Mountain weather

Mountain weather

South Grampian and Southeast Highlands

Confidence

High confidence for most of Friday, although some uncertainty in the extent of showers later. High for generally dry and breezy conditions over the weekend but some uncertainty in the location of a weak front which may bring some light rain at times to the west.

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

Low cloud and patchy rain at first, mainly dry and bright afternoon. Rain later. Windy.

Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
Weather symbols Fog Drizzle Mist Cloudy Cloudy Heavy Rain
Chance of
precipitation
(at 800m)
Chance of precipitation
30%
30%
30%
30%
30%
60%

Wind direction and speed

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1100m
1100m S 45mph knots
S
45mph
S 40mph knots
S
40mph
SW 26mph knots
SW
26mph
SW 29mph knots
SW
29mph
SW 25mph knots
SW
25mph
SW 28mph knots
SW
28mph
900m
900m S 26mph knots
S
26mph
S 25mph knots
S
25mph
SW 20mph knots
SW
20mph
SW 24mph knots
SW
24mph
SW 18mph knots
SW
18mph
SW 18mph knots
SW
18mph
600m
600m S 13mph knots
S
13mph
S 12mph knots
S
12mph
SW 15mph knots
SW
15mph
SW 15mph knots
SW
15mph
SW 12mph knots
SW
12mph
SW 10mph knots
SW
10mph
300m
300m SE 7mph knots
SE
7mph
SE 6mph knots
SE
6mph
SW 10mph knots
SW
10mph
SW 11mph knots
SW
11mph
SW 8mph knots
SW
8mph
SW 4mph knots
SW
4mph
Glen
Glen S 2mph knots
S
2mph
S 7mph knots
S
7mph
SW 13mph knots
SW
13mph
SW 13mph knots
SW
13mph
SW 9mph knots
SW
9mph
SW 4mph knots
SW
4mph

Wind gust

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1100m
1100m 53mph 47mph 33mph 36mph 31mph 35mph
900m
900m 33mph 32mph 27mph 31mph 24mph 24mph
600m
600m 26mph 24mph 25mph 26mph 21mph 21mph
300m
300m 15mph 12mph 19mph 21mph 17mph 13mph
Glen
Glen 10mph 15mph 24mph 24mph 18mph 13mph

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1100m
1100m 1 degrees Celsius 1 degrees Celsius 3 degrees Celsius 3 degrees Celsius 3 degrees Celsius 1 degrees Celsius
900m
900m 5 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius 7 degrees Celsius 7 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius
600m
600m 8 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius
300m
300m 12 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius
Glen
Glen 14 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius 16 degrees Celsius 16 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius
Freezing Level Freezing Level
2700m
2500m
2200m
2100m
2400m
2200m

Additional weather information

Meteorologist's view

Strong and gusty winds with gales on the high plateau areas and summits in the morning. UV levels in the afternoon will be quite high with a chance of sunburn, even in cloudy conditions.

Weather

Cloudy with light and patchy rain in the morning then dying out, but mainly bright and clear towards Aberdeenshire Hills. Mainly dry in the afternoon with a little brightness coming through but also a few brief showers. Outbreaks of rain spreading northeast in the evening, heavy at times.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

30% in the morning, best chances in the northeast. Becoming 90% in afternoon. Chances decreasing again in the evening.

Low cloud and visibility

Extensive cloud in the morning with bases 600 to 800m but this will become patchier and clearing in the afternoon. Cloud becoming extensive on the tops again late in the evening. Away from low cloud, the visibility will be mainly good.

Ground conditions

No recent ground conditions report available.

Summit specific forecast