Mountain weather
South Grampian and Southeast Highlands Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High confidence for largely unsettled conditions to continue but lower confidence on extent and timing of rain and strong winds from Friday onwards.
Mountain weather hazards
Hazards apply at or above 300m, reflecting the more severe conditions which can occur at altitude.
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.
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
Rain clearing to wintry showers later. Strong winds and feeling cold.
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
20% | 70% | 40% | 40% | 50% | 40% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1100m |
S
29
|
SW
22
|
SW
25
|
W
24
|
SW
28
|
W
37
|
| 900m |
S
20
|
SW
17
|
SW
20
|
W
18
|
SW
21
|
W
25
|
| 600m |
S
12
|
W
12
|
SW
14
|
W
14
|
W
14
|
W
17
|
| 300m |
SE
4
|
W
7
|
SW
10
|
W
12
|
W
9
|
W
10
|
| Glen |
SW
6
|
SW
6
|
SW
10
|
W
12
|
W
9
|
W
9
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1100m | 33 | 26 | 32 | 31 | 35 | 46 |
| 900m | 24 | 22 | 27 | 25 | 28 | 34 |
| 600m | 22 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 31 |
| 300m | 7 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 20 | 23 |
| Glen | 16 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 20 | 21 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1100m |
2°
|
1°
|
0°
|
-2°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
| 900m |
4°
|
3°
|
3°
|
1°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
| 600m |
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
4°
|
2°
|
1°
|
| 300m |
8°
|
8°
|
9°
|
7°
|
6°
|
4°
|
| Glen |
9°
|
9°
|
10°
|
9°
|
6°
|
4°
|
| Freezing Level |
2,000m
|
1,300m
|
1,000m
|
800m
|
600m
|
600m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1100m |
-4°
|
-6°
|
-7°
|
-9°
|
-11°
|
-13°
|
| 900m |
-1°
|
-2°
|
-3°
|
-5°
|
-7°
|
-9°
|
| 600m |
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
-5°
|
| 300m |
7°
|
6°
|
6°
|
4°
|
2°
|
0°
|
| Glen |
8°
|
8°
|
8°
|
6°
|
4°
|
1°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
Strong winds and snow showers will make for slow progress and poor visibility with navigation tricky. Feeling cold.
Weather
Cloudy with heavy rain and snow on highest tops spreading east in the morning to leave frequent wintry showers feeding in from the west. The best of any drier and brighter spells across the east.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
Little chance in the morning but increasing to 80% in the afternoon.
Low cloud and visibility
Low cloud in the morning with base 500-700m. Low cloud bases becoming more isolated and near showers in the afternoon with base 700-900m. Visibility poor in cloud and rain or snow, otherwise good.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Largely dry with just the odd shower and sunny spells for the morning and afternoon. Turning cloudier with heavy rain and snow spreading northeastwards in the evening. Fresh southwesterly winds strengthening to strong or gale force southeasterlies later. Feeling cold on higher routes.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
90%, becoming 10% in the evening.
Maximum wind speed expected
Southwest 15-20mph gusting 20-25mph strengthening to southeast 30-35mph gusting 40-50mph.
Temperature
- At 800m Minus 3C rising to minus 1C.
- Glen Plus 3C rising to 9C in the afternoon.
- Freezing level 500m rising to 700m.
Low cloud and visibility
Generally now low cloud through the day with just a few isolated bases down to 700-900m. Low cloud becoming more widespread later in the evening and dropping to 500-700m. Visibility good, becoming poor in cloud and rain later.
Mountain weather information
Sat 11 Apr
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Cloud and heavy rain/snow clearing to heavy blustery showers and a few clear spells. Strong to gale force south or southeasterly winds. Freezing level around 800m.
Sun 12 Apr
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Mostly cloudy with heavy wintry showers. Strong southerly winds becoming southwesterly. Freezing level 800-1000m.
Mon 13 Apr
Sunrise:
Sunset:
A drier day with sunny spells and few showers possible. Fresh winds. Freezing level 800-1000m.
Updated at:
Summit specific forecast
Mountain summit forecast map
Loading map…
Key
Mountain summits
Other points of interest
Cluster of multiple stations
Including South and East Cairngorms National Park, Aberdeenshire and Angus Hills, Ben Vrackie, Ben Lawers, Loch Tay and Ochils
For snow and avalanche hazard forecasts please visit Scottish Avalanche Information Service