Mountain weather

Mountain weather

Southwest Highlands

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Confidence

High confidence for unsettled weather, particularly from Friday, but low confidence in details.

Mountain hazards

Mountain weather hazards

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

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.

Thunderstorms
Lightning is a significant mountain hazard which can result in serious injury or death. Mountain terrain often leaves one highly exposed to lightning strikes. Hail may give unpleasant conditions with torrential rain and localised flash flooding also possible, mainly in Summer months.
Heavy Persistent Rain
Heavy and persistent rain can lead to drenched clothing and footwear with waterproofs often becoming soaked through, especially if accompanied by strong winds. This can lead to significant loss of body heat and an increased likelihood of hypothermia. Terrain may turn increasingly boggy underfoot while streams can flood and become impassable. There may also be a risk of flooding in valleys or glens. If there is snow cover, a heightened avalanche hazard is possible and avalanche reports should be consulted where available.
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.
Updated: 
Mountain hazards explained

Mountain weather forecast

Warm. Cloudy morning, brighter afternoon. Showery rain afternoon and evening.

Time
 Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
 Weather symbols Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Cloudy Heavy Rain Light rain
Chance of
precipitation
(at 800m)
 Chance of precipitation
10%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%

Wind direction and speed

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
 Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1300m
 1300m SE 22mph knots
SE
22mph
 SE 23mph knots
SE
23mph
 SE 28mph knots
SE
28mph
 SE 21mph knots
SE
21mph
 SE 21mph knots
SE
21mph
 SE 24mph knots
SE
24mph
900m
 900m SE 22mph knots
SE
22mph
 SE 20mph knots
SE
20mph
 SE 19mph knots
SE
19mph
 SE 18mph knots
SE
18mph
 SE 20mph knots
SE
20mph
 SE 21mph knots
SE
21mph
600m
 600m SE 15mph knots
SE
15mph
 E 16mph knots
E
16mph
 NE 15mph knots
NE
15mph
 SE 19mph knots
SE
19mph
 E 17mph knots
E
17mph
 E 19mph knots
E
19mph
300m
 300m N 7mph knots
N
7mph
 E 9mph knots
E
9mph
 SE 11mph knots
SE
11mph
 SE 10mph knots
SE
10mph
 E 8mph knots
E
8mph
 NE 8mph knots
NE
8mph
Glen
 Glen N 4mph knots
N
4mph
 E 7mph knots
E
7mph
 E 7mph knots
E
7mph
 SE 6mph knots
SE
6mph
 NE 8mph knots
NE
8mph
 N 4mph knots
N
4mph

Wind gust

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
 Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1300m
 1300m 27mph 29mph 34mph 28mph 27mph 31mph
900m
 900m 34mph 29mph 27mph 25mph 28mph 31mph
600m
 600m 19mph 22mph 20mph 25mph 21mph 24mph
300m
 300m 10mph 15mph 18mph 17mph 14mph 12mph
Glen
 Glen 10mph 12mph 12mph 12mph 15mph 10mph

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
 Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1300m
 1300m 0 degrees Celsius 1 degrees Celsius 3 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius 4 degrees Celsius
900m
 900m 4 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius 7 degrees Celsius
600m
 600m 8 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius
300m
 300m 12 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius 17 degrees Celsius 17 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius
Glen
 Glen 14 degrees Celsius 16 degrees Celsius 19 degrees Celsius 21 degrees Celsius 19 degrees Celsius 18 degrees Celsius
Freezing Level Freezing Level
2000m
2100m
2200m
2300m
2600m
2800m

Additional weather information

Meteorologist's view

Breezy and gusty conditions at times will make for fairly arduous walking on exposed terrain with buffeting of clothing. Balance may be affected at times. Feeling quite warm at glen level.

Weather

Mostly dry in the morning but there may be the odd spot of rain for the island ranges at times. Quite extensive areas of low cloud in the morning with the best of any clear breaks for Mull, Knoydart, and other west coast ranges. Low cloud lifting and breaking through the morning to leave bright or sunny spells in the afternoon but high cloud turning the sunshine quite hazy. Some showery rain will push north, most likely over island ranges and Moidart, heavy at times with a small chance of thunder. Low cloud feeds back into most ranges in the evening.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

40% or less in morning and evening, best chances northwest. Rising to 75% in afternoon.

Low cloud and visibility

Quite extensive areas of cloud down to 400-600m in the morning and again in the evening. Once this lifts and clears in the morning summits will be mostly clear with good visibilities and the cloud layer above the tops. Visibilities falling moderate or poor as showery rain passes through.

Ground conditions

No recent ground conditions report available.

Summit specific forecast

Including Ben Nevis, Glen Coe and the rest of Lochaber, Argyll including the Isles, Loch Lomond, Trossachs and Arran

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