Mountain weather

Mountain weather

North Grampian

Confidence

High confidence for the overall themes for the next few days. Some uncertainty on strongest winds expected on Monday as well as the extent of the thundery showers on Tuesday afternoon.

Mountain hazards

Mountain weather hazards

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

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.
Strong Sunlight
Harmful UV levels from sunlight increase with altitude giving a greater risk of sunburn and eye damage, even on some overcast days. On breezy days, the cooling effect of wind on exposed skin may disguise any feeling of sunburn until it is too late. If there is snow cover, glare increases the effect of UV rays especially on the eyes. It is advisable to wear sun block, protective clothing such as a long-sleeved top and hat and have good quality eye protection.

Storm Force Winds
Storm force winds (gusts over 70mph) make walking very strenuous with any mobility virtually impossible over exposed ground. Where these conditions occur there is a high risk of being blown over and even standing may be impossible at times with a risk of being blown off one’s feet. Basic tasks such as using a map, eating, putting on extra clothing or communication become extremely difficult away from any shelter.
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

A bright, windy day with the odd light scattered shower. Gales on tops, risk of severe gales in the morning.

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

Wind direction and speed

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1300m
1300m SW 40mph knots
SW
40mph
SW 35mph knots
SW
35mph
W 33mph knots
W
33mph
SW 29mph knots
SW
29mph
SW 22mph knots
SW
22mph
S 20mph knots
S
20mph
900m
900m SW 37mph knots
SW
37mph
SW 33mph knots
SW
33mph
SW 30mph knots
SW
30mph
SW 27mph knots
SW
27mph
SW 21mph knots
SW
21mph
S 19mph knots
S
19mph
600m
600m SW 23mph knots
SW
23mph
SW 22mph knots
SW
22mph
SW 22mph knots
SW
22mph
SW 19mph knots
SW
19mph
SW 16mph knots
SW
16mph
SW 9mph knots
SW
9mph
300m
300m SW 10mph knots
SW
10mph
SW 13mph knots
SW
13mph
SW 14mph knots
SW
14mph
SW 13mph knots
SW
13mph
SW 10mph knots
SW
10mph
SW 3mph knots
SW
3mph
Glen
Glen SW 4mph knots
SW
4mph
SW 6mph knots
SW
6mph
SW 6mph knots
SW
6mph
SW 6mph knots
SW
6mph
SW 5mph knots
SW
5mph
SW 2mph knots
SW
2mph

Wind gust

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1300m
1300m 52mph 46mph 44mph 37mph 29mph 26mph
900m
900m 43mph 39mph 37mph 33mph 26mph 22mph
600m
600m 28mph 29mph 28mph 25mph 20mph 14mph
300m
300m 24mph 28mph 29mph 26mph 20mph 9mph
Glen
Glen 24mph 27mph 22mph 20mph 18mph 14mph

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1300m
1300m -4 degrees Celsius -4 degrees Celsius -1 degrees Celsius 0 degrees Celsius 1 degrees Celsius 0 degrees Celsius
900m
900m 0 degrees Celsius 1 degrees Celsius 3 degrees Celsius 4 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius
600m
600m 5 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius 7 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius
300m
300m 9 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius
Glen
Glen 9 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius
Freezing Level Freezing Level
1900m
2000m
2100m
2200m
2100m
2100m

Additional weather information

Meteorologist's view

Winds likely to be stronger at height than tables and apps show, especially in the morning; Gusts of 50-60mph on summits and ridges will give very difficult walking conditions with a significant risk of being blown over.

Weather

A bright, windy day with sunny spells and the odd scattered, mostly light shower. Best of the sunnier spells in the east. Gale or severe gales on summits and ridges in the morning, easing a touch but remaining strong to gale force in the afternoon.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

40% rising to 80% in the afternoon, best chances in the east.

Low cloud and visibility

Patchy cloud bases around 900m in the morning will lift to 1200m or above in the afternoon. Visibility will be good below cloud bases with only brief and slight deteriorations in any passing showers.

Ground conditions

No recent ground conditions report available.

Summit specific forecast