Mountain weather

Northwest Highlands

Northwest Highlands Mountain weather forecast table

Confidence

Low for timing of rain on Sunday afternoon. High for a change to dry and somewhat drier weather on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Sunrise:
Sunset:
Mountain hazards

Mountain weather hazards

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

hazard 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.
hazard 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.

hazard 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.
hazard 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

Dry morning, rain spreading northeast in the afternoon. Windy.

Time 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
Heavy rain Heavy rain Cloudy Heavy rain Heavy rain Heavy rain
Chance of precipitation
(at 800m)
30% 20% 40% 70% 40% 30%

Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
Time 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1000m SW
46
SW
39
SW
35
SW
36
SW
41
SW
41
900m SW
42
SW
37
SW
32
SW
33
SW
37
SW
38
600m SW
28
SW
28
SW
26
SW
23
SW
26
SW
25
300m SW
7
SW
9
SW
8
SW
7
SW
8
SW
7
Glen SW
16
SW
10
SW
11
S
11
SW
15
SW
12
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
Time 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1000m 54 48 43 44 50 51
900m 49 47 40 41 47 48
600m 35 36 33 31 35 35
300m 35 33 29 29 34 34
Glen 31 19 20 24 31 29

Altitude above mean sea level
Time 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1000m
900m
600m
300m
10°
11°
10°
10°
10°
Glen
10°
12°
13°
12°
12°
12°
Freezing Level
2,000m
1,600m
1,900m
2,100m
2,300m
2,300m

Altitude above mean sea level
Time 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1000m
-1°
-3°
-2°
900m
-2°
600m
300m
Glen
10°
11°
10°
10°

Additional weather information

Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view

Higher summit gales expected leading to slow progress and a risk of being blown over.

Weather

Cloudy with rain, briefly heavy, spreading east at first. Then the rest of the morning will dry with cloud breaking from the west. Thickening cloud will soon extend northeast in the afternoon along with some rain, before rain turns patchy in the evening.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

50%, best chance in the morning

Low cloud and visibility

Poor in widespread low cloud down to 500 metres at first, this breaking and lifting on to the higher summits in the morning. Low cloud down to 500 metres will return to the Cuillins and Lochaber by mid-afternoon, then spreading northeast through the afternoon. Northern Sutherland and Caithness likely to be last to cloud over by early evening.

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Mountain weather information

Weather

Cloudy with rain in the morning. Drier weather will gradually extend north in the afternoon but still remaining cloudy.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

20%

Maximum wind speed expected

Southwesterly 35 mph with gusts to 50 mph at first, winds easing through the afternoon

Temperature

  • At 800m Plus 9 Celsius
  • Glen Plus 9 rising to 14 Celsius
  • Freezing level Above the summits

Low cloud and visibility

Poor in widespread low cloud down to 500 to 800 metres, this lingering for much of the day. Best chance of cloud breaks will be towards the Great Glen.

Mountain weather information

Tue 29 Apr

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Dry with variable amounts of cloud. Summits free of cloud. Warm at lower levels.

Wed 30 Apr

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Dry with some sunshine. Summits free of cloud. Warm at lower levels.

Thu 1 May

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Remaining dry and settled.

Updated at:

Summit specific forecast

Mountain summit forecast map

Loading map…

For snow and avalanche hazard forecasts please visit Scottish Avalanche Information Service