Mountain weather

Mountain weather

South Grampian and Southeast Highlands

Confidence

High confidence in the general story until Monday, but lower confidence in details on Sunday morning. Lower confidence for extent of cloud and rain from Monday onwards

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

Cloud, rain, gales in morning. Drier, bright afternoon.

Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
Weather symbols Heavy Rain Light rain Light rain showers Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy
Chance of
precipitation
(at 800m)
Chance of precipitation
90%
90%
30%
10%
10%
10%

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 50mph knots
SW
50mph
W 37mph knots
W
37mph
W 25mph knots
W
25mph
NW 22mph knots
NW
22mph
W 19mph knots
W
19mph
W 18mph knots
W
18mph
900m
900m SW 30mph knots
SW
30mph
W 26mph knots
W
26mph
W 21mph knots
W
21mph
NW 19mph knots
NW
19mph
W 16mph knots
W
16mph
W 13mph knots
W
13mph
600m
600m SW 20mph knots
SW
20mph
W 17mph knots
W
17mph
W 17mph knots
W
17mph
NW 14mph knots
NW
14mph
W 12mph knots
W
12mph
W 9mph knots
W
9mph
300m
300m SW 13mph knots
SW
13mph
W 8mph knots
W
8mph
W 12mph knots
W
12mph
W 11mph knots
W
11mph
W 8mph knots
W
8mph
W 6mph knots
W
6mph
Glen
Glen W 15mph knots
W
15mph
W 11mph knots
W
11mph
W 13mph knots
W
13mph
W 9mph knots
W
9mph
W 8mph knots
W
8mph
W 5mph knots
W
5mph

Wind gust

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1100m
1100m 57mph 43mph 32mph 28mph 25mph 23mph
900m
900m 38mph 32mph 29mph 25mph 21mph 18mph
600m
600m 36mph 29mph 27mph 22mph 20mph 18mph
300m
300m 29mph 19mph 23mph 21mph 17mph 15mph
Glen
Glen 34mph 24mph 26mph 19mph 17mph 11mph

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 3 degrees Celsius 3 degrees Celsius 1 degrees Celsius
900m
900m 5 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius 7 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius
600m
600m 8 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius
300m
300m 12 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius
Glen
Glen 13 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius
Freezing Level Freezing Level
3200m
2700m
2100m
2000m
2000m
2000m

Additional weather information

Meteorologist's view

Strong winds with summit gales in the morning will give difficult walking conditions with a risk of being blown off balance. Navigation could be challenging with energy output significantly increased when walking into the wind. Widespread low cloud in the morning will make for difficult navigation at times. Where the sun breaks out in the afternoon UV levels will be high so suitable protection is advised.

Weather

Cloudy with showery outbreaks of rain in the early morning and gale-force summit winds. Rain turns more showery later through the morning with some brighter spells developing and winds beginning to ease. Mostly dry in the afternoon with some bright or sunny spells developing, just the small chance of the odd light shower.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

Falling to 20% by dawn, only chance in northeast. Rising to 50% by midday, 80% by mid-afternoon.

Low cloud and visibility

Widespread cloud will spread east in the early morning, bases down to 300-500m and visibilities falling poor in hill fog and occasionally heavy rain, though the sheltered Aberdeenshire hills may see a few breaks. This gradually lifting and breaking up through the morning allowing for some clear spells to develop between showers before midday, then summits often clear in the afternoon with cloud above all but the highest summits.

Ground conditions

No recent ground conditions report available.

Summit specific forecast