Mountain weather
Northwest Highlands Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High confidence for generally unsettled and windy conditions over the coming days. Low confidence in timing of rain on Thursday.
Mountain weather hazards
Hazards apply at or above 300m, reflecting the more severe conditions which can occur at altitude.
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.
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
Cloud and rain clearing to sunny spells and showers. Strong to gale force winds. Feeling cold.
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
80% | 30% | 10% | 30% | 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 |
W
39
|
W
30
|
W
35
|
W
34
|
W
33
|
W
24
|
| 900m |
W
37
|
W
29
|
W
34
|
W
33
|
W
31
|
W
23
|
| 600m |
W
25
|
W
22
|
W
25
|
W
24
|
W
21
|
W
14
|
| 300m |
W
9
|
W
7
|
W
11
|
W
11
|
W
7
|
W
4
|
| Glen |
W
12
|
W
12
|
W
15
|
W
17
|
W
14
|
W
7
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m | 47 | 37 | 43 | 43 | 41 | 31 |
| 900m | 45 | 36 | 42 | 42 | 39 | 30 |
| 600m | 33 | 29 | 33 | 33 | 29 | 21 |
| 300m | 33 | 29 | 34 | 33 | 28 | 20 |
| Glen | 25 | 22 | 27 | 30 | 26 | 16 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
1°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
-3°
|
-4°
|
| 900m |
2°
|
0°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
-3°
|
| 600m |
4°
|
3°
|
3°
|
2°
|
0°
|
0°
|
| 300m |
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
5°
|
3°
|
2°
|
| Glen |
9°
|
8°
|
8°
|
8°
|
6°
|
4°
|
| Freezing Level |
1,200m
|
800m
|
700m
|
600m
|
500m
|
400m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
-7°
|
-9°
|
-10°
|
-11°
|
-13°
|
-12°
|
| 900m |
-6°
|
-8°
|
-9°
|
-10°
|
-11°
|
-11°
|
| 600m |
-2°
|
-3°
|
-4°
|
-5°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
| 300m |
4°
|
4°
|
3°
|
2°
|
1°
|
0°
|
| Glen |
6°
|
5°
|
5°
|
4°
|
2°
|
2°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
Winds stronger in the north than indicated in the table with a risk of gales (50mph) throughout the day on higher routes. Strong winds will make for strenuous walking conditions. Tricky navigation in the morning with low cloud and rain. Note temperatures falling and becoming very cold later in the day.
Weather
Cloudy with outbreaks of rain and higher summit snow at first and risk of some heavier outbreaks for a time, but clearing southeastwards in the morning, then brighter, with sunny spells and scattered showers feeding in from the west. Snow on highest peaks at first but freezing level lowering allowing wintry showers down to 400m by end of the day.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
Nil at first, increasing to 90% by the afternoon.
Low cloud and visibility
Widespread low cloud bases down to 500-700m early morning, perhaps falling to lower slopes in any heavier rain. Breaking up from late morning, leaving scattered cloud, bases of 800-1000m. Visibility poor or very poor at first in cloud and rain, becoming very good outside of cloud and showers by the afternoon.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Mostly cloudy but bright in the morning with just the odd shower. Becoming cloudier in the afternoon as heavy rain spreads southeastwards, wintry at first. Strong southwesterly winds with gales or severe gales later. Feeling very cold.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
95% in the morning, quickly falling to nil in the afternoon.
Maximum wind speed expected
Southwesterly 40-50mph gusting 55-65mph.
Temperature
- At 800m Minus 2C rising to plus 5C by end of the day.
- Glen Plus 1C in the morning, rising to 7C later in the day.
- Freezing level 400m rising above summits by end of the day.
Low cloud and visibility
Isolated low cloud with base 800-1000m in the morning. Low cloud becoming more widespread in the afternoon with bases lowering to 400-600m. Good visibility in the morning, very poor later in cloud and heavy rain.
Mountain weather information
Tue 24 Mar
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Mostly cloudy with frequent wintry showers. Strong to gale force southwesterly winds. Freezing level above summits at first, then falling to 400m.
Wed 25 Mar
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Cloudy with snow showers, often merging to longer periods of snow. Strong to gale force northwesterly winds. Freezing level 400m, falling to 200m at times.
Thu 26 Mar
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Bright spells and a few wintry showers in the morning, then mainly dry but heavier rain arriving towards evening. Fresh westerly winds at first, gale force southwesterly winds later. Freezing level 400-500m.
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