Mountain weather
North Grampian Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
Some uncertainty on extent of summit cloud breaks Sunday daytime, but high confidence on the SE'ly wind direction continuing throughout the period and strengthening by Tuesday.
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
Early fog in glens. Otherwise dry, bright during daytime. Patchy hill fog thickening in afternoon. Windy on the tops.
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
10% | 10% | 10% | 30% | 30% | 30% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
SE
28
|
SE
30
|
SE
31
|
SE
29
|
SE
29
|
SE
26
|
| 900m |
S
23
|
S
28
|
SE
25
|
S
29
|
S
26
|
S
24
|
| 600m |
SW
9
|
SE
8
|
SE
10
|
SE
11
|
SE
11
|
SE
9
|
| 300m |
SW
2
|
W
2
|
S
5
|
SE
3
|
S
5
|
SE
4
|
| Glen |
S
2
|
S
2
|
S
3
|
S
3
|
S
3
|
S
2
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m | 34 | 36 | 38 | 36 | 36 | 33 |
| 900m | 29 | 35 | 31 | 35 | 32 | 30 |
| 600m | 12 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 14 |
| 300m | 4 | 4 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
| Glen | 10 | 9 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 10 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
-2°
|
-2°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
| 900m |
1°
|
2°
|
1°
|
1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
| 600m |
3°
|
2°
|
3°
|
3°
|
2°
|
2°
|
| 300m |
0°
|
0°
|
3°
|
3°
|
2°
|
2°
|
| Glen |
1°
|
1°
|
3°
|
4°
|
3°
|
2°
|
| Freezing Level |
800m
|
800m
|
900m
|
900m
|
900m
|
900m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
-11°
|
-11°
|
-12°
|
-12°
|
-12°
|
-11°
|
| 900m |
-6°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
-7°
|
-6°
|
| 600m |
0°
|
-1°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
| 300m |
-1°
|
-2°
|
1°
|
1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
| Glen |
0°
|
-1°
|
2°
|
2°
|
1°
|
1°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
Gusts of 35-40mph on exposed terrain will make for fairly arduous walking, especially on the Cairngorm Plateau and note the significant windchill.
Weather
Fog patches in glens to start the day, otherwise a dry morning with sunny spells above. Cloud will thicken through the afternoon, with summits becoming increasingly shrouded through the day. A few spots of light rain possible towards sunset, falling as snow above 800m. Strong winds on summits and ridges.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
60% decreasing to 30% during the afternoon.
Low cloud and visibility
Good visibility above low level fog patches. Occasional summit cloud with bases around 1000-1100m will thicken through the afternoon, lowering to 700-800m in the evening.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Early morning mist and fog patches in glens. Otherwise a dry day with bright or sunny spells. A few patches of hill fog are possible, this becoming extensive towards the evening.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
70% decreasing to 40% later.
Maximum wind speed expected
20-25mph gusting 35-40mph on summits and ridges.
Temperature
- At 800m Zero Celsius rising 2 Celsius.
- Glen Plus 1 rising 5 Celsius.
- Freezing level 800m rising to 1200m in the evening.
Low cloud and visibility
Good visibility above low level fog patches. The odd patch of cloud around summits will tend to clear through daytime, however by evening low cloud bases 700-800m will become extensive.
Mountain weather information
Tue 20 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Rather cloudy with a few showery outbreaks of rain, snow above 1200m. Strong to gale force winds on summits.
Wed 21 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Windy day with gales or severe gales on summits and ridges. Outbreaks of rain, snow above 1000m.
Thu 22 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Another windy day with severe gales on summits. Occasional rain, snow above 1000m.
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