Mountain weather
Northwest Highlands Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High confidence in unsettled weather continuing with strong winds at times.
This evening forecast
Dry to start but increasingly cloudy from the south with some patchy outbreaks of light rain, snow above 900-1000m. Strong southeasterly winds 35-45mph, gusting 50-60mph at times. Feeling bitterly cold.
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.
Mountain weather forecast
Cloudy, rainy morning. Brighter afternoon. More rain evening. Windy.
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
60% | 70% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 20% | 40% | 50% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
E
36
|
SE
37
|
SE
41
|
E
31
|
SE
25
|
SE
34
|
E
46
|
E
50
|
| 900m |
E
33
|
SE
35
|
SE
39
|
E
30
|
SE
24
|
SE
32
|
E
43
|
E
47
|
| 600m |
E
25
|
SE
23
|
SE
26
|
E
20
|
SE
17
|
SE
21
|
E
31
|
E
32
|
| 300m |
E
5
|
SE
5
|
SE
8
|
E
7
|
E
5
|
E
6
|
E
10
|
E
11
|
| Glen |
E
16
|
E
14
|
E
16
|
E
14
|
E
12
|
E
12
|
E
20
|
E
20
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m | 44 | 45 | 50 | 38 | 31 | 42 | 57 | 62 |
| 900m | 41 | 43 | 47 | 37 | 30 | 39 | 53 | 58 |
| 600m | 33 | 31 | 35 | 28 | 24 | 30 | 42 | 44 |
| 300m | 30 | 30 | 34 | 26 | 19 | 26 | 40 | 42 |
| Glen | 34 | 31 | 33 | 28 | 20 | 25 | 39 | 41 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
-1°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
-1°
|
| 900m |
0°
|
0°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
0°
|
| 600m |
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
1°
|
2°
|
| 300m |
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
3°
|
4°
|
4°
|
3°
|
4°
|
| Glen |
7°
|
7°
|
6°
|
6°
|
7°
|
7°
|
6°
|
7°
|
| Freezing Level |
1,000m
|
1,000m
|
900m
|
900m
|
900m
|
800m
|
700m
|
1,400m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
-10°
|
-10°
|
-11°
|
-10°
|
-9°
|
-10°
|
-12°
|
-11°
|
| 900m |
-8°
|
-8°
|
-9°
|
-9°
|
-8°
|
-9°
|
-11°
|
-9°
|
| 600m |
-4°
|
-4°
|
-5°
|
-5°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-6°
|
-5°
|
| 300m |
2°
|
2°
|
1°
|
0°
|
2°
|
2°
|
0°
|
1°
|
| Glen |
3°
|
3°
|
2°
|
2°
|
4°
|
3°
|
1°
|
3°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
Gusts of 50-60mph will give very difficult walking conditions with progress highly impeded and a significant risk of being blown over, with a chance of gusts over 70mph over the very highest summits. Feeling bitterly cold so suitable clothing is advised. There will still be icy surfaces and lying snow at height so keep up to date with the latest avalanche forecast from Scottish Avalanche Information Service (SAIS). Feeling bitterly cold at height so suitable clothing is advised.
Weather
Cloud with outbreaks of light rain in the morning, falling as snow above 900m. Becoming largely dry with bright or sunny spells in the afternoon. Clouding over through the evening with further outbreaks of light rain.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
20% morning, rising to 70% in afternoon, falling to 20% in evening. Best chances in the northwest.
Low cloud and visibility
Widespread cloud down to 400-600m in the morning with visibilities falling moderate or poor in light rain and hill fog. Cloud becoming well broken through the afternoon with good visibilities, before becoming widespread again in the evening.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Another dull day with quite widespread cloud. Some outbreaks of light rain, increasingly falling as snow later through the day. Cold and very windy.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
20%. Best chances in the northwest
Maximum wind speed expected
East to southeast 45-55mph, gusting 70-80mph, perhaps over 90mph over the highest summits.
Temperature
- At 800m Plus 3C falling to Minus 1C.
- Glen Plus 3C to plus 8C.
- Freezing level 1200m falling to 600m.
Low cloud and visibility
Quite widespread cloud down to 400-600m and visibilities falling poor in hill fog. Best chance of limited clearer breaks in the more sheltered northwest.
Mountain weather information
Fri 23 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Staying cloudy with a few outbreaks of light rain or summit snow. Strong east to southeast winds. Freezing level 500-700m.
Sat 24 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Staying cloudy with some showery outbreaks of light rain or summit snow, mainly in east. Strong east to southeast winds. Freezing level 500-700m.
Sun 25 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Similar to previous days. Staying cloudy with some showery outbreaks of light rain or summit snow, mainly in east. Strong east to southeast winds. Freezing level 300-500m.
Updated at:
Summit specific forecast
Mountain summit forecast map
Loading map…
Key
Mountain summits
Other points of interest
Cluster of multiple stations
Separated from the Grampians by the Great Glen the weather forecast area includes Wester Ross, Assynt, Sutherland, Knoydart, Torridon, Glen Affric and the Cuillin Hills on the Isle of Skye.
For snow and avalanche hazard forecasts please visit Scottish Avalanche Information Service