Mountain weather
Northwest Highlands Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High confidence in the general evolution. Low confidence for details on Sunday.
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
Mainly dry morning. Some afternoon showers. Cold. Freshening winds.
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
10% | 20% | 30% | 30% | 40% | 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 |
E
33
|
E
35
|
E
31
|
E
34
|
NE
34
|
NE
34
|
| 900m |
E
31
|
E
32
|
E
31
|
E
32
|
NE
33
|
NE
30
|
| 600m |
E
21
|
E
20
|
E
19
|
E
22
|
NE
20
|
NE
19
|
| 300m |
E
6
|
E
6
|
E
7
|
E
7
|
NE
7
|
NE
7
|
| Glen |
E
17
|
E
16
|
E
14
|
NE
14
|
NE
13
|
NE
13
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m | 38 | 41 | 39 | 42 | 42 | 42 |
| 900m | 37 | 39 | 38 | 41 | 41 | 38 |
| 600m | 29 | 28 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 27 |
| 300m | 24 | 26 | 27 | 30 | 31 | 28 |
| Glen | 29 | 30 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 28 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
-1°
|
-2°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
| 900m |
-1°
|
-1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
0°
|
0°
|
| 600m |
2°
|
1°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
| 300m |
2°
|
2°
|
3°
|
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
| Glen |
5°
|
5°
|
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
| Freezing Level |
800m
|
800m
|
900m
|
900m
|
900m
|
900m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
-10°
|
-11°
|
-10°
|
-10°
|
-9°
|
-10°
|
| 900m |
-9°
|
-10°
|
-9°
|
-8°
|
-8°
|
-8°
|
| 600m |
-4°
|
-5°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
| 300m |
0°
|
-1°
|
0°
|
1°
|
1°
|
1°
|
| Glen |
0°
|
0°
|
2°
|
3°
|
3°
|
2°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
Increasingly windy conditions will make for fairly arduous walking on exposed terrain with buffeting of clothing. Balance may be affected at times. Feeling bitterly cold so suitable clothing is advised.
Weather
Mostly dry but cold with variable cloud and clear spells through the morning, chance of the odd shower over Knoydart and Skye. Cloudy through the afternoon as scattered showers feed in from the east and later northeast, these wintry above 800-900m. Staying driest towards Torridon. Light winds in the morning will gradually freshen through the day.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
70% at first falling to 40% by midday. Best chances near the west coast
Low cloud and visibility
Summits often clear and good visibilities in the early morning, but some areas of cloud around 600-800m. Cloud becomes more extensive in the east down to 500-700m through the day with scattered showers feeding in, best chance of clearer breaks towards the more sheltered west. Visibilities falling rapidly moderate or poor as showers pass through.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Scattered showers feed in from the north throughout the morning, wintry to 500-600m, staying driest towards the sheltered southern inland ranges of Glen Shiel, Glen Affric and Strathfarrar. Feeling bitterly cold.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
30% north, 60% south.
Maximum wind speed expected
North 25-35mph
Temperature
- At 800m Minus 3C to 0C
- Glen 0C rising to plus 6C
- Freezing level 1000m falling to 500m
Low cloud and visibility
Quite widespread cloud down to 500-700m in frequent showers in the north with visibilities falling rapidly and temporarily moderate or poor. Often clear summits and good visibilities outwith showers, particularly in the south.
Mountain weather information
Tue 25 Nov
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Mostly dry with bright spells and variable cloud, but cold. A few morning showers. Freezing level around 500m. Light winds.
Wed 26 Nov
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Dry first thing. Cloud and rain spread east in the morning. Becoming much milder, freezing level rising well above summits. Strengthening southwest winds, summit gales.
Thu 27 Nov
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Cloudy with outbreaks of rain. Freezing level above summits. Strong southwest 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