Mountain weather

Mountain weather

Southwest Highlands

Confidence

Low for southward extent of low cloud on Monday. Otherwise high for settled weather for the next few days.

Mountain hazards

Mountain weather hazards

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

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.

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 in the far north, dry and bright elsewhere. Windy at first.

Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
Weather symbols Fog Fog Fog Cloudy Sunny Clear night
Chance of
precipitation
(at 800m)
Chance of precipitation
20%
20%
20%
20%
20%
20%

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 S 35mph knots
S
35mph
SW 29mph knots
SW
29mph
SW 27mph knots
SW
27mph
SW 25mph knots
SW
25mph
SW 24mph knots
SW
24mph
SW 22mph knots
SW
22mph
900m
900m SW 18mph knots
SW
18mph
SW 19mph knots
SW
19mph
SW 20mph knots
SW
20mph
SW 18mph knots
SW
18mph
SW 15mph knots
SW
15mph
W 12mph knots
W
12mph
600m
600m SW 20mph knots
SW
20mph
SW 22mph knots
SW
22mph
SW 21mph knots
SW
21mph
SW 19mph knots
SW
19mph
SW 15mph knots
SW
15mph
SW 10mph knots
SW
10mph
300m
300m S 10mph knots
S
10mph
SW 13mph knots
SW
13mph
SW 14mph knots
SW
14mph
SW 13mph knots
SW
13mph
SW 10mph knots
SW
10mph
NW 5mph knots
NW
5mph
Glen
Glen SW 7mph knots
SW
7mph
SW 11mph knots
SW
11mph
SW 12mph knots
SW
12mph
SW 10mph knots
SW
10mph
W 6mph knots
W
6mph
W 5mph knots
W
5mph

Wind gust

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1300m
1300m 41mph 35mph 34mph 32mph 30mph 25mph
900m
900m 22mph 24mph 25mph 24mph 20mph 15mph
600m
600m 25mph 27mph 27mph 25mph 19mph 14mph
300m
300m 13mph 16mph 20mph 18mph 14mph 7mph
Glen
Glen 15mph 20mph 20mph 17mph 10mph 9mph

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 2 degrees Celsius 2 degrees Celsius 2 degrees Celsius 2 degrees Celsius
900m
900m 4 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius 7 degrees Celsius 7 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius
600m
600m 6 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius
300m
300m 10 degrees Celsius 10 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 11 degrees Celsius
Glen
Glen 13 degrees Celsius 12 degrees Celsius 14 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius 15 degrees Celsius 13 degrees Celsius
Freezing Level Freezing Level
2800m
2200m
2600m
2600m
2300m
2900m

Additional weather information

Meteorologist's view

Be prepared for sunburn on long hikes away from the far north of the area. Note strong winds at height leading to a chilling effect.

Weather

Cloudy across southern Lochaber and northern Argyll with a little rain at times. Otherwise dry further south with plenty of sunshine although clouding over from the north in the evening.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

70%

Low cloud and visibility

Poor in cloud between 500 and 900 metres across northern Argyll and southern Lochaber, and down to 200 metres along coastal ranges. Elsewhere good visibility with little in the way of cloud although low cloud becoming more widespread through the evening.

Ground conditions

No recent ground conditions report available.

Summit specific forecast