300m in strong NW winds. Consolidated snow lying over 400m. Good ice build up above 500m. Cornices and wind slab on slopes with a SE-SW aspect | 500m | |
| Wed Mar 2nd 2005 | Snow lying above 400m, further snow showers overnight and this afternoon in strong N winds. Good ice build up above 500m. Cornices and wind slab on slopes with a SE-SW aspect | 300m rising to 500m | Today's pictures |
| Thur Mar 3rd 2005 | Snow lying above 400m, thin and icy on wind scoured slopes (NE-NW aspect) softer accumulations in sheltered locations . Good ice build up above 500m. Cornices and wind slab on slopes with a SE-SW aspect | 300m rising to 500m | Today's pictures |
| Fri Mar 4th 2005 | Rain this morning below 900m followed by a drop in temperature has consolidated the existing snowpack now lying over 500m. Good ice build up above 500m | 1000m lowering to 500m | Today's pictures |
| Sat Mar 5th 2005 | Snow lying over 500m. A raw day of gale force N winds. Good ice build up above 500m. Cornices and wind slab on slopes with a SE-SW aspect | 600m | Today's pictures |
| Sun Mar 6th 2005 | Snow lying over 500m. Icy snow slopes in shadow, otherwise snow softening in strong sunlight. Excellent ice build up over 500m | 100m rising to 500m | Stunning day. Today's pictures
|
| I'm off to Scotland for a few weeks so that's all for now. pictures | |||
| Wed Mar 16th 2005 | Start of the big thaw | Above tops | |
| Sat 19th -Fri Mar 25th 2005 | Few small isolated patches remain over 900m | Above tops |
|
| Sat Mar 26th- Sun Apr 3rd | No snow | Above tops | |
| Mon Apr 4th 2005 | Light sprinkling of fresh snow this afternoon above 900m | 900m | |
| Tue Apr 5th 2005 | Light sprinkling of fresh snow above 900m | 900m | |
| Wed 6th April | Heavy rain at all levels this morning followed by showers this afternoon wintry on the tops | lowering to 900m | |
| Thur 7th April 2005 | Thin covering of snow above 600m, accumulations in areas sheltered from strong NW winds | 600m | |
| Fri 8th April 2005 | Snow showers throughout the day above 200m, heavy at times, leaving covering of snow above 400m. Accumulations in areas sheltered from strong N winds | 400m | |
| Sat 9th April 2005 | Patchy snow cover above 600m | Above tops | |
| Sun 10th April | Patchy cover above 800m | Above tops | |
| Mon11th- Tue 12th | Few patches remain over 900m mainly on ridge lines | Above tops | |
| Wed 13th April 2005 | Overnight snowfall leaving covering of snow this morning above 800m, thawing during the day to leave patches above 900m | rising to 1000m | |
| Thur 14th April 2005 | Patchy cover over 900m | Above tops | |
| Fri 15th April 2005 | Heavy rain throughout the day falling as snow above 600m | 800m | |
| Sat 16th April 2005 | Further heavy snowfall overnight leaving good covering of snow above 300m | 300m rising to 600m | |
| Sun 17th April 2005 | Gradual thaw of existing snowpack snow lying above 600m | Above tops | |
| Mon 18th April 2005 | Further heavy rain overnight and this morning falling as snow above 700m leaving good covering above 700m | 800m | |
| Tue 19th April 2005 | Good covering of snow above 700m, firmed up after last nights drop in temperature. | 500m rising to 1000m | |
| Wed 20th April 2005 | Good covering of consolidated snow above 700m, most on the Carneddau. | Above Tops | |
| Thur 21st April 2005 | Good covering of snow above 700m on the Carneddau otherwise patchy cover on the other ranges | Above Tops | |
| Fri 22nd | Patchy snow cover above 700m most on Carneddau | Above Tops | |
| Sat 23rd | Heavy overnight rain has reduced existing snow patches. Patchy snow cover remains above 700m most on Carneddau | Above Tops | |
| Sun 24th-Tue 26th April 2005 | Patchy snow cover remains above 800m most on Carneddau | Above Tops | |
| Wed 27th - Sat 30th April | Small isolated patches remain above 900m mainly on Carneddau | Above Tops | |
| For any snow historians: snow report 03/04 snow
report 02/03 snow report 01/02 snow report 00/01 snow report 99/00 snow report 98/99 |
 |
Web
cam shows current view (or not) of Snowdon from Elidir Fach. Click on image for link to Snowdonia
Weather Station project which gives current summit temperature and wind
speed (Often out of action unfortunately). The lower image shows what it can look like on a good winters day. Countryside Council for
Wales Automatic site at 500m sited above Llyn Llydaw on Snowdon Metcheck
72 hr forecast (gives current and predicted freezing level) |
 |
Notes: This report is intended as an indicator of the likely snow & ice conditions to be encountered in northern Snowdonia . We do not have the resources to produce this report on a daily basis, but will endeavour to update it as frequently as possible. All information is based on observation, either by our instructor on the hill, or by observation from Tal y Waen. Winter conditions can vary rapidly, so an up to date weather forecast should always be consulted. One which gives freezing level, wind speed and direction at 1000m will give a good indicator of likely snow conditions. See weather links
Recommended reading: |
| If you are interested in snow conditions and avalanches then you will find these useful:- | |
| Snow
Sense: a Guide to Evaluating Snow Avalanche Hazard Jill A. Fredston, Doug Fesler Amazon price: £7.95  A consise guide to recognising, evaluating and avoiding potential snow avalanche hazards. |
 |
| A
Chance in a Million?: Scottish Avalanches Bob Barton, Blyth Wright Amazon price: £14.95 Entertaining (morbid?) narrative on avalanche accidents since 1899 in Scotland and the rest of the UK including Wales. Extensive information on snow formation the effect of climate and terrain on avalanches. If the worst happens what to do if you get caught in one Also: |
 |
| Welsh
Winter Climbs Malcolm Campbell, Andy Newton Amazon price: £14.99 The definitive guide to winter climbing in North Wales |
 |
See the High Trek Library for more books |
| HOME | BROCHURE | AVAILABILITY | CALENDAR | BOOKING | BACK |
| Copyright © 1999 [High Trek Snowdonia].
All rights reserved. Revised: April 30, 2005 High Trek Snowdonia Tal y Waen Deiniolen Gwynedd Wales LL55 3NA Tel:01286 871232 Fax: 01286 870576 Email high.trek@virgin.net www.climbing-wales.co.uk www.snowdonia-cottage.co.uk www.wales-guide.com |
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