Mountain weather
Northwest Highlands Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High confidence for a cold northerly wind into Saturday and then a change to a milder mobile westerly situation from Saturday night.
Mountain weather hazards
Hazards apply at or above 300m, reflecting the more severe conditions which can occur at altitude.
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
Bright or sunny spells interspersed with snow showers. The early near gale summit wind will turn fresh northeast later.
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
20% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 30% | 20% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
E
40
|
E
37
|
E
25
|
NE
17
|
NE
18
|
NE
19
|
| 900m |
E
36
|
E
33
|
E
23
|
NE
16
|
NE
16
|
NE
17
|
| 600m |
NE
20
|
NE
18
|
NE
16
|
NE
12
|
NE
9
|
NE
9
|
| 300m |
E
3
|
E
2
|
E
4
|
NE
4
|
NE
4
|
NE
2
|
| Glen |
NE
3
|
NE
5
|
NE
8
|
NE
6
|
NE
6
|
NE
3
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m | 47 | 44 | 32 | 22 | 22 | 23 |
| 900m | 43 | 39 | 29 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| 600m | 26 | 24 | 22 | 17 | 14 | 13 |
| 300m | 32 | 28 | 22 | 16 | 15 | 14 |
| Glen | 17 | 19 | 19 | 15 | 15 | 11 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
-6°
|
-5°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
| 900m |
-5°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-3°
|
-5°
|
-5°
|
| 600m |
-2°
|
-2°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
-3°
|
| 300m |
1°
|
1°
|
2°
|
2°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
| Glen |
3°
|
4°
|
5°
|
5°
|
3°
|
2°
|
| Freezing Level |
200m
|
200m
|
300m
|
300m
|
200m
|
100m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
-17°
|
-16°
|
-14°
|
-12°
|
-13°
|
-14°
|
| 900m |
-15°
|
-14°
|
-12°
|
-10°
|
-12°
|
-12°
|
| 600m |
-9°
|
-8°
|
-7°
|
-6°
|
-7°
|
-7°
|
| 300m |
-1°
|
-1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
-2°
|
-3°
|
| Glen |
2°
|
1°
|
2°
|
3°
|
0°
|
0°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
Despite the easing wind and the occasional bright or sunny spell it will still feel bitterly cold from a low level. It will stay dry much of the time but clothing suitable for snow showers will still be needed.
Weather
The morning will begin mostly dry with bright or sunny spells. A band of cloud and showers will pass slowly south through the day, these falling as snow above 300m at first and to 100m by the end of the day. Drier and brighter conditions follow behind the cloud and showers later.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
70%.
Low cloud and visibility
The cloud will be mostly broken with the base 900-1000m. The cloud will fall to 400-600m and the visibility very poor in snow showers.
Mountain weather information
Weather
The day will be cloudy with sunny spells and scattered snow showers. The snow will fall to 100m
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
60%
Maximum wind speed expected
Northwest 10-15mph gust 25mph, increasing 20-25mph gust 35mph later.
Temperature
- At 800m Minus 3C.
- Glen Minus 4C rising plus 2C.
- Freezing level 300m, lowering 100m.
Low cloud and visibility
Patchy cloud with the base 600-800m will lower at times in showers. The visibility will be mostly good occasionally falling lower in showers.
Mountain weather information
Sat 14 Feb
Sunrise:
Sunset:
A dry day with sunny spells in the morning and high cloud spreading east in the afternoon. The freezing level will continue 100m in a strengthening southwest summit wind.
Sun 15 Feb
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Cloudy with snow then blustery showers later. The freezing level will rise from 100m 800m in a near gale southeast summit wind.
Mon 16 Feb
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Bright spells and wintery, blustery showers, some thundery. The freezing level will continue 800m with a gale to severe gale northwest summit wind.
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