Mountain weather

North Grampian

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North Grampian Mountain weather forecast table

Confidence

High confidence in seeing generally unsettled weather, but low for details Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.

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 with occasional in southwest. Mostly dry northeast. Windy.

Time 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
 Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy
Chance of precipitation
(at 800m)
 20% 20% 20% 20% 20% 20%

Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
Time 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1300m S
47
 S
44
 S
42
 S
38
 S
38
 S
37
900m S
45
 S
44
 S
41
 S
37
 S
36
 S
35
600m S
21
 S
26
 S
23
 S
18
 S
24
 S
23
300m S
9
 S
10
 S
11
 SW
9
 S
8
 S
7
Glen S
3
 SW
7
 SW
10
 SW
9
 S
8
 SW
8
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
Time 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1300m 60 57 56 50 50 50
900m 52 52 50 46 45 44
600m 30 37 35 28 37 35
300m 22 26 25 22 22 19
Glen 23 30 30 28 26 27

Altitude above mean sea level
Time 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1300m
0°
-1°
-1°
0°
0°
-1°
900m
4°
4°
4°
5°
4°
4°
600m
6°
6°
6°
7°
6°
6°
300m
7°
8°
9°
9°
8°
8°
Glen
8°
8°
10°
10°
9°
8°
Freezing Level
1,600m
1,500m
2,300m
2,500m
2,200m
1,800m

Altitude above mean sea level
Time 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1300m
-10°
-10°
-10°
-9°
-9°
-10°
900m
-4°
-4°
-3°
-1°
-3°
-3°
600m
1°
1°
1°
3°
0°
1°
300m
5°
5°
6°
7°
6°
6°
Glen
7°
6°
7°
7°
6°
5°

Additional weather information

Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view

Gusts of 50-60mph or so will give difficult walking conditions with a risk of being blown off balance and energy output significantly increased when walking into the wind. This combined with quite extensive low cloud means navigation could be challenging. Feeling cold at height and underfoot conditions may be saturated or quite icy at moderate elevations with ongoing thaw of snow, so suitable clothing is advised. Keep up to date with the latest forecast from the Scottish Avalanche Information Service (SAIS).

Weather

Rain clears north in the early hours. Then a cloudy but mostly dry day, though the odd spot of light rain or drizzle possible west of the A9. Staying largely dry with some bright spells towards the more sheltered northeast towards Ben Rinnes, the Ladder Hills and the Lecht. Feeling a bit milder than Monday, but still cold at height with strong southerly winds.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

20% or less in southwest. 60% in sheltered northeast.

Low cloud and visibility

Widespread cloud down to 500-700m and visibilities poor in rain, drizzle or hill fog. Cloud more broken in shelter to the northeast with some clear summits and good visibilities possible.

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Mountain weather information

Weather

Low confidence in exact details. Cloudy with rain spreading slowly east through the day, heavy at times. Rain turning showery later in the day with some limited brighter spells possible. Feeling a touch milder than Tuesday, but still quite cold at height.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

20% or less in southwest. 40% in northeast, best chances in evening.

Maximum wind speed expected

South to southwest 20-30mph.

Temperature

  • At 800m Plus 3C to plus 6C.
  • Glen Plus 8C to plus 12C.
  • Freezing level Above summits.

Low cloud and visibility

Quite widespread cloud down to 500-700m and visibilities poor in rain or hill fog. Chance of clear summits at times in the more sheltered northeast with good visibilities between outbreaks of rain.

Mountain weather information

Thu 26 Feb

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Showers in the southwest, heavy at times, wintry on the tops. Drier and brighter in the northeast. Freezing level around 1000-1200m or so. Strong southwest winds.

Fri 27 Feb

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Low confidence. Chance of persistent rain in the morning. Otherwise showers, heavy at times. Freezing level falling to 600m or so later. Strong southwest veering northwest winds.

Sat 28 Feb

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Bright spells and wintry showers to start. Rain spreading east later. Strong south or southwest 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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