Mountain weather
Northwest Highlands Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High confidence for an unsettled couple of days with high pressure building once again to bring dry and settled conditions from Tuesday onwards.
This evening forecast
Dry with patchy cloud and evening sunshine, then long clear spells later. Moderate southeasterly wind, windier though on higher ground where it will also feel cold.
Mountain weather hazards
Hazards apply at or above 300m, reflecting the more severe conditions which can occur at altitude.
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.
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.
Mountain weather forecast
Mostly cloudy with outbreaks of rain from late morning.
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
10% | 10% | 20% | 40% | 40% | 60% | 40% | 30% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
SE
18
|
SE
18
|
S
22
|
SW
23
|
SW
20
|
SW
16
|
SW
16
|
SW
16
|
| 900m |
SE
16
|
SE
16
|
S
19
|
SW
21
|
SW
19
|
SW
16
|
SW
15
|
SW
15
|
| 600m |
SE
11
|
SE
10
|
S
10
|
SW
14
|
SW
15
|
SW
13
|
SW
11
|
SW
10
|
| 300m |
E
2
|
SE
1
|
S
1
|
SW
5
|
SW
7
|
SW
7
|
SW
5
|
SW
3
|
| Glen |
E
6
|
E
4
|
SE
2
|
W
3
|
SW
8
|
SW
8
|
SW
6
|
SW
4
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m | 21 | 21 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 22 | 22 | 21 |
| 900m | 20 | 19 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 22 | 21 | 20 |
| 600m | 14 | 13 | 15 | 19 | 22 | 19 | 17 | 15 |
| 300m | 9 | 8 | 11 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 13 |
| Glen | 10 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 10 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
3°
|
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
3°
|
| 900m |
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
5°
|
5°
|
5°
|
5°
|
4°
|
| 600m |
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
7°
|
8°
|
8°
|
7°
|
6°
|
| 300m |
5°
|
5°
|
7°
|
10°
|
10°
|
10°
|
9°
|
8°
|
| Glen |
9°
|
9°
|
10°
|
12°
|
12°
|
12°
|
12°
|
10°
|
| Freezing Level |
1,400m
|
1,900m
|
1,900m
|
1,800m
|
1,800m
|
1,700m
|
1,600m
|
1,600m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
-2°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
| 900m |
-1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
0°
|
0°
|
1°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
| 600m |
2°
|
2°
|
3°
|
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
3°
|
| 300m |
4°
|
4°
|
6°
|
9°
|
9°
|
8°
|
8°
|
7°
|
| Glen |
7°
|
8°
|
10°
|
11°
|
10°
|
10°
|
10°
|
10°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
Poor visibility in low cloud will make for tricky navigation. Feeling cold on higher routes and summits.
Weather
Clear spells in the early hours but turning cloudy through the morning with outbreaks of showery rain spreading eastwards. Long dry spells in the evening.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
40%.
Low cloud and visibility
Occasional low cloud bases of around 800m developing from late morning with these becoming more widespread through the day and lowering to 300-500m in the evening. Visibility poor in cloud and showers, otherwise good.
Mountain weather information
Weather
A mostly cloudy day with some bright or sunny spells breaking through at times. Scattered showers for much of the day before turning dry by late afternoon. Light to moderate northwesterly winds.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
40%.
Maximum wind speed expected
Northwest 15-20mph.
Temperature
- At 800m Plus 4 or 5C.
- Glen Plus 8C rising to 14C in the afternoon.
- Freezing level Above summits.
Low cloud and visibility
Occasional low cloud bases of 800-1000m throughout the day, these lower in the morning falling to 400-600m. Visibility poor in cloud and showers, otherwise good.
Mountain weather information
Tue 28 Apr
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Dry with sunny spells and light winds. Cold on summits early morning.
Wed 29 Apr
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Dry with long spells of sunshine and light winds.
Thu 30 Apr
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Dry with plenty of sunshine light winds.
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