Mountain weather
Northwest Highlands Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High confidence in the cold, strong southeasterly winds persisting this weekend and into next week. Some uncertainty on the timing and extent of frontal snowfall on Monday night.
This evening forecast
Mainly dry with clear spells. Cloudy with snow showers for Sutherland. Bitterly cold with severe gales on tops.
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.
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, snow showers in the north. Strong winds, gales on tops.
| 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) |
20% | 20% | 20% | 20% | 20% | 20% | 20% | 20% |
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 |
E
48
|
E
40
|
E
36
|
E
38
|
E
37
|
E
37
|
E
39
|
E
39
|
| 900m |
E
43
|
E
36
|
E
34
|
E
35
|
E
35
|
E
36
|
E
36
|
E
38
|
| 600m |
E
28
|
E
23
|
E
20
|
E
22
|
E
22
|
E
22
|
E
23
|
E
24
|
| 300m |
E
3
|
E
3
|
E
5
|
E
5
|
E
6
|
E
6
|
E
7
|
E
7
|
| Glen |
E
17
|
E
13
|
E
13
|
E
12
|
E
13
|
E
13
|
E
12
|
E
13
|
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 | 56 | 47 | 43 | 46 | 44 | 46 | 48 | 49 |
| 900m | 51 | 43 | 41 | 43 | 42 | 45 | 46 | 48 |
| 600m | 38 | 31 | 30 | 32 | 31 | 33 | 34 | 36 |
| 300m | 34 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 32 |
| Glen | 37 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 30 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
-3°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
| 900m |
-2°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
-2°
|
-3°
|
| 600m |
1°
|
1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
1°
|
1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
| 300m |
3°
|
3°
|
3°
|
3°
|
3°
|
3°
|
2°
|
2°
|
| Glen |
6°
|
6°
|
5°
|
5°
|
6°
|
6°
|
5°
|
5°
|
| Freezing Level |
700m
|
700m
|
600m
|
600m
|
600m
|
600m
|
500m
|
500m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 00:00 | 03:00 | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m |
-13°
|
-13°
|
-13°
|
-13°
|
-13°
|
-13°
|
-13°
|
-14°
|
| 900m |
-12°
|
-11°
|
-11°
|
-11°
|
-11°
|
-11°
|
-12°
|
-12°
|
| 600m |
-7°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
-7°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
-7°
|
-7°
|
| 300m |
2°
|
1°
|
1°
|
0°
|
1°
|
1°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
| Glen |
2°
|
2°
|
1°
|
1°
|
3°
|
3°
|
1°
|
1°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
Winds gusting 45-55mph on tops will give very difficult walking conditions with progress highly impeded and a significant risk of being blown over. Please note we're aware of an issue affecting forecast wind speeds and gusts for higher-elevation observation sites (typically above 500?m) displayed on the Met Office website and app. In some cases, the forecast values shown on automated site data for mountain tops are much lower than the actual speeds. Our teams are actively working to correct the issue with wind data for high-level sites, and updates will be deployed as soon as possible.
Weather
Mainly dry with bright spells, but cloudy with snow showers for Sutherland. Bitterly cold with strong winds and gales on tops. Severe windchill.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
Generally 60%, but 80% for The Cuillin. 20% for Sutherland
Low cloud and visibility
Patchy cloud bases 800-1000m around the west coast but more extensive inland and across the north. Visibility will be generally good below cloud bases, but poor or very poor in blowing snow on upper slopes and tops for Sutherland.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Another mainly dry day with bright spells, but cloudy with snow showers for Sutherland. Bitterly cold again with strong winds and gales on tops.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
70%, but 20% for Sutherland.
Maximum wind speed expected
Gusting 45-55mph on tops.
Temperature
- At 800m Minus 2 Celsius.
- Glen Plus 4 Celsius.
- Freezing level 600m.
Low cloud and visibility
Patchy cloud bases 800-1000m around the west coast but more extensive inland and across the north. Visibility will be generally good below cloud bases, but poor or very poor in blowing snow on upper slopes and top for Sutherland.
Mountain weather information
Mon 26 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Cloudy with a few snow showers, turning persistent overnight. Strong winds, gales on tops and remaining bitterly cold. Freezing level 500m.
Tue 27 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Remaining cold and very windy with snow showers. Freezing level 600m.
Wed 28 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Gales or severe gales and bitterly cold with snow showers. Freezing level 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