Mountain weather

South Grampian and Southeast Highlands

Yellow warning

Yellow weather warnings in force for South Grampian and Southeast Highlands

South Grampian and Southeast Highlands Mountain weather forecast table

Confidence

Generally high for high pressure to bring a few days of more settled and bright weather and for a breakdown of this later in the week. Low confidence in timing and details of weather systems from Thursday onwards.

Sunrise:
Sunset:

This evening forecast

A dry start with clear spells this evening, a band of rain and snow soon spreading southeastwards however and will be heavy at times. Snow falling above 200m with sleet below this. Strong to gale force northwesterly winds with risk of severe wind chill.

Sunrise:
Sunset:
Mountain hazards

Mountain weather hazards

Hazards apply at or above 300m, reflecting the more severe conditions which can occur at altitude.

hazard 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.

hazard Blizzards
Blizzards and whiteouts present challenging and serious conditions due to a combination of falling or blowing snow, strong winds and cold temperatures. They can be highly disorientating, often resulting in near-zero visibility with limited or no visual references and no distinction between ground and sky. Cliff edges and cornices may not be apparent, even close up. These conditions require very good navigational skills.
hazard Heavy Persistent Snow
Heavy snow can lead to rapid changes in underfoot conditions and paths may become treacherous or hidden. It also brings very poor visibility and often makes navigation much more challenging. When deep snow accumulates progress is often time consuming and strenuous, significantly affecting the distance one can travel on foot. Deep drifts can develop if snow is combined with strong winds. A heightened avalanche risk is possible and avalanche reports should be consulted where available.
hazard 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.
hazard 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

Early snow clearing to a dry and bright day. Very cold.

Time 00:00 03:00 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
Heavy snow Light snow Light snow shower (night) Sunny day Sunny day Sunny intervals Cloudy Cloudy
Chance of precipitation
(at 800m)
80% 40% 30% 00% 00% 00% 00% 00%

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
1100m NW
40
NW
37
NW
32
N
28
N
22
N
16
SW
10
SW
9
900m NW
28
NW
24
NW
21
N
18
N
16
N
11
SW
6
SW
7
600m NW
17
NW
16
NW
14
NW
10
N
9
N
6
W
4
SW
4
300m NW
12
NW
15
NW
12
NW
7
N
7
N
5
NW
2
W
4
Glen NW
10
NW
13
NW
10
W
6
NW
7
NW
6
NW
3
W
3
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
1100m 51 47 41 36 29 20 13 11
900m 39 34 31 26 23 16 9 10
600m 32 31 26 20 17 12 7 7
300m 31 33 29 19 16 12 6 10
Glen 27 31 25 16 16 13 6 8

Altitude above mean sea level
Time 00:00 03:00 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1100m
-6°
-8°
-9°
-9°
-8°
-8°
-9°
-10°
900m
-4°
-6°
-7°
-7°
-6°
-6°
-8°
-9°
600m
-2°
-3°
-4°
-5°
-3°
-3°
-7°
-9°
300m
-1°
-2°
-2°
-4°
-5°
Glen
-1°
-1°
-2°
-4°
Freezing Level
200m
100m
0m
0m
0m
0m
0m
0m

Altitude above mean sea level
Time 00:00 03:00 06:00 09:00 12:00 15:00 18:00 21:00
1100m
-18°
-19°
-20°
-20°
-18°
-15°
-16°
-16°
900m
-14°
-15°
-16°
-15°
-13°
-12°
-12°
-14°
600m
-9°
-10°
-11°
-10°
-8°
-7°
-10°
-12°
300m
-5°
-6°
-7°
-6°
-3°
-2°
-6°
-8°
Glen
-4°
-4°
-6°
-4°
-1°
-1°
-5°
-7°

Additional weather information

Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view

Besides any early morning snow it will be a dry and crisp day on the hills with some sunny spells but feeling bitterly cold. Winds easing but still breezy at times so expect a marked wind chill.

Weather

Heavy snow clearing in the early hours with a few lingering showers before dawn. This leaves a dry and very cold day with sunny spells, turning cloudier in the evening. Strong to gale force winds in the morning soon easing.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

80%

Low cloud and visibility

Low cloud with base 600-800m in the early hours but this soon clearing to leave very isolated low cloud bases around 1000m. Visibility generally very good, but very poor in cloud and snow early in the day.

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Mountain weather information

Weather

A dry day with some bright or sunny spells. Feeling very cold with southeasterly winds becoming strong at times and give a severe wind chill.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

90%

Maximum wind speed expected

Southeasterly 25-30mph gusting 30-35mph.

Temperature

  • At 800m Between minus 5 and minus 8 Celsius.
  • Glen Minus 3 Celsius rising to plus 2 Celsius.
  • Freezing level 100m, but frozen down to valley level at times.

Low cloud and visibility

Some very isolated cloud around 1000m but otherwise all cloud staying above summits. Good visibility.

Mountain weather information

Thu 19 Feb

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Mostly dry with bright spells, some outbreaks of rain and snow later. Strong to gale force southerly winds. Freezing level 100m rising to 400m.

Fri 20 Feb

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Cloudy with heavy rain and snow spreading eastwards. Gale force southwesterly winds. Freezing level 400m rising to around 1000m.

Sat 21 Feb

Sunrise:
Sunset:

Cloudy start with rain and snow, drier with some bright spells later. Strong to gale force winds. Freezing level around 1000m.

Updated at:

Summit specific forecast

Mountain summit forecast map

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For snow and avalanche hazard forecasts please visit Scottish Avalanche Information Service