Mountain weather
Southwest Highlands Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High for drier and colder conditions from Friday then low for rain detail, mainly focussed in the west, Sunday to Tuesday.
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.
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
Cloudy with showers, snow on the hills, becoming dry and sunny later. Strong southwest summit winds will ease during the afternoon.
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
40% | 20% | 10% | 10% | <05% | <05% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
SW
26
|
W
20
|
W
17
|
NW
15
|
NW
13
|
N
17
|
| 900m |
W
18
|
W
13
|
NW
14
|
NW
12
|
NW
9
|
NW
7
|
| 600m |
SW
21
|
W
15
|
W
12
|
NW
11
|
NW
10
|
SE
7
|
| 300m |
SW
11
|
W
8
|
NW
10
|
NW
9
|
NW
4
|
S
4
|
| Glen |
SW
7
|
W
6
|
W
7
|
NW
6
|
NW
3
|
W
3
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m | 31 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 19 |
| 900m | 23 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 10 |
| 600m | 26 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 8 |
| 300m | 15 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 7 | 5 |
| Glen | 17 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 4 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
-2°
|
-3°
|
-5°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
| 900m |
0°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
-3°
|
-5°
|
| 600m |
3°
|
2°
|
2°
|
1°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
| 300m |
5°
|
4°
|
5°
|
4°
|
3°
|
2°
|
| Glen |
6°
|
5°
|
7°
|
6°
|
4°
|
3°
|
| Freezing Level |
800m
|
700m
|
500m
|
400m
|
300m
|
200m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
-11°
|
-11°
|
-12°
|
-13°
|
-13°
|
-14°
|
| 900m |
-6°
|
-6°
|
-6°
|
-7°
|
-8°
|
-9°
|
| 600m |
-3°
|
-4°
|
-3°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
| 300m |
2°
|
1°
|
1°
|
0°
|
1°
|
0°
|
| Glen |
4°
|
3°
|
5°
|
4°
|
3°
|
1°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
The summit winds may be higher than indicated in the table. It will feel bitterly cold from low levels, particularly in the stronger morning winds.
Weather
Mostly cloudy with scattered showers steadily easing through the morning, leaving the afternoon dry. These showers will fall as snow to 700m around dawn and 400m by the afternoon. The cloud will break to leave the late afternoon bright with sunny periods.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
30% increasing 90% from mid-afternoon.
Low cloud and visibility
Broken cloud with base 400-600m in the morning will break and rise to above the summits during the afternoon. The visibility will be mostly good, falling poor in showers.
Mountain weather information
Weather
A very cold start to the morning with a hard frost to glen levels. The day will however stay dry with sunny periods in the morning and cloud beginning to increase during the afternoon. Scattered showers, snow to 700m, build in the south for a time in the afternoon.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
95%
Maximum wind speed expected
Changeable 10-15mph increasing south 25-30mph gust 40mph.
Temperature
- At 800m Minus 1C.
- Glen Minus 1C rising Plus 7C.
- Freezing level 200m rising to 700m by the evening.
Low cloud and visibility
The visibility will stay good with any cloud in the morning patchy and above the summits. Cloud will build a little during the afternoon with the base lowering towards the tops towards the evening.
Mountain weather information
Sun 1 Mar
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Showery rain with hill snow, be coming heavy later. Near gale southerly summit wind. Freezing level 600m rising above the summits from the afternoon.
Mon 2 Mar
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Scattered showers, hill snow becoming drier later. Gale to severe gale southerly summit wind. Freezing level 700m, lowering 200m by the evening.
Tue 3 Mar
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Mostly dry and bright, the odd shower in the northwest. Gale westerly summit wind. Freezing level 700m.
Updated at:
Summit specific forecast
Mountain summit forecast map
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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