Mountain weather

Mountain weather

Northwest Highlands

Confidence

High confidence in spells of unsettled weather and drier interludes. Lower confidence for extent of cloud, wind and rain on Friday and Saturday.

Mountain hazards

Mountain weather hazards

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

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.

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.
Thunderstorms
Lightning is a significant mountain hazard which can result in serious injury or death. Mountain terrain often leaves one highly exposed to lightning strikes. Hail may give unpleasant conditions with torrential rain and localised flash flooding also possible, mainly in Summer months.
Heavy Persistent Rain
Heavy and persistent rain can lead to drenched clothing and footwear with waterproofs often becoming soaked through, especially if accompanied by strong winds. This can lead to significant loss of body heat and an increased likelihood of hypothermia. Terrain may turn increasingly boggy underfoot while streams can flood and become impassable. There may also be a risk of flooding in valleys or glens. If there is snow cover, a heightened avalanche hazard is possible and avalanche reports should be consulted where available.

Mountain weather forecast

Cloud, rain in morning. Scattered heavy showers afternoon, perhaps thundery.

Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
Weather symbols Heavy Rain Heavy Rain Heavy rain showers Heavy rain showers Heavy rain showers Cloudy
Chance of
precipitation
(at 800m)
Chance of precipitation
90%
80%
80%
90%
80%
40%

Wind direction and speed

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1000m
1000m S 18mph knots
S
18mph
SE 15mph knots
SE
15mph
SE 11mph knots
SE
11mph
NE 5mph knots
NE
5mph
N 7mph knots
N
7mph
N 6mph knots
N
6mph
900m
900m S 16mph knots
S
16mph
SE 13mph knots
SE
13mph
SE 9mph knots
SE
9mph
NE 5mph knots
NE
5mph
N 7mph knots
N
7mph
N 6mph knots
N
6mph
600m
600m S 9mph knots
S
9mph
SE 9mph knots
SE
9mph
SE 6mph knots
SE
6mph
SE 4mph knots
SE
4mph
N 6mph knots
N
6mph
N 4mph knots
N
4mph
300m
300m S 0mph knots
S
0mph
SE 1mph knots
SE
1mph
SE 1mph knots
SE
1mph
S 1mph knots
S
1mph
N 5mph knots
N
5mph
N 3mph knots
N
3mph
Glen
Glen E 1mph knots
E
1mph
E 3mph knots
E
3mph
SE 2mph knots
SE
2mph
W 3mph knots
W
3mph
N 3mph knots
N
3mph
N 4mph knots
N
4mph

Wind gust

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1000m
1000m 20mph 18mph 13mph 7mph 9mph 7mph
900m
900m 18mph 15mph 12mph 7mph 9mph 8mph
600m
600m 12mph 11mph 8mph 6mph 8mph 6mph
300m
300m 9mph 7mph 7mph 5mph 9mph 6mph
Glen
Glen 4mph 7mph 6mph 5mph 7mph 7mph

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1000m
1000m 3 degrees Celsius 4 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius 7 degrees Celsius 7 degrees Celsius
900m
900m 4 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius 7 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius
600m
600m 8 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius
300m
300m 12 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius
Glen
Glen 14 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius 16 degrees Celsius 16 degrees Celsius 16 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius
Freezing Level Freezing Level
2100m
2200m
2400m
2400m
2500m
2400m

Additional weather information

Meteorologist's view

Soaking conditions in frequent heavy showers in the afternoon. Risk of medium UV levels in strong sunlight between showers.

Weather

Cloudy this morning with outbreaks of rain, these heavy at times. Cloud will break up somewhat during the middle of the day to allow heavy and perhaps thundery showers to develop. These will gradually ease off through the evening.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

20% in the early morning. Rising to 60% by the afternoon.

Low cloud and visibility

Some areas of cloud down to 300-500m in the early morning and visibilities falling poor in rain and hill fog. Cloud becomes more broken through the afternoon and mainly above summits but visibilities will rapidly fall poor as heavy showers pass through.

Ground conditions

No recent ground conditions report available.

Summit specific forecast