Mountain weather

Mountain weather

North Grampian

Confidence

High for changeable and unsettled conditions to continue and for cool and showery weather next week. Lower confidence in the timings of heavy rain on Sunday.

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.
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.
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.

Mountain weather forecast

Cloudy with patchy rain. Breezy on the tops.

Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
Weather symbols Cloudy Cloudy Light rain Light rain Light rain Light rain
Chance of
precipitation
(at 800m)
Chance of precipitation
30%
40%
50%
60%
60%
60%

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 SE 36mph knots
SE
36mph
SE 36mph knots
SE
36mph
SE 32mph knots
SE
32mph
SE 27mph knots
SE
27mph
SE 21mph knots
SE
21mph
SE 23mph knots
SE
23mph
900m
900m N 14mph knots
N
14mph
S 25mph knots
S
25mph
SE 25mph knots
SE
25mph
SE 27mph knots
SE
27mph
SE 22mph knots
SE
22mph
S 19mph knots
S
19mph
600m
600m N 8mph knots
N
8mph
SW 8mph knots
SW
8mph
W 9mph knots
W
9mph
SE 10mph knots
SE
10mph
S 11mph knots
S
11mph
SE 6mph knots
SE
6mph
300m
300m NE 2mph knots
NE
2mph
S 6mph knots
S
6mph
SW 5mph knots
SW
5mph
S 5mph knots
S
5mph
SW 6mph knots
SW
6mph
E 3mph knots
E
3mph
Glen
Glen SE 1mph knots
SE
1mph
S 4mph knots
S
4mph
S 5mph knots
S
5mph
S 5mph knots
S
5mph
S 4mph knots
S
4mph
S 2mph knots
S
2mph

Wind gust

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1300m
1300m 45mph 45mph 41mph 35mph 27mph 29mph
900m
900m 16mph 29mph 32mph 35mph 30mph 26mph
600m
600m 9mph 11mph 14mph 19mph 19mph 10mph
300m
300m 4mph 12mph 10mph 11mph 11mph 6mph
Glen
Glen 7mph 15mph 15mph 14mph 12mph 9mph

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1300m
1300m -7 degrees Celsius -5 degrees Celsius -4 degrees Celsius -3 degrees Celsius -2 degrees Celsius -1 degrees Celsius
900m
900m 0 degrees Celsius 1 degrees Celsius 2 degrees Celsius 2 degrees Celsius 3 degrees Celsius 3 degrees Celsius
600m
600m 5 degrees Celsius 7 degrees Celsius 7 degrees Celsius 7 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius
300m
300m 9 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius
Glen
Glen 10 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius
Freezing Level Freezing Level
1600m
1600m
1800m
2000m
2100m
2200m

Additional weather information

Meteorologist's view

Rather cold on the summits for the time of year, especially in the rain and strong winds, so waterproofs and warm layers recommended. Gusts of 55mph over the Cairngorm plateau in the morning giving difficult walking conditions.

Weather

Mainly dry at first but patchy rain spreading north later. A cloudy day with outbreaks of rain, these mainly light in nature but may turn heavier for brief times during the afternoon and evening.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

70%, becoming 30% during afternoon, best chance in north.

Low cloud and visibility

Patchy cloud with bases 800 to 1000m during the morning and into the afternoon, becoming more extensive above 600m in the south from late afternoon. Away from low cloud, visibility will be mainly good but reducing to a few km in rain.

Ground conditions

No recent ground conditions report available.

Summit specific forecast