Mountain weather
North Grampian Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High for Friday and Saturday. High for changeable weather to continue early next week.
This evening forecast
Variable amounts of cloud and a few snow showers. Bitterly cold northeasterly summit winds.
Mountain weather hazards
Hazards apply at or above 300m, reflecting the more severe conditions which can occur at altitude.
Severe Chill Effect
Wind significantly lowers the ‘feels-like’ temperature relative to the actual temperature, with even moderate winds significantly adding to the chilling effect. Strong winds can result in a severe and debilitating wind chill many degrees below the actual temperature. This effect will be enhanced in rain or wet snow. Without protection, prolonged exposure could result in frost nip or frostbite on exposed parts of the body and/or hypothermia.
Poor Visibility
Poor visibility presents challenging route finding conditions. Visibility could be significantly less than 50 metres in all directions with few or no visual references, especially on featureless moors or plateaux. Distances become hard to judge and cliff or cornice edges can be difficult to recognise. These conditions require good navigational skills. There is a risk of white-out conditions when mist or fog is combined with extensive snow cover.
Mountain weather forecast
Very cold with a few snow showers in the east, dry elsewhere
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
20% | 30% | 20% | 30% | 30% | 30% | 20% | 20% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
NE
19
|
NE
19
|
N
20
|
N
21
|
N
17
|
N
17
|
NW
18
|
NW
18
|
| 900m |
NE
12
|
NE
14
|
NE
14
|
N
14
|
N
11
|
N
12
|
NW
12
|
NW
11
|
| 600m |
N
5
|
N
6
|
NE
6
|
NE
6
|
N
7
|
N
7
|
NW
5
|
W
6
|
| 300m |
N
3
|
N
3
|
N
3
|
N
2
|
N
5
|
N
6
|
NW
3
|
SW
3
|
| Glen |
N
2
|
N
3
|
NW
3
|
NW
3
|
NW
4
|
NW
5
|
NW
4
|
W
3
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 |
| 900m | 15 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 14 |
| 600m | 7 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 9 |
| 300m | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 8 |
| Glen | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 11 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
-9°
|
-9°
|
-9°
|
-10°
|
-8°
|
-8°
|
-9°
|
-10°
|
| 900m |
-6°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
-7°
|
-5°
|
-5°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
| 600m |
-3°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-3°
|
-2°
|
-3°
|
-4°
|
| 300m |
-1°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
0°
|
1°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
| Glen |
0°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
1°
|
2°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
| Freezing Level |
100m
|
0m
|
0m
|
0m
|
100m
|
100m
|
100m
|
0m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
-18°
|
-18°
|
-18°
|
-19°
|
-17°
|
-17°
|
-18°
|
-18°
|
| 900m |
-12°
|
-13°
|
-13°
|
-14°
|
-11°
|
-11°
|
-12°
|
-13°
|
| 600m |
-7°
|
-8°
|
-8°
|
-8°
|
-7°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
-7°
|
| 300m |
-3°
|
-4°
|
-5°
|
-4°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
| Glen |
-2°
|
-3°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-3°
|
-4°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
Nothing to add
Weather
A few snow showers will affect the Cairngorms through the day. Otherwise it will be dry with variable cloud cover and some clear or sunny periods.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
70%, best chance across the west of the area
Low cloud and visibility
Poor in any cloud down to 850 metres as showers pass by across the east of the area. Otherwise excellent visibility and air clarity elsewhere with only small amounts of summit cloud.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Dry and very cold throughout, small chance that snow may arrive across Ben Alder and Rannoch Moor towards midnight. Strengthening southerly winds during the evening.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
80%
Maximum wind speed expected
Southwesterly 15 mph for most daylight hours. Quickly increasing to average speeds of 40 mph with gusts to 60 mph on the summits after dark, and 20 mph stronger across the Cairngorm Plateau.
Temperature
- At 800m Minus 2 Celsius
- Glen Minus 5 rising to 2 Celsius
- Freezing level 200 metres
Low cloud and visibility
Excellent visibility with little in the way of summit cloud for much of the day. Areas of cloud down to 800 metres spreading from the west during the evening.
Mountain weather information
Sun 15 Feb
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Very windy with some snow for a time in the early hours, blizzard like conditions on the tops. The rest of the day will remain cold with a few snow showers, mainly across the west. Freezing level 200 metres rising to 800 metres.
Mon 16 Feb
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Variable amounts of cloud and a chance of snow showers or some longer spells of snow. Freezing level 800 metres.
Tue 17 Feb
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Dry with variable amounts of cloud. Freezing level 200 metres.
Updated at:
Summit specific forecast
Mountain summit forecast map
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Key
Mountain summits
Other points of interest
Cluster of multiple stations
Includes the northern and western Cairngorms National Park, Monadhliath, Ben Alder, Creag Meagaidh, Loch Ericht and Loch Rannoch.
For snow and avalanche hazard forecasts please visit Scottish Avalanche Information Service