Mountain weather
Southwest Highlands Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High confidence for unsettled weather with rain and strong winds at times, but low confidence for day to day details, especially from Monday.
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.
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.
Mountain weather forecast
Cloudy with some snow Trossachs. Dry west coast. Cold. Strong winds easing.
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
50% | 50% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 40% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
E
37
|
SE
35
|
NE
35
|
E
29
|
E
28
|
E
28
|
| 900m |
E
21
|
SE
25
|
E
19
|
E
18
|
E
18
|
SE
17
|
| 600m |
E
18
|
NE
18
|
NE
18
|
E
17
|
E
18
|
NE
19
|
| 300m |
N
9
|
N
10
|
NE
10
|
NE
8
|
NE
8
|
NE
9
|
| Glen |
NE
8
|
NE
8
|
NE
8
|
E
7
|
E
7
|
NE
7
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m | 42 | 40 | 41 | 35 | 33 | 34 |
| 900m | 31 | 36 | 28 | 26 | 25 | 26 |
| 600m | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 |
| 300m | 11 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Glen | 18 | 20 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 15 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
-4°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
| 900m |
-1°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
0°
|
| 600m |
1°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
3°
|
| 300m |
4°
|
4°
|
5°
|
4°
|
5°
|
4°
|
| Glen |
6°
|
6°
|
7°
|
7°
|
6°
|
6°
|
| Freezing Level |
700m
|
700m
|
800m
|
900m
|
1,000m
|
1,000m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
-14°
|
-14°
|
-14°
|
-12°
|
-11°
|
-11°
|
| 900m |
-8°
|
-9°
|
-8°
|
-7°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
| 600m |
-5°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
| 300m |
0°
|
0°
|
1°
|
2°
|
2°
|
2°
|
| Glen |
3°
|
3°
|
5°
|
5°
|
4°
|
4°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
Windy conditions with a chance of summit gales in the early morning will make for fairly arduous walking on exposed terrain with buffeting of clothing. Balance may be affected at times. Note that winds should ease through the day. Feeling cold at height so suitable clothing is advised. Widespread low cloud and hill fog so good navigation skills will be required. Keep up to date with the latest avalanche forecast from the Scottish Avalanche Information Service (SAIS).
Weather
Keeping a southeasterly flow bringing further rain to the Trossachs and to a lesser extent Glen Coe and Lochaber, falling snow above 500-600m at first, rising to 900-1000m by evening. Staying mostly dry for the more sheltered areas around the west coast with chance of a few bright spells possible. Feeling cold with east to southeast winds gusting 40-50mph.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
Little chance in east, 50% for North Argyll.
Low cloud and visibility
In the east, widespread cloud down to 300-500m and poor visibilities in hill fog and outbreaks of snow. Around the west coast summits will be clearer and good visibilities.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Variable cloud with some clear spells and a few showers in the morning, these wintry above 800-900m. A more organised band of rain, snow above 600-700m, spreads into the west from around lunchtime, persisting through the afternoon and evening. Remaining cold.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
30%, best chances around the west coast in early morning.
Maximum wind speed expected
Southeast 20-30mph
Temperature
- At 800m Minus 1C to plus 2C.
- Glen Plus 3C rising to plus 7C.
- Freezing level 900-1000m falling to 600-700m.
Low cloud and visibility
Quite widespread areas of cloud down to 300-500m in the east all day, and spreading into the west from late morning, with associated poor visibilities in hill fog and rain or summit snow. Limited period of more broken cloud and good visibilities in western areas through the early morning.
Mountain weather information
Mon 2 Feb
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Cloudy with outbreaks of rain, or snow above 500-600m. Drier around west coast. Strong to gale southeast winds.
Tue 3 Feb
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Cloudy. A few showers around but mainly dry. Freezing level around 200-400m. Strong to gale southeast winds.
Wed 4 Feb
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Cloudy. Outbreaks of rain and summit snow moving north. Freezing level around 400-600m. Strong to gale southeast winds.
Updated at:
Summit specific forecast
Mountain summit forecast map
Loading map…
Key
Mountain summits
Other points of interest
Cluster of multiple stations
Including Ben Nevis, Glen Coe and the rest of Lochaber, Argyll including the Isles, Loch Lomond, Trossachs and Arran
For snow and avalanche hazard forecasts please visit Scottish Avalanche Information Service