Mountain weather

North Grampian

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North Grampian Mountain weather forecast table

Confidence

High confidence until Thursday but low confidence in timing and detail of rain and strong winds from Thursday onwards.

Sunrise:
Sunset:
Mountain hazards

Mountain weather hazards

Hazards apply at or above 300m, reflecting the more severe conditions which can occur at altitude.

hazard Gales
Gale force winds (gusts over 50mph) make walking difficult and strenuous with a potential to be blown over by gusts. There is often a marked increase in winds through cols or on exposed ridges and summits. Distances can take longer to cover and compass bearings become harder to follow accurately.
hazard 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.
hazard 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 hazards explained
Avalanche information for Scotland. Scottish Avalanche Information Service.

Mountain weather forecast

Cloudy morning with outbreaks of light rain and drizzle, drier and brighter in the afternoon. Strong winds and feeling cold on higher routes.

Time 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
 Light rain Drizzle Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Cloudy Cloudy
Chance of precipitation
(at 800m)
 60% 20% 10% 10% 10% 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 W
33
 W
28
 W
29
 W
27
 W
27
 SW
28
900m SW
33
 SW
24
 W
25
 SW
24
 SW
23
 SW
24
600m SW
18
 SW
17
 W
19
 SW
18
 SW
15
 SW
16
300m W
10
 SW
7
 SW
10
 SW
11
 SW
8
 SW
6
Glen SW
6
 SW
3
 SW
8
 SW
8
 SW
5
 SW
5
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
Time 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1300m 44 38 37 35 36 38
900m 37 29 31 30 29 30
600m 24 22 25 24 20 22
300m 24 16 20 22 19 18
Glen 25 17 23 23 18 19

Altitude above mean sea level
Time 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1300m
1°
1°
1°
1°
1°
1°
900m
4°
4°
4°
4°
4°
4°
600m
6°
6°
7°
7°
7°
6°
300m
7°
8°
10°
10°
9°
8°
Glen
8°
9°
12°
12°
10°
9°
Freezing Level
1,800m
1,600m
1,500m
1,500m
1,500m
1,600m

Altitude above mean sea level
Time 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1300m
-7°
-7°
-7°
-7°
-7°
-7°
900m
-2°
-2°
-1°
-1°
-2°
-2°
600m
1°
2°
3°
3°
3°
2°
300m
4°
6°
8°
8°
7°
6°
Glen
6°
9°
10°
10°
8°
8°

Additional weather information

Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view

Strong winds and feeling cold on higher routes, warm and waterproof clothing required. Low cloud throughout the day will make for tricky navigation.

Weather

A mostly cloudy day with outbreaks of light rain and drizzle, mainly in the west in the morning. Some bright or sunny spells developing in the afternoon, the best of these in the northeast towards the Ladder Hills. Feeling cold with strong winds and risk of gales on higher routes.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

50%, best chance in the northeast.

Low cloud and visibility

Low cloud with base 600-800m for much of the day, falling to lower slopes in rain during the morning. Some brighter spells and breaks possible in the afternoon, mainly northeast, where cloud may briefly clear from hill tops. Visibility generally poor in cloud and rain, good outside of cloud.

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Mountain weather information

Weather

Dry morning with some bright spells. A band of heavy rain spreads southeastwards through the afternoon, becoming drier in the evening with clear periods developing. Freezing level lowering with snow falling down to 500m in the afternoon. Strong winds easing in the evening, feeling cold on higher routes.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

20% in northeast in the morning, otherwise nil, then becoming 80% through the evening.

Maximum wind speed expected

Southwesterly 30-35mph gusting 40-45mph, becoming northeasterly 15-20mph gusting 20-25mph.

Temperature

  • At 800m Plus 4C, falling to minus 2C in the evening.
  • Glen Plus 9C, falling to plus 3C in the evening.
  • Freezing level Above summits, falling to 400-500m by end of the day.

Low cloud and visibility

A few breaks in the northeast in the morning, but otherwise widespread low cloud with base 500-700m, perhaps to lower slopes in heavy rain. Low cloud lifting and breaking in the evening to leave little low cloud. Visibility very poor in heavy rain and cloud, otherwise good outside of cloud.

Mountain weather information

Thu 2 Apr

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Largely dry morning with sunny spells, cloudy with rain and hill snow spreading eastwards in the afternoon. Southeasterly winds becoming strong. Freezing level around 500m.

Fri 3 Apr

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Mostly cloudy with outbreaks of heavy rain and hill snow. Strong to gale force southwesterly winds. Freezing level rising above summits for a time before falling back to 500m.

Sat 4 Apr

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Some brighter spells with heavy showers feeding in from the west. Strong to gale force southwesterly winds.

Updated at:
Mountain weather explained

Summit specific forecast

Mountain summit forecast map

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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

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