Spidean A' Choire Leith (Highland) weather

Headline:

Cold. Frequent, blustery snow showers overnight, Monday morning, easing later.

Today:

Snow showers, heavy in the morning, becoming more confined to Caithness, Sutherland and the west coast in the afternoon, with the Great Glen and most of Lochaber dry and sunny. Maximum temperature 2 °C.

Tonight:

A mainly dry evening with clear spells and a severe frost, though the odd snow shower near northern coasts. Tonight cloud and snow spreading east, turning to rain low ground. Minimum temperature -12 °C.

Tuesday:

Cloudy with rain, turning heavier and reverting to snow on higher ground, locally heavy falls. Turning showery in the evening the showers wintry on high ground. Ice risk. Maximum temperature 6 °C.

Outlook for Wednesday to Friday:

Bright with a few wintry showers on Wednesday. Some overnight snow turning to rain in west. Thursday and Friday mainly dry and cold, a few coastal showers.

A changeable period is expected, with Atlantic frontal systems occasionally affecting the UK, bringing spells of rain, likely preceded by snow in some areas, more especially central, northern and eastern parts. Some significant snowfall is possible in places, particularly on northern hills. These low pressure systems could also bring some strong winds. These will be interspersed with quieter, drier interludes under transient ridges of high pressure, with the potential for frost, and wintry showers along coasts exposed to northerly winds. Temperatures will tend to trend closer to average as the period progresses, mainly in the south, such that the frequency of wintry hazards, especially in the south, may reduce slightly. However, there is a hint late in this period that it may briefly turn widely drier and colder again.

The outlook through the latter part of January and into the start of February is very uncertain, with no strong indication for any particular weather pattern to dominate. However, a broadly westerly regime seems more likely than not. As such, conditions are most likely to be changeable. Spells of wet, windy and mild weather are likely at times, along with some colder, drier interludes with overnight frost and fog. There is a hint that this period may start off largely dry and cold though. Snow and ice remain possible, especially in central and northern parts of the UK, but the chance of these is generally lower than earlier in January.