Mountain weather

Mountain weather

Northwest Highlands

Confidence

High for changeable weather for the next few days. Low for daily detail on Thursday and Friday.

Mountain hazards

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.

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.
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 and a few showers

Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
Weather symbols Heavy Rain Light rain showers Light rain showers Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Light rain
Chance of
precipitation
(at 800m)
Chance of precipitation
60%
40%
30%
30%
30%
30%

Wind direction and speed

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1000m
1000m SW 23mph knots
SW
23mph
SW 24mph knots
SW
24mph
SW 25mph knots
SW
25mph
SW 31mph knots
SW
31mph
SW 38mph knots
SW
38mph
SW 36mph knots
SW
36mph
900m
900m SW 21mph knots
SW
21mph
SW 23mph knots
SW
23mph
SW 25mph knots
SW
25mph
SW 30mph knots
SW
30mph
SW 36mph knots
SW
36mph
SW 34mph knots
SW
34mph
600m
600m S 14mph knots
S
14mph
SW 17mph knots
SW
17mph
SW 19mph knots
SW
19mph
SW 23mph knots
SW
23mph
SW 27mph knots
SW
27mph
SW 25mph knots
SW
25mph
300m
300m SW 1mph knots
SW
1mph
SW 7mph knots
SW
7mph
SW 9mph knots
SW
9mph
SW 9mph knots
SW
9mph
SW 9mph knots
SW
9mph
SW 6mph knots
SW
6mph
Glen
Glen S 5mph knots
S
5mph
SW 9mph knots
SW
9mph
SW 13mph knots
SW
13mph
SW 15mph knots
SW
15mph
SW 12mph knots
SW
12mph
SW 8mph knots
SW
8mph

Wind gust

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1000m
1000m 26mph 29mph 32mph 39mph 47mph 45mph
900m
900m 24mph 28mph 32mph 38mph 45mph 43mph
600m
600m 18mph 22mph 26mph 31mph 37mph 33mph
300m
300m 16mph 22mph 26mph 31mph 34mph 30mph
Glen
Glen 12mph 18mph 24mph 27mph 24mph 20mph

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1000m
1000m 2 degrees Celsius 1 degrees Celsius 2 degrees Celsius 1 degrees Celsius 0 degrees Celsius -1 degrees Celsius
900m
900m 3 degrees Celsius 2 degrees Celsius 3 degrees Celsius 2 degrees Celsius 1 degrees Celsius 1 degrees Celsius
600m
600m 6 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius 4 degrees Celsius
300m
300m 11 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius
Glen
Glen 12 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius
Freezing Level Freezing Level
2300m
2000m
2000m
1900m
1900m
2000m

Additional weather information

Meteorologist's view

Fresh southwesterly winds on the tops may be 10 mph or stronger than shown in the table above.

Weather

Outbreaks of rain during the early hours clearing soon after dawn. Then the rest of the day will see broken cloud and a few showers, but some good spells of dry weather too.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

60%, best chance in the afternoon

Low cloud and visibility

Poor in areas of cloud down to 700 metres in the morning, this most extensive across Skye and northern Lochaber. Cloud will become patchy above 900 metres in the afternoon with good visibility.

Ground conditions

No recent ground conditions report available.

Summit specific forecast