Mountain weather

Mountain weather

South Grampian and Southeast Highlands

Confidence

High confidence for an unsettled and showery next few days, with showers heaviest and most widespread during Thursday but becoming fewer and more scattered into the weekend.

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.
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.

Mountain weather forecast

Heavy showers with risk of thunder. Strong winds on tops.

Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
Weather symbols Heavy rain showers Heavy rain showers Heavy rain showers Heavy rain showers Sunny intervals Partly cloudy (night)
Chance of
precipitation
(at 800m)
Chance of precipitation
40%
50%
40%
40%
30%
20%

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 SW 22mph knots
SW
22mph
SW 28mph knots
SW
28mph
SW 34mph knots
SW
34mph
W 33mph knots
W
33mph
W 23mph knots
W
23mph
W 22mph knots
W
22mph
900m
900m SW 15mph knots
SW
15mph
SW 21mph knots
SW
21mph
SW 28mph knots
SW
28mph
W 26mph knots
W
26mph
W 18mph knots
W
18mph
W 14mph knots
W
14mph
600m
600m SW 11mph knots
SW
11mph
SW 14mph knots
SW
14mph
SW 21mph knots
SW
21mph
W 20mph knots
W
20mph
W 14mph knots
W
14mph
W 10mph knots
W
10mph
300m
300m SW 1mph knots
SW
1mph
SW 10mph knots
SW
10mph
SW 16mph knots
SW
16mph
W 15mph knots
W
15mph
W 10mph knots
W
10mph
W 4mph knots
W
4mph
Glen
Glen W 3mph knots
W
3mph
SW 10mph knots
SW
10mph
SW 14mph knots
SW
14mph
W 15mph knots
W
15mph
W 10mph knots
W
10mph
W 6mph knots
W
6mph

Wind gust

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1100m
1100m 26mph 34mph 43mph 41mph 29mph 27mph
900m
900m 19mph 28mph 37mph 34mph 25mph 20mph
600m
600m 20mph 25mph 35mph 33mph 24mph 19mph
300m
300m 11mph 20mph 30mph 29mph 19mph 13mph
Glen
Glen 8mph 20mph 28mph 29mph 19mph 15mph

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 -1 degrees Celsius -1 degrees Celsius -1 degrees Celsius -2 degrees Celsius
900m
900m 2 degrees Celsius 2 degrees Celsius 3 degrees Celsius 3 degrees Celsius 2 degrees Celsius 1 degrees Celsius
600m
600m 7 degrees Celsius 7 degrees Celsius 7 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius 7 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius
300m
300m 10 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius
Glen
Glen 11 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius
Freezing Level Freezing Level
1900m
1700m
1800m
1800m
1700m
1600m

Additional weather information

Meteorologist's view

A risk of challenging navigation in poor visibility as showers pass. Gusts in excess of 40mph on tops in the afternoon may make for challenging walking conditions.

Weather

Turning mainly cloudy with showers or longer spells of rain, occasionally heavy and thundery at times during late morning and afternoon. Heaviest showers will ease during the evening. Fresh to strong winds on tops, a risk of the odd gale force gust near heavy showers.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

60%

Low cloud and visibility

Cloud bases occasionally lowering down to 800m in and around showers. Visibility will be generally good below cloud bases but quickly deteriorating to a couple of kilometre or less in heavy showers or thunderstorms.

Ground conditions

No recent ground conditions report available.

Summit specific forecast