Mountain weather

Mountain weather

Southwest Highlands

Confidence

High confidence for a showery day Thursday then drier and more settled on Friday. High confidence for rain to spread from the west over the weekend but low confidence in timings of this.

Mountain hazards

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.
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.

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.

Mountain weather forecast

Sunny spells and heavy, wintry showers, becoming drier with long clear spells later. Blustery and feeling cold on higher routes.

Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
Weather symbols Sunny intervals Sleet showers Sleet showers Sleet showers Sleet showers Partly cloudy (night)
Chance of
precipitation
(at 800m)
Chance of precipitation
10%
30%
40%
40%
30%
10%

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 N 25mph knots
N
25mph
N 26mph knots
N
26mph
N 24mph knots
N
24mph
N 24mph knots
N
24mph
N 24mph knots
N
24mph
N 26mph knots
N
26mph
900m
900m N 15mph knots
N
15mph
N 17mph knots
N
17mph
N 17mph knots
N
17mph
N 16mph knots
N
16mph
N 17mph knots
N
17mph
N 16mph knots
N
16mph
600m
600m N 14mph knots
N
14mph
NE 16mph knots
NE
16mph
N 19mph knots
N
19mph
N 15mph knots
N
15mph
N 18mph knots
N
18mph
N 16mph knots
N
16mph
300m
300m NW 6mph knots
NW
6mph
N 10mph knots
N
10mph
N 14mph knots
N
14mph
N 10mph knots
N
10mph
N 13mph knots
N
13mph
NW 9mph knots
NW
9mph
Glen
Glen W 2mph knots
W
2mph
N 6mph knots
N
6mph
N 12mph knots
N
12mph
N 10mph knots
N
10mph
N 10mph knots
N
10mph
NW 7mph knots
NW
7mph

Wind gust

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1300m
1300m 29mph 32mph 31mph 31mph 31mph 32mph
900m
900m 18mph 22mph 24mph 22mph 24mph 21mph
600m
600m 17mph 20mph 25mph 21mph 24mph 21mph
300m
300m 10mph 14mph 21mph 16mph 20mph 17mph
Glen
Glen 8mph 12mph 22mph 19mph 19mph 17mph

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1300m
1300m -11 degrees Celsius -11 degrees Celsius -9 degrees Celsius -9 degrees Celsius -10 degrees Celsius -12 degrees Celsius
900m
900m -5 degrees Celsius -4 degrees Celsius -3 degrees Celsius -2 degrees Celsius -4 degrees Celsius -6 degrees Celsius
600m
600m -2 degrees Celsius -2 degrees Celsius 0 degrees Celsius 1 degrees Celsius 0 degrees Celsius -2 degrees Celsius
300m
300m 3 degrees Celsius 3 degrees Celsius 4 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius 4 degrees Celsius 2 degrees Celsius
Glen
Glen 6 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius
Freezing Level Freezing Level
900m
900m
900m
1000m
900m
900m

Additional weather information

Meteorologist's view

Still feeling cold despite sunny spells. Note the risk of strong gusts, this especially occurring near blustery showers.

Weather

Sunny spells and showers through much of the day. Showers will be heavy at times, especially in the afternoon, and also wintry on the higher hills. Showers easing with longer clear spells developing in the evening.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

60%.

Low cloud and visibility

Occasional low cloud with base 700-900m, especially in and around any showers. Low bases possible to 600m in the morning. Otherwise cloud staying above summits with clearer skies developing in the evening. Visibility generally good but lowering to a few kilometres in cloud and showers

Ground conditions

No recent ground conditions report available.

Summit specific forecast