Mountain weather
Southwest Highlands Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
Some uncertainty on extent of summit cloud breaks Sunday daytime, but high confidence on the SE'ly wind direction continuing throughout the period and strengthening by 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.
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
Mainly cloudy with mist and fog, some brightness for Lochaber. Strong winds on tops.
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
10% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 30% | 30% |
Wind direction and speed (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
SE
28
|
SE
32
|
SE
32
|
SE
30
|
SE
27
|
SE
28
|
| 900m |
SE
20
|
SE
22
|
SE
22
|
SE
21
|
SE
19
|
SE
20
|
| 600m |
SE
15
|
SE
27
|
SE
28
|
SE
27
|
SE
24
|
SE
24
|
| 300m |
E
8
|
SE
10
|
SE
14
|
SE
16
|
SE
14
|
SE
13
|
| Glen |
E
5
|
NE
7
|
NE
5
|
SE
8
|
SE
6
|
E
5
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m | 34 | 39 | 39 | 37 | 33 | 35 |
| 900m | 25 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 25 | 26 |
| 600m | 18 | 32 | 35 | 33 | 30 | 30 |
| 300m | 15 | 14 | 22 | 25 | 22 | 21 |
| Glen | 10 | 11 | 10 | 20 | 17 | 13 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
-2°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
| 900m |
-1°
|
-1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
-1°
|
| 600m |
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
3°
|
3°
|
| 300m |
4°
|
4°
|
5°
|
4°
|
4°
|
4°
|
| Glen |
5°
|
5°
|
6°
|
6°
|
5°
|
5°
|
| Freezing Level |
800m
|
800m
|
900m
|
900m
|
900m
|
900m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
-10°
|
-12°
|
-12°
|
-12°
|
-11°
|
-12°
|
| 900m |
-8°
|
-8°
|
-8°
|
-7°
|
-7°
|
-7°
|
| 600m |
0°
|
-2°
|
-3°
|
-2°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
| 300m |
1°
|
1°
|
0°
|
0°
|
0°
|
0°
|
| Glen |
3°
|
2°
|
4°
|
3°
|
3°
|
3°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
Significant wind chill on summits and ridges. Challenging navigation in often poor visibility, especially in the afternoon.
Weather
Mist and fog in the morning with a few breaks in the low cloud possible on some summits, especially towards Lochaber. Cloud tending to thicken through the afternoon with a few spots of rain possible, falling as snow above 800m.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
30%, best chances towards in the NW towards Lochaber.
Low cloud and visibility
Visibility generally a few kilometres, but poor or very poor at lower levels in patchy mist and fog. Patchy cloud bases 800-900m, occasionally becoming more extensive in the afternoon
Mountain weather information
Weather
Early morning mist and fog patches in glens. Otherwise a dry day with bright or sunny spells. A few patches of hill fog are possible, this becoming extensive towards the evening.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
70% decreasing to 20% later.
Maximum wind speed expected
20-25mph gusting 35mph on summits and ridges.
Temperature
- At 800m Zero Celsius.
- Glen Plus 1 rising 5 Celsius.
- Freezing level 800m
Low cloud and visibility
Good visibility above low level fog patches. The odd patch of cloud around summits will tend to clear through daytime, however by evening low cloud bases 500-600m will become extensive.
Mountain weather information
Tue 20 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Cloudy with showery outbreaks of rain, snow above 1200m. Strong to gale force winds on summits.
Wed 21 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Windy with gales or severe gales on summits and ridges. Rain occasionally heavy, snow above 1000m.
Thu 22 Jan
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Another windy day with severe gales on summits. Rain occasionally heavy, snow above 1000m.
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