Mountain weather

Mountain weather

Northwest Highlands

Confidence

Low for extent of cloud breaks in the east on Monday. Otherwise high for dry and settled weather for the next few days.

Mountain hazards

Mountain weather hazards

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

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.
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.
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.

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.

Mountain weather forecast

Cloudy with rain, drier in the east

Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
Weather symbols Heavy Rain Heavy Rain Fog Fog Fog Partly cloudy (night)
Chance of
precipitation
(at 800m)
Chance of precipitation
50%
60%
50%
50%
30%
20%

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 SW 30mph knots
SW
30mph
SW 25mph knots
SW
25mph
SW 27mph knots
SW
27mph
SW 25mph knots
SW
25mph
SW 22mph knots
SW
22mph
W 18mph knots
W
18mph
900m
900m SW 26mph knots
SW
26mph
SW 22mph knots
SW
22mph
SW 24mph knots
SW
24mph
SW 23mph knots
SW
23mph
SW 20mph knots
SW
20mph
W 16mph knots
W
16mph
600m
600m SW 17mph knots
SW
17mph
SW 18mph knots
SW
18mph
SW 19mph knots
SW
19mph
SW 19mph knots
SW
19mph
SW 16mph knots
SW
16mph
SW 11mph knots
SW
11mph
300m
300m SW 2mph knots
SW
2mph
SW 2mph knots
SW
2mph
SW 5mph knots
SW
5mph
SW 5mph knots
SW
5mph
SW 4mph knots
SW
4mph
W 2mph knots
W
2mph
Glen
Glen S 1mph knots
S
1mph
S 6mph knots
S
6mph
S 7mph knots
S
7mph
SW 9mph knots
SW
9mph
SW 8mph knots
SW
8mph
W 4mph knots
W
4mph

Wind gust

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1000m
1000m 34mph 30mph 33mph 31mph 27mph 22mph
900m
900m 31mph 27mph 30mph 29mph 25mph 21mph
600m
600m 21mph 22mph 25mph 25mph 21mph 16mph
300m
300m 20mph 19mph 22mph 22mph 19mph 15mph
Glen
Glen 8mph 16mph 15mph 16mph 14mph 11mph

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1000m
1000m 1 degrees Celsius 2 degrees Celsius 2 degrees Celsius 2 degrees Celsius 2 degrees Celsius 1 degrees Celsius
900m
900m 2 degrees Celsius 3 degrees Celsius 3 degrees Celsius 3 degrees Celsius 3 degrees Celsius 2 degrees Celsius
600m
600m 6 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius
300m
300m 10 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius
Glen
Glen 12 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius
Freezing Level Freezing Level
3100m
3000m
2800m
3000m
3000m
2900m

Additional weather information

Meteorologist's view

Strong winds at height will lead to drenching conditions in rain.

Weather

Cloudy across the west of the region with rain, although becoming drier from the west later in the afternoon. The east of the region will be dry in the morning with broken cloud, a little rain will spread southeast for a time in the afternoon.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

20% in the west, 50% in the east

Low cloud and visibility

Poor in extensive cloud down to 500 to 800 metres, lowest bases across the west of the area. West coast ranges will see cloud down to 200 to 500 metres. Cloud will break at times across the east of the area with a better chance of seeing cloud free summits.

Ground conditions

No recent ground conditions report available.

Summit specific forecast