Mountain weather
Northwest Highlands Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High for a lot of dry bright weather with a chance of a few showers, but lower confidence that this will last through the weekend as areas of rain and mountain snow start to affect parts of the country.
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.
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
Mainly dry, bright though rather cloudy, increasing chance of patchy rain and summit snow. Freshening southerly summit winds.
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
<05% | <05% | 10% | 10% | 20% | 40% |
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
8
|
S
11
|
S
14
|
SW
17
|
SW
21
|
SW
21
|
| 900m |
SE
8
|
S
11
|
S
14
|
SW
17
|
SW
20
|
SW
20
|
| 600m |
SE
6
|
S
9
|
S
11
|
SW
13
|
SW
15
|
SW
13
|
| 300m |
SE
2
|
S
5
|
S
6
|
SW
7
|
SW
6
|
SW
3
|
| Glen |
E
3
|
S
4
|
S
7
|
SW
9
|
SW
8
|
S
5
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m | 9 | 14 | 18 | 22 | 26 | 26 |
| 900m | 10 | 14 | 18 | 21 | 25 | 25 |
| 600m | 8 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 18 |
| 300m | 4 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 16 |
| Glen | 4 | 8 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 13 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
-2°
|
-2°
|
0°
|
1°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
| 900m |
-1°
|
-1°
|
1°
|
2°
|
1°
|
0°
|
| 600m |
1°
|
2°
|
4°
|
5°
|
3°
|
2°
|
| 300m |
3°
|
5°
|
8°
|
8°
|
6°
|
5°
|
| Glen |
6°
|
8°
|
10°
|
10°
|
9°
|
7°
|
| Freezing Level |
500m
|
600m
|
800m
|
900m
|
900m
|
800m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
-6°
|
-7°
|
-5°
|
-5°
|
-7°
|
-8°
|
| 900m |
-5°
|
-6°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-5°
|
-6°
|
| 600m |
-2°
|
-2°
|
0°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
| 300m |
2°
|
3°
|
6°
|
6°
|
4°
|
3°
|
| Glen |
5°
|
7°
|
8°
|
8°
|
7°
|
6°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
Nothing extra
Weather
The morning quite bright with a few hazy sunny intervals though quite a lot of cloud around , specially over Skye. In the afternoon some light showers will develop especially in the west and north of the area with light snow flurries on the Munro tops.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
90%, falling 80% in evening
Low cloud and visibility
Mostly good visibility with only patchy cloud above 1000m, this more likely in the evening.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Bright or sunny intervals and occasional showers, wintry on highest summits.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
60% rising 90% by late morning then falling 60% during evening.
Maximum wind speed expected
South to southwest 30 gusts 40mph.
Temperature
- At 800m Plus 1 rising to Plus 5 Celsius.
- Glen Plus 5 rising to Plus 12 Celsius.
- Freezing level 900m rising above summits.
Low cloud and visibility
Cloud down to 750-1000m at first then lifting to mainly above summits before dropping again in the evening, with hill fog. Also moderate visibility underneath in any heavier showers, otherwise good visibility.
Mountain weather information
Fri 8 May
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Mainly dry and bright with sunny intervals and the chance of a few showers. Freezing level 900m
Sat 9 May
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Low confidence. Probably cloudy with outbreaks of rain, mountain snow but a chance it could be drier.
Sun 10 May
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Confidence remaining low - most likely outcome is dry bright, but areas of rain in other parts of the country mean that the forecast should continue to be monitored.
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