Mountain weather

Mountain weather

South Grampian and Southeast Highlands

Confidence

High for mainly dry and bright weather on Thursday until evening, then turning more unsettled from Thursday night and Friday with showers or longer spells of rain. Low confidence for rain details so please keep up to date on the forecast.

Mountain hazards

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.

Thunderstorms
Lightning is a significant mountain hazard which can result in serious injury or death. Mountain terrain often leaves one highly exposed to lightning strikes. Hail may give unpleasant conditions with torrential rain and localised flash flooding also possible, mainly in Summer months.
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.

Mountain weather forecast

Mainly dry. Low cloud slow to clear from east, brightest in west. Breezy.

Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
Weather symbols Fog Fog Sunny intervals Sunny intervals Fog Fog
Chance of
precipitation
(at 800m)
Chance of precipitation
10%
10%
20%
30%
20%
30%

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 SE 23mph knots
SE
23mph
E 22mph knots
E
22mph
E 20mph knots
E
20mph
E 19mph knots
E
19mph
E 17mph knots
E
17mph
E 18mph knots
E
18mph
900m
900m SE 9mph knots
SE
9mph
E 13mph knots
E
13mph
E 15mph knots
E
15mph
E 15mph knots
E
15mph
E 12mph knots
E
12mph
E 12mph knots
E
12mph
600m
600m E 3mph knots
E
3mph
E 8mph knots
E
8mph
E 10mph knots
E
10mph
E 11mph knots
E
11mph
E 8mph knots
E
8mph
E 7mph knots
E
7mph
300m
300m NE 2mph knots
NE
2mph
E 6mph knots
E
6mph
E 8mph knots
E
8mph
E 8mph knots
E
8mph
E 7mph knots
E
7mph
E 6mph knots
E
6mph
Glen
Glen NE 2mph knots
NE
2mph
E 5mph knots
E
5mph
E 8mph knots
E
8mph
E 9mph knots
E
9mph
E 7mph knots
E
7mph
E 6mph knots
E
6mph

Wind gust

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1100m
1100m 28mph 25mph 25mph 24mph 21mph 22mph
900m
900m 14mph 16mph 20mph 20mph 17mph 15mph
600m
600m 8mph 11mph 17mph 18mph 14mph 12mph
300m
300m 6mph 11mph 16mph 16mph 14mph 13mph
Glen
Glen 6mph 9mph 15mph 17mph 14mph 13mph

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1100m
1100m 5 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius 7 degrees Celsius 7 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius
900m
900m 9 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius
600m
600m 10 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius
300m
300m 12 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius 17 degrees Celsius 18 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius
Glen
Glen 14 degrees Celsius 16 degrees Celsius 18 degrees Celsius 18 degrees Celsius 16 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius
Freezing Level Freezing Level
2100m
2200m
2500m
2600m
2800m
2800m

Additional weather information

Meteorologist's view

A cool feel to the day on the tops, especially in any low cloud and in the fresh southeast winds which will slowly ease during the afternoon. Difficult navigation conditions from low cloud early and late in the day.

Weather

Extensive low cloud to start with patchy drizzle. Cloud lifting and breaking during the morning with sunny spells developing, but cloud will be slow to clear from Aberdeen and Angus hills. Staying mostly dry but a few showers are possible in the afternoon. Low cloud and patchy drizzle develop during the evening with a chance of heavy and thundery rain arriving from the south by midnight.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

20% becoming 80% by afternoon, becoming 10% in the evening.

Low cloud and visibility

Areas of low cloud on the hills at first, down to 300m in the east. Cloud slowly lifting during the morning but may be slow to clear Aberdeenshire and Angus. Visibility then mainly good, but low cloud becoming extensive again in the evening down to low slopes.

Ground conditions

No recent ground conditions report available.

Summit specific forecast