Mountain weather

Mountain weather

Southwest Highlands

Confidence

High for changeable weather to continue over the next few days. Low for extent of showers on Friday.

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.
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

Cold with a few showers, wintry on the higher tops

Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
Weather
(at 800m)
Weather symbols Cloudy Light snow showers Light snow showers Sleet Cloudy Partly cloudy (night)
Chance of
precipitation
(at 800m)
Chance of precipitation
20%
30%
30%
30%
20%
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 SW 25mph knots
SW
25mph
W 19mph knots
W
19mph
W 15mph knots
W
15mph
W 16mph knots
W
16mph
NW 13mph knots
NW
13mph
N 10mph knots
N
10mph
900m
900m SW 19mph knots
SW
19mph
W 16mph knots
W
16mph
W 14mph knots
W
14mph
W 14mph knots
W
14mph
NW 12mph knots
NW
12mph
N 8mph knots
N
8mph
600m
600m SW 21mph knots
SW
21mph
W 17mph knots
W
17mph
W 14mph knots
W
14mph
W 14mph knots
W
14mph
NW 12mph knots
NW
12mph
N 8mph knots
N
8mph
300m
300m SW 11mph knots
SW
11mph
W 11mph knots
W
11mph
W 9mph knots
W
9mph
NW 10mph knots
NW
10mph
NW 9mph knots
NW
9mph
NW 5mph knots
NW
5mph
Glen
Glen SW 6mph knots
SW
6mph
W 9mph knots
W
9mph
W 10mph knots
W
10mph
W 11mph knots
W
11mph
NW 9mph knots
NW
9mph
NW 5mph knots
NW
5mph

Wind gust

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1300m
1300m 31mph 24mph 20mph 21mph 18mph 13mph
900m
900m 24mph 21mph 19mph 18mph 16mph 11mph
600m
600m 26mph 21mph 18mph 18mph 15mph 10mph
300m
300m 17mph 16mph 14mph 16mph 14mph 10mph
Glen
Glen 14mph 16mph 16mph 18mph 16mph 10mph

Altitude above mean sea level
Time
Time
06:00
09:00
12:00
15:00
18:00
21:00
1300m
1300m -10 degrees Celsius -9 degrees Celsius -8 degrees Celsius -7 degrees Celsius -7 degrees Celsius -8 degrees Celsius
900m
900m -5 degrees Celsius -4 degrees Celsius -2 degrees Celsius -1 degrees Celsius -2 degrees Celsius -3 degrees Celsius
600m
600m -2 degrees Celsius -1 degrees Celsius 1 degrees Celsius 2 degrees Celsius 1 degrees Celsius 0 degrees Celsius
300m
300m 3 degrees Celsius 4 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius 5 degrees Celsius 4 degrees Celsius
Glen
Glen 7 degrees Celsius 7 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius 9 degrees Celsius 8 degrees Celsius 6 degrees Celsius
Freezing Level Freezing Level
900m
1000m
900m
900m
800m
800m

Additional weather information

Meteorologist's view

Low temperatures and strong winds at height will make for chilling conditions.

Weather

Variable amounts of cloud and a few showers throughout the day. Showers will be wintry on the higher tops. Some good spells of dry weather expected too.

Chance of cloud-free hill tops

90%

Low cloud and visibility

Cloud mostly above the tops but the odd patch above 900m at first. Otherwise good visibility outside of cloud, away from showers.

Ground conditions

No recent ground conditions report available.

Summit specific forecast