Mountain weather
Northwest Highlands Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High confidence for conditions to remain unsettled with outbreaks of rain throughout. Low confidence in any rainfall detail and timings from Monday onwards.
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 spells with showers possible in the afternoon. Strong winds at times. Very cold.
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
<05% | 10% | 40% | 40% | 40% | 10% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
SE
24
|
SE
25
|
E
21
|
SE
14
|
SE
11
|
SE
12
|
| 900m |
SE
21
|
SE
23
|
E
21
|
SE
14
|
SE
11
|
SE
12
|
| 600m |
SE
16
|
SE
18
|
E
14
|
SE
11
|
SE
8
|
SE
9
|
| 300m |
E
5
|
E
6
|
E
5
|
E
6
|
E
3
|
SE
1
|
| Glen |
E
11
|
E
15
|
E
13
|
E
8
|
E
5
|
E
3
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m | 28 | 29 | 26 | 17 | 13 | 15 |
| 900m | 25 | 27 | 26 | 17 | 13 | 14 |
| 600m | 19 | 22 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 11 |
| 300m | 17 | 17 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 8 |
| Glen | 16 | 21 | 23 | 11 | 7 | 6 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
0°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
| 900m |
1°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
0°
|
| 600m |
3°
|
3°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
| 300m |
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
0°
|
| Glen |
5°
|
5°
|
5°
|
6°
|
5°
|
4°
|
| Freezing Level |
900m
|
900m
|
900m
|
1,000m
|
1,000m
|
900m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
-7°
|
-8°
|
-8°
|
-6°
|
-5°
|
-5°
|
| 900m |
-6°
|
-7°
|
-8°
|
-6°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
| 600m |
-2°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
-2°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
| 300m |
-1°
|
-1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
0°
|
-2°
|
| Glen |
2°
|
1°
|
2°
|
3°
|
3°
|
3°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
A very cold and day with for tricky navigation conditions in cloud. A few wintry showers possible so warm and waterproof clothing needed. Care needed on higher slopes where winds will be stronger.
Weather
A dry morning with bright or sunny spells, especially in the west. Showers spreading across the north through the afternoon and evening, staying mostly dry in the south. Showers wintry above 1000m. Very cold.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
60% in the morning, becoming 20% chance.
Low cloud and visibility
Low cloud with base 500-700m in the morning but also sunny spells. Cloud becoming more extensive in the afternoon and possibly falling to lower slopes in rain, especially in north. Poor visibility in cloud and very poor in showers.
Mountain weather information
Weather
A mostly dry day with variable cloud and clear or sunny spells. Strong southeasterly winds. Very cold with severe wind chill.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
80%.
Maximum wind speed expected
Southeasterly 20-25mph gusting 30-35mph.
Temperature
- At 800m 0 Celsius.
- Glen Plus 4 Celsius.
- Freezing level 800m.
Low cloud and visibility
Occasional low cloud bases down to 400-600m with good breaks in the cloud but tops giving cloud free summits at times. Visibility poor in cloud.
Mountain weather information
Mon 19 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Cloudy with a few outbreaks of rain. Strong southeasterly winds. Freezing level 800m.
Tue 20 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Cloudy with rain spreading northwards. Strong southeasterly winds. Freezing level 800m.
Wed 21 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Cloudy with rain at times. Strong southeasterly winds. Freezing level rising above summits.
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