Mountain weather
Southwest Highlands Mountain weather forecast table
Confidence
High confidence for generally unsettled and windy conditions over the coming days. Low confidence in timing of rain on Thursday.
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
Cloud and rain clearing to sunny spells. Strong to gale force winds. Feeling cold.
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weather (at 800m) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chance of precipitation (at 800m) |
80% | 10% | 10% | 20% | 50% | 10% |
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
39
|
W
30
|
W
28
|
W
28
|
W
28
|
W
24
|
| 900m |
SW
26
|
W
21
|
W
24
|
W
24
|
W
21
|
W
15
|
| 600m |
SW
37
|
W
21
|
W
23
|
W
20
|
W
18
|
SW
12
|
| 300m |
SW
17
|
W
9
|
W
14
|
W
14
|
W
10
|
SW
7
|
| Glen |
SW
14
|
W
6
|
W
12
|
W
11
|
W
9
|
SW
5
|
Wind gust (mph)
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m | 47 | 36 | 36 | 36 | 35 | 29 |
| 900m | 34 | 26 | 31 | 32 | 28 | 20 |
| 600m | 44 | 27 | 30 | 28 | 24 | 17 |
| 300m | 26 | 12 | 21 | 21 | 16 | 10 |
| Glen | 28 | 14 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 11 |
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
1°
|
-2°
|
-3°
|
-4°
|
-5°
|
-5°
|
| 900m |
3°
|
1°
|
1°
|
0°
|
-1°
|
-2°
|
| 600m |
5°
|
4°
|
3°
|
3°
|
2°
|
0°
|
| 300m |
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
6°
|
5°
|
3°
|
| Glen |
8°
|
9°
|
9°
|
8°
|
7°
|
5°
|
| Freezing Level |
1,500m
|
900m
|
700m
|
700m
|
600m
|
500m
|
Altitude above mean sea level
| Time | 06:00 | 09:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 18:00 | 21:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1300m |
-7°
|
-11°
|
-12°
|
-13°
|
-14°
|
-14°
|
| 900m |
-4°
|
-5°
|
-6°
|
-7°
|
-8°
|
-9°
|
| 600m |
-2°
|
-2°
|
-3°
|
-3°
|
-4°
|
-4°
|
| 300m |
2°
|
4°
|
2°
|
2°
|
1°
|
0°
|
| Glen |
4°
|
8°
|
6°
|
6°
|
4°
|
3°
|
Additional weather information
Met Office Aberdeen meteorologist's view
Winds may be stronger at times than indicated in the table with a risk of gales (50mph) on highest summits. Strong winds will make for strenuous walking conditions. Tricky navigation in the morning with low cloud and rain. Note temperatures falling and becoming very cold later in the day.
Weather
Cloudy with occasional rain and summit snow through the morning, but clearing from late morning with then bright or sunny spells and scattered showers, these wintry on the tops.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
Nil at first, increasing to 90% from late morning.
Low cloud and visibility
Widespread low cloud bases down to 500-700m early morning, perhaps falling to lower slopes in heavier rain. Cloud breaking up from late morning with isolated bases of 800-1000m in afternoon. Visibility poor or very poor at first in cloud and rain, becoming very good outside of cloud later.
Mountain weather information
Weather
Mostly cloudy in the morning but with bright spells and just the odd shower. Becoming cloudier in the afternoon as outbreaks of rain spreads from the west, wintry at first and becoming heavier and more prolonged by the evening. Strong southwesterly winds with gales or severe gales later. Feeling very cold.
Chance of cloud-free hill tops
90% in the morning, quickly falling to nil in the afternoon.
Maximum wind speed expected
Southwesterly 40-50mph gusting 55-65mph.
Temperature
- At 800m Minus 2C rising to plus 4C by end of the day.
- Glen Plus 3C in the morning, rising to 8C later in the day.
- Freezing level 400m rising above summits by end of the day.
Low cloud and visibility
Isolated low cloud with base 800-1000m in the morning. Low cloud becoming more widespread in the afternoon with bases lowering to 400-600m. Good visibility in the morning, very poor later in cloud and heavy rain.
Mountain weather information
Tue 24 Mar
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Some heavy rain at first, but clearing to showers through the morning. These showers will be rather frequent and will become increasingly wintry. Strong to gale force southwesterly winds. Freezing level above summits falling to 400m.
Wed 25 Mar
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Mainly cloudy with snow showers. Strong to gale force northwesterly winds. Freezing level 400m, falling to 200m at times.
Thu 26 Mar
Sunrise:
Sunset:
Bright start with a few showers, but cloud thickening from west to bring heavy rain later. Fresh westerly winds, turning southwesterly and increasing gale force later Freezing level 600m.
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